Books

Michael Joseph Ltd. London. 1954. 256 pages. First edition stated, first printing. This is the first UK edition preceded only by the US edition published just months earlier. Original DJ with 12s. 6d. net on flap. Binding and hinges are strong and sound. Rich and clean black cloth stamped in bright gilt titles on the backstrip. Endpapers are bright and clean with faint, mostly removed previous owner's name. A loosely laid-in decorative bookplate is included for your convenience should this be a gift, as the bookplate can be inscribed and placed over the old owner's name; or plainly used for your own collection. Attractive original DJ with red and black brick design. Small photo of a young James Baldwin on jacket rear. Light soiling to jacket rear with faint smudge. Darkening along top edge from old tape reinforcement on verso (removed). Minimal shelf-rubbing with small chip at crown. Go Tell It on the Mountain is a 1953 semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin that tells the story of John Grimes, an intelligent teenager in 1930s Harlem, and his relationship with his family and his church; on the surface. The novel's depth coupled with Baldwin's style has led the Modern Library to put Go Tell It on the Mountain 39th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Time Magazine included this novel on its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. A VG+/VG first UK edition, first printing of Baldwin's first book and magnum opus. A masterpiece of American literature, and a plum for any serious book collector.

Go Tell It on the Mountain is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin that examines the role of the Christian Church in the lives of African-Americans, both as a source of repression and moral hypocrisy and as a source of inspiration and community. It also details the social and psychological pressures that lead to the moral and spiritual decline of John Grimes, a teenage boy much like Baldwin himself.