Books

New York: The Dial Press, 1963. First Edition. Near Fine. Uncorrected long galley proof copy of the first edition of James Baldwin's seminal text on race in America. In publisher's original plastic comb binding with thick brown card covers with paper title label to upper cover. Near Fine with several teeth missing from comb, toning and loss to two corners of the cover label, corners bumped and pages tanned. A scarce format of one of Baldwin's best-known non-fiction work which has gained a new critical and popular appreciation for its prescience in depicting the persistence of racial tensions and inequalities in a post-civil rights world. Comprised of two essays, the first essay, written in the form of a letter to Baldwin's 14-year-old nephew, discusses the central role of race in American history. The second essay, which takes up the majority of the book, deals with the relations between race and religion, focusing in particular on Baldwin's experiences with the Christian church as…

A classic of the civil rights movement, 'The Fire Next Time' is a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice which consists of two essays: 'My Dungeon Shook — Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation,' and 'Down At The Cross — Letter from a Region of My Mind.'

One way to determine if a copy of 'The Fire Next Time' is a first edition is to look for the publishing details. For Dial Press, the first edition usually states 'First Printing' or 'First Published' along with the year 1963. It may also have a specific cover design or dust jacket that can be attributed to the first edition copies.