The Future of the American Negro
by Booker T. Washington

Influential and controversial, this book details Booker T's philosophy about how Black Americans could attain success in the new and shifting paradigm after the Civil War.

For many these ideas of working within the system were too conservative, and seemed like an acquiescence to the Jim Crow laws and the reprehensible hate crimes that were too common. However, the author was speaking from experience, having made the transition from dire poverty to prominence and success. 


Scarce SIGNATURE with inscription.
5" x 8" hardback. 1900

Harlem On My Mind

"A History in Voices and Music" features Hank Johnson's "HARLEM" with the Jazz Heritage Ensemble.

LP was produced in conjunction with the 1969 "Harlem On My Mind" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art..

Twelve Years A Slave 
by Solomon Northrup

The book that inspired the 2013 movie "12 Years A Slave."

One of the seminal books about the experience of living as a plantation slave in the American South.

Panoply's copy is a wonderful collector's edition, complete with all illustrations and a unique provenance.

6" x 8" hardback. 1853

James Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Best known for his role in the Harlem Renaissance of NYC, James Langston Hughes was one of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry. This prolific writer came to be known as "Poet Laureate of the Negro Race,

The Big Sea
This is his life story, in his own words.
SIGNED hardback with DJ. 6" by 8.5" 
1945

Not Without Laughter

Hughes' first novel won the Harmon gold medal for literature.
5.5" x 8" hardback. 1930

The Sweet Flypaper Of Life

by Roy DeCarava & Langston Hughes

Hughes adds narrative to DeCarava's photos, resulting in a compelling visual story originally published in 1955.

This reprint is inscribed and SIGNED by DeCarava. 9.5" x 11" hardback with Mylar-wrapped DJ

(Panoply carries additional books by and about Langston Hughes. Some can be seen by clicking "more info" below this. Please visit or contact us about other books.)

The Image of the Black in Western Art Volume IV: From the American Revolution to World War I
by Hugh Honour

Part 2: Black Models and White Myths
Beautiful reproductions illustrate a series of topical essays. A delightful collection for any art lover, and particularly for those interested in the connection of Art and Race.


10" x 11" hardback. 1989

The Conjure Woman
by Charles W. Chesnutt

Chesnutt was passionate about the complex issues of race and social identity facing African Americans in the post-Civil War South. Unfortunately, publishers insisted he tone it down a bit to catch more readers.

This first book is a collection of supernatural tales woven together by a narrative story that shares some of what life was like for Black Americans at that time.

First Edition. 5" x 7" hardback. 1899

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

Johnson is often best remembered for the decade he served the NAACP as the Chief Operating Officer (equivalent). He was also a notable writer, activist, musician, lawyer, educator, diplomat, and poet who made significant contributions to that 20th C African-American arts known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Along This Way: The Autobiography of James Weldon Johnson

The story of this talented and notable man. This copy is in overall remarkable condition, and is a scarce SIGNED First Edition.

6" x 9" hardback with DJ. 1933

The Book of American Negro Poetry
by James Weldon Johnson

A collection of early African American poetry featuring works by W.E.B. Du Bois, James Edwin Campbell, Daniel Webster Davis, and many more.

First Edition 5" x 8" hardback. 1922

Black Genesis
by Samuel Gaillard Stoney
illustrated by Martha Bensley.

The story of creation and other myths written in an African American dialect unique to the "Carolina Low Country." Woodblock illustrations throughout. 

6" x 9" hardback. 1930