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Simple Speaks His Mind. (Inscribed)
by Langston Hughes
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Simon & Schuster, (1950). First edition. Bookplate. Publisher's binding with tape shadow to spine. Very good in a fair illustrated dust jacket with library label to spine and inexpert internal tape mends.
First edition of this first collection of the "Simple" short stories written about the everyday lives of Harlemites. Given by Hughes, in the year of publication, to his dentist, another Harlemite: "Inscribed especially for my friends, the Tom Johnsons, with continued good wishes - Sincerely, Langston. New York, April 10, 1950."
According to census records, between the 1920s and 1930s, Thomas O. Johnson (b. 1894) and Anna Johnson (b. 1892) lived and worked at 207 West 138th Street. (Hughes had also lived on West 138th Street.) The Johnsons lived with their son, Thomas Jr., and Junior's grandfather, McPherson Johnson, and his great-grandmother, "Sabanah" (likely Savannah) Johnson (b. 1849). Both senior family members migrated north from Georgia.
"I live in the heart of Harlem. I have also lived in the heart of Paris, Madrid, Shanghai, and Mexico City. The people of Harlem seem not very different from others, except in language. I love the color of their language; and, being a Harlemite myself, their problems and interests are my problems and interests." (from About the Author)
Note. Within another inscribed book from the collection of Anna and Thomas O. Johnson, Simple Takes a Wife (1953), Hughes described the couple as "friends of long standing (and one of the reasons I love Harlem)..." Blockson Catalogue 6379. Dickson 19. Bruccoli & Clark III:163. bcj 332896 wq10
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Details
- Bookseller
- Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3731680
- Title
- Simple Speaks His Mind. (Inscribed)
- Author
- Langston Hughes
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
Terms of Sale
Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). As such, we abide by their code of ethics and conduct. We are also members of The Manuscript Society and The Ephemera Society of America (Lifetime). Ian Brabner is also a member of The Grolier Club.
All items are unconditionally guaranteed to be as described and authentic. All major defects are noted. Images are not to scale, measurements are given. Returns are accepted for any reason within 12 days of receipt. We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, and check. Institutions and libraries may be billed per their budgetary requirements.
All items are subject to prior sale. Title does not pass to the buyer until the purchase price has been discharged in full.
About the Seller
Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
Biblio member since 2020
Wilmington, Delaware
About Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
Established in 1995, Ian Brabner, Rare Americana buys and sells rare books and manuscripts covering diverse facets of American history.
Our inventory encompasses a broad spectrum of collecting interests, with a special focus on 18th- and 19th-century American history, including African-American history, women's history, and unique or unusual materials documenting the American experience. In our stock, you will also find rare pamphlets, documents, letters and correspondence, journals, diaries, significant archives, as well as original art, graphics, and photographs.
Our inventory encompasses a broad spectrum of collecting interests, with a special focus on 18th- and 19th-century American history, including African-American history, women's history, and unique or unusual materials documenting the American experience. In our stock, you will also find rare pamphlets, documents, letters and correspondence, journals, diaries, significant archives, as well as original art, graphics, and photographs.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- A.N.
- The book is pristine and free of any defects, in the same condition as ...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
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