Page 206 - Swann Galleries - Printed & Manuscript African Americana- Sale 2308 - March 21, 2013

374 ● (LITERATURE AND POETRY.) JOHNSON, JAMES WELDON.
Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man. 211 pages. 8vo, original smooth black cloth
in dust jacket. The latter evenly toned, spine faded with some light rubbing to the extremi-
ties, the binding slightly skewed; rear hinge started, but firm.
Garden City, N.Y: Garden City Publishers, (1927) [1,500/2,500]
A REPRINT OF THE SECOND EDITION, WHICH WAS THE FIRST EDITION TO BEAR THE
AUTHOR’S NAME .This copy is inscribed and signed by Johnson: “Sincerely, James Weldon
Johnson, Lake Mohonk, September 22nd, 1936.”One of the great African American novels of
the 20th century, Johnson’s “Autobiography” was rediscovered at the onset of the Harlem
Renaissance in 1927.
375 ● (LITERATURE AND POETRY.) JOHNSON, JAMES WELDON. Black
Manhattan. Illustrations. 284 pages plus and extensive index. 8vo, original pictorial cloth
in a dust jacket with a one inch chip from the head of the spine panel.
New York: Alfred Knopf, 1930 [800/1,200]
FIRST EDITION OF JOHNON’S RICH HISTORY OF MANHATTAN AS SEEN FROM THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN DIASPORIC EXPERIENCE, ENHANCED WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
Beginning with an account of the black population under the Dutch in the first quarter of the
seventeenth century, Johnson takes the reader through the insurrections of 1712 and 1742 and
the growth of the black community in the 19th century, into the 20th century and the birth of
jazz and black vaudeville. Throughout, there are short biographical sketches of significant
African Americans of New York City, up to and including the Harlem Renaissance period,
which was in full flower at the time of this writing.
376 ● (LITERATURE AND POETRY.) JONES, LEROI [aka AMIRI BARAKA]. Le
Roi Jones. Black and white poster, 283⁄
4 x 203⁄
4 inches from a charcoal drawing by Ervin H.
Cobbs; slight wrinkle to the top right corner, and small wrinkle to the bottom left, neither
affecting the poster in any serious way. San Francisco, 1967 [600/800]
The artist has captured Jones in a dramatic moment, probably during one of his early poetry
readings.
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