New York: Akashic Books, (2007). First edition - A collection of short fiction, from the early 70s to the present, most not previously published: 'the first section of the book, "War Stories," offers six stories enmeshed in the volatile politics of the 1970s and 1980s. The second section, "Tales of the Out & the Gone," reveals Baraka's increasing literary adventurousness, combining "an unpredictable language play with a passion for abstraction and psychological exploration." Among his many honors, Baraka was the controversial "last" Poet Laureate of New Jersey and awarded the James Weldon Johnson medal for outstanding contribution to the arts. 221 pp plus 2 pp of publisher's advertisements. ISBN: 1-933354127.

Cleveland, Ohio: World Publishing Co., (1967) dj. Hardcover first edition - A biography of this great African American singer, actor and outspoken advocate of racial equality written 9 years before the end of his life, when he was in poor health and living mostly in isolation. It follows his rise to international prominence and his rejection in America, even by prominent civil rights organizations because of his belief that Communism as established in the Soviet Union offered a chance of racial equality. 228 pp.

New York: Scholastic, (1999) dj. Hardcover - In 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first black student ever at the all-white William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, Louisiana. This account of that event is "simple in language and rich in history and sepia-toned photographs." It includes "quotes from newspapers of the time, family members, and teachers; sidebars illustrating how Ruby Bridges pops up in both John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and a Norman Rockwell painting; and a fascinating update on Bridges's life and civil rights work. A personal, deeply moving historical documentary about a staggeringly courageous little girl at the center of events that already seem unbelievable." Winner of the Jane Adams Children's Book Award. Large square format, illustrated throughout with photographs. 64 pp. ISBN: 0-590189239.

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, (2005.) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - Autobiography of this noted historian, whose work "From Slavery to Freedom" remained the classic text for over 60 years. Born in 1915, he was "confined to segregated schools, threatened and consistently subjected to racismÕs denigration of his humanity." Yet he went on to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard & become the first black historian to assume a full professorship at a white institution; he has reshaped the understanding and teaching of African American history. INSCRIBED on the half title page.Photographs, index. xi, 401 pp. ISBN: 0-374-29944-7.

Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, (1998) dj. Hardcover first edition - A later book by this Baptist minister, civil rights leader and social activist focusing on the creation of job training opportunities for African Americans (founder of the Opportunities Industrialization Centers - OIC), and as an anti-Apartheid activist. It begins in 1971 when he attended the first meeting of the Board of General Motors as a member - the first Black man to hold such a position in the US, and it also focuses on the development of what became known as the "Sullivan Principles" which used the economic strength of US corporations to dismantle apartheid in South Africa. Illustrated with photographs. foreword by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr, list of abbreviations. Index. 300 pp. ISBN: 0-817012893.

New York: Riverhead Books, 2013. Hardcover first edition - A look at the summer of 1964 - the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, the beginning of the Vietnam War, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the lead-up to a dramatic election - and the song, written by Marvin Gaye and recorded by Martha and the Vandelles, which took on many meanings as the country changed. The NY Times review commented about this book "For all the seriousness of Kurlanskys cultural entanglements, it is nevertheless a delight to experience his sophisticated sense of play and, at times, his outright wicked sense of humor. Illustrated with photographs. Includes a time line of 1964, a discography of the song, bibliography and index. xxi, 263 pp. ISBN: 978-1594487224.

New York: Bantam, (1964.). A very personal book, eloquent in its simplicity, on what it meant to be black in the United States during the first half of the 20th century - he talks about the impact of the Scottsboro case, about a college student of his who was lynched in Georgia, but most of all he talks about the fact that he is tired of living in a country where there is a "race problem" although he admits he has no specific remedies for our "American sickness." 115 pp.

New York: Pocket Books, (1965.). Classic autobiography by the black activist, comedian and actor. Illustrated with 16 pages of photographs. 209 pp.

New York: Scholastic, (1986). Biography of the great civil rights leader for older children. Illustrated with photographs. 127 pp. ISBN: 0-590412914.

New York: Pantheon, (1969) dj. Hardcover first edition - An analysis of Southern culture and lifestyles in the 1960s and their possible influence on the rest of the United States by a former journalist and information director for the Southern Regional Council, whose major concern has been with race relations and the civil rights movement. Bibliography, index. xviii, 390 pp.

New York: Public Affairs, (2003). Hardcover first edition - Written when she was 91, this autobiography recounts a life of service and leadership, from early protests against lynching to being on the platform as Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. She led the National Council of Negro Women for forty-one years, and after the battles of the 1960s, she concentrated on troubled black communities, on issues like rural poverty, teen pregnancy and black family values. In 1994, her efforts are officially recognized. Foreword by Maya Angelou.
Photographs, index. xi, 322p. ISBN: 1-586481576.

