Franklin Library: JAMES BALDWIN: GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN: HARLEM PREACHER

Description: Franklin Library leather edition of James Baldwin's "Go Tell It on the Mountain," a Limited edition, Illustrated by Jim Sharpe, one of the 100 GREATEST MASTERPIECES OF AMERICAN LITERATURE series, published in 1982. Bound in black leather, the book has ivory French moire silk end leaves, acid-free paper, Symth-sewn binding, a satin book marker, hubbed spine, gold gilding on three edges----in FINE condition. James Baldwin, who lived from 1924 – 1987, was an African American novelist. The grandson of a slave, Baldwin was born in Harlem in 1924, the oldest of nine children. He grew up in poverty, developing a troubled relationship with his strict, religious stepfather. As a child, he cast about for a way to escape his circumstances. As he recalls, “I knew I was black, of course, but I also knew I was smart. I didn’t know how I would use my mind, or even if I could, but that was the only thing I had to use.” During this early part of his life, he followed in his stepfather’s footsteps and became a preacher. Of those teen years, Baldwin recalled, “Those three years in the pulpit – I didn’t realize it then – that is what turned me into a writer, really, dealing with all that anguish and that despair and that beauty.” Many have noted the strong influence of the language of the church, the language of the Bible, on Baldwin’s style: its cadences and tone. Eager to move on, Baldwin knew that if he left the pulpit he must also leave home, so at eighteen he took a job working for the New Jersey railroad. After writing a number of pieces for various magazines, Baldwin went to a small village in Switzerland to finish his first novel. "Go Tell It on the Mountain," originally published in 1953, is an autobiographical work about growing up in Harlem. The passion and depth with which he described the struggles of black Americans were unlike anything that had been written. “Once you find yourself in another civilization,” he notes, “you’re forced to examine your own.” Though at times criticized for his pacifist stance, Baldwin remained an important figure in that struggle throughout the 1960s. 234 pages. I offer Combined shipping.

Price: 49.95 USD

Location: Walnut Ridge, Arkansas

End Time: 2024-11-13T16:05:28.000Z

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