James Weldon Johnson: Writings (LOA #145)
Format