Books

New York: Random House, 1952. Association copy of the author's landmark first novel, which went on to win the National Book Award. Octavo, original black and tan cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author on title page, "To Michael Harper who has made this here book much better known. With thanks for his insights, Ralph Ellison." The recipient, Michael S. Harper was a poet, professor and close personal friend of Ralph Ellison. Harper's Dear John, Dear Coltrane was reviewed in Time Magazine in 1970, the same issue to feature Ellison's essay, "What America Would Be Like Without Blacks," and the two authors shared a passion for jazz, literature, and interrogating the American experience. In an interview, Harper clarified that they were not chums, as one did not naturally become chums with Ralph Ellison, though he knew him well enough to note he was a tremendous dancer, his favorite book was Moby Dick, and he was angry with Charlie Parker. Clearly they maintained a…

A novel by Ralph Ellison, published in 1952, Invisible Man addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing African-Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the reformist racial policies of Booker T. Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity.