New York: Harper & Brothers, 1931. dj. Hardcover first edition - Tales of the legendary hero, John Henry, told in black dialect; scattered through the stories are lyrics from some of the many folk and blues songs honoring his exploits. Illustrated with woodcuts by J. J. Lankes. 225 pp plus colophon and 4 pp publisher's ads

Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, (1994.). Originally published in 1985, this remains the most important study of the life and legacy of Sterling A. Brown, an African-American poet and scholar whose literary work presaged future generations of black authors and scholars. Leopold Senghor called him "an original militant of Negritude, a precursor of our movement" and in their foreword, John W. Blassingame and Henry Gates, Jr, describe his book of poetry "Southern Road" as the book which ended the Harlem Renaissance and moved black writing into the modernist lyrical mode. Notes, bibliography, index. xii, 245 pp. ISBN: 0-8139-15317.

San Francisco: Julian Richardson Associates, (1969). First edition - First separate edition of this humorous poem - a narrative in dialect about a big bear, a small weasel, and a farmer, illustrated with drawings by Metego, a young African-American artist. Although the sub-title is 'The Young Master Asks for a Story', the first illustration depicts a young Black boy listening to the story. Introduction by Welvin Stroud. Very scarce. 28 pp.

New York: The Theatre Guild by Doubleday, Page and Company 1927. First edition - Heyward's novel, Porgy ,the story of a crippled beggar living in the black tenements of Charleston is considered his best book and it was a bestseller upon its original publication in 1925. This stage adaptation strengthened the character of Bess and added folk songs, and, unusual for the times, the Heywards insisted on an all black cast. Later this was the basis for the Gershwin musical "Porgy and Bess." Although this is described as an 'acting version' it is a very fragile production with stiff white card cover and integral orange wrappers, pasted to the spine. 203 pp.

New York: Literary Guild, (1929.) dj. Hardcover - Novel set in Charleston, South Carolina, and written primarily in dialect. The basis for both the Broadway drama and the Gershwin musical "Porgy and Bess." 311 pp.. Illustrated endpapers. These early Literary Guild books were attractive productions with stylized dust jacket art.

Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987. dj. Hardcover first edition - Includes 33 of the best selections by this popular humorist on the rights of women, with an introduction by Jane Curry. Illustrations, bibliography, index. 235 pages. ISBN: 0-252-010205.

Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries, 1972. Hardcover - A title in The Black Heritage Library Collection, of a work originally published in 1905. In his preface Merrill, a white minister, states that he sought to show "the real purpose of educated negroes, just as I have seen it carried out, in their efforts to adjust themselves to their new surroundings. My Negro characters are taken from lowly cabin homes, educated in good schools, and become influential agencies among their people." Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait and three internal plates. 331 pp. ISBN: 0-836990366.

New York: George H. Doran, 1920. Hardcover first edition - The title character - Wildcat - is a black man who is drafted in World War I - much of the novel is in dialect.