The Souls of Black Folk

Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co, 1903. First edition. Near Fine. A clean, Near Fine copy of W.E.B. DuBois' first book. A bit of fraying to head and tail of spine, and a subtle blemish to upper board. An excellent copy overall.

The Souls of Black Folk was Du Bois' first and most famous book, a "monumental" work "filled with spirituality and with spontaneity" that represented a turning point both in the field of sociology (Blockson, Commented Bibliography, 52). Notably, the book coined the framework of "double consciousness" in regards to Black people's self-perception, capturing the notion that Black people, by necessity, viewed themselves and the world through their own perspective while simultaneously anticipating the perspective of other (non-Black) people. Du Bois, already an established writer and sociologist, had previously published several studies of Black life in the United States, including The Philadelphia Negro (1899), as well as a study of Black people in business, but The Souls of Black Folk went further: Du Bois' "conceptions were historical and global, his methodology empirical and intuitive, his values and commitments involving both mobilization of an elite vanguard to address the issues of racism and the conscious cultivation of the values to be drawn from African-American folk culture" (ANB). The result was a revolutionary work of sociology that shapes conversations on race, community, and identity to this day. The importance of The Souls of Black Folk cannot be overstated.

Also see Blockson 4028 (third edition). Near Fine.