New York: St Martin's, (2019). First edition - An account of the tragic shootings at the Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina by this Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and of the tragedy's aftermath. "The two adult survivors of the shooting begin to make sense of their lives again. Rifts form between some of the victims families and the church. A group of relatives fights to end gun violence, capturing the attention of President Obama. And a city in the Deep South must confront its racist past. This is the story of how, beyond the headlines, a community of people begins to heal." 297 pp.

New York: Grove Press, (1968). First edition - A book of aphorisms which take on the stereotypes of what being Black in the US is like. Published at the height of the civil rights movement, perhaps the saddest thing about this book is how much is still true now, fifty years later. " Black is being accused of causing trouble but always winding up as the casualties . .. Black is when folks say you've got to earn the rights the Constitution guaranteed you already had" and more. Each is printed in white lettering on black paper with an illustration by Ann Weisman on the facing page. Unpaginated.

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, (1990.). First edition - Autobiography of the founder of the largest black law firm in Alabama. Born in 1930, he was involved in the struggle for civil rights from the time of the marches in 1965 and afterwards. A picture of an important era, of one man's history, and of the politics of a small southern town. . xiii, 397 pp. plus 3 pp list of photographs for the final version, but which are not included in this ARC.

New York: Bloomsbury, (2016) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A year before Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball in 1947, four men broke pro football's color line - Kenny Washington and Woody Strode with the Los Angeles Rams and Bill Willis and Marion Motley with the Cleveland Browns. This book traces the history of the color line
from the early 1930s--when NFL owners first instituted a ban on black players to the 1950 NFL Championship Game, which pitted the Rams and Browns against each other. SIGNED by the author on the title page. Photographs, notes, sources, index. 274 pp. ISBN: 978-1620406007.

New York: Jump at the Sun / Hyperion, (2003.) dj. SIGNED first edition - Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of this significant Supreme Court decision, this is an anthology by ten of today's top writers for children - both African American and white - including Eloise Greenfield, Ishmael Reed, Quincy Troupe, Lois Lowry, Jean Craighead George, Jerry Spinelli, Katherine Patterson, Michael Cart, Leona Nicholas Welch and Thomas herself - which presents their experiences and recollections of life before the historical Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools in 1954, and afterwards. SIGNED by Lois Lowry at her contribution "Anthony." Illustrated with full page color pastel drawings by James Curtis. Printed on heavy glossy stock throughout. 114 pp.

Los Angeles: Trans-Anglo Books, (1966) dj. Hardcover first edition - An attempt to present a balanced look at the Watts Riot, illustrated throughout with black and white photographs, that tell the story far more graphically than words can. Includes an Appendix: The text of the McCone Commission report. Maps, bibliography, index. Large format. 160 pp. Map endpapers.

New York: Clarion Books, (2004) dj. Hardcover - An account for older children of a singer who broke down many racial barriers, based on her own letters and writings. Illustrated with photographs throughout. A Newbery Honor Award book, and winner of the Robert Siebert medal. Notes, selected bibliography, index. 119 pp. Slightly oversized. ISBN: 0-439799341.

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. dj. Hardcover first edition - A look at the Civil Rights era and post Civil Right era and how it affected the children and grandchildren of seven Mississippi law enforcement officers who were captured in an infamous 1962 Life magazine photo portrait in a story on James Meredith's effort to integrate the University of Mississippi. Illustrated with a map and photographs. Bibliographical essay, index. 343 pp. ISBN: 0-375404619.

New York: Putnam, (2009) dj. Hardcover first edition - The author's first novel, which focuses on the lives of black women who work as servants in a small Mississippi town in 1962 at the dawn of the Civil Rights era. A surprise bestseller, which went quickly into many later printings, this was also the basis of the movie of the same name. 451 pp. ISBN: 978-0399155345.

Bronxville, NY: Maiden Lane Press, (2014). First edition - A "new rendering" of a novel originally published in 2004 under the title 'The View from Delphi,' this is the story of two women, one black and one white, in a small Southern town in the pre-Civil Rights era. At first they only share two things - the devastating loss of their children and a loathing for each other - but gradually they come to learn that they have much more in common and together they turn the town of Delphi upside down. 440 pp plus a note from the author and a reading guide. ISBN: 9781940210049.

New York: Henry Holt, (2004). First edition - A blend of fiction and fact, this novel is set in the memorable summer of 1959 - when Prince Edward County, ordered to desegregate its public schools after the Supreme Court decision of Brown vs the Board of Education, decides instead to close all of the schools and have only private, white-only schools - and how it affected two boys, 10 year old Benjamin whose family is involved in setting up the new schools, and his friend, Burghardt, the son of the hired hand who works for his grandfather. Author's note.354 pp.