Books

St. Albans, West Virginia: Parchment Gallery Graphics), 1999. Softcover. Fine. First edition. Single sheet, measuring 8" x 10", consisting of a photographically reproduced image of an oil lamp, quill pen, and a brief passage from *The Color Purple*. The broadside is housed in a brown leatherette silk-lined folder, stamped in gold. With a colophon leaf in a paper folder laid in, all housed in an unprinted envelope. Fine. One of 49 copies Signed by Alice Walker in gold ink and numbered in white over a Parchment Gallery Graphics blindstamp. The colophon states: "Originally intended for an edition of 99 pieces (as stated on the [printed] image) only 49 copies and one Printer's Proof were issued for commercial purposes." An attractive publication, published in a remarkably small limitation. *OCLC* locates three copies (UC Berkeley, Delaware, Georgia).

The Color Purple is a powerful novel about the struggle of African American women in the early 20th century. It follows the life of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation, who is sexually abused by her father and later winds up in an abusive marriage. Despite her struggles, Celie finds her voice and personal growth through letters and the support of other women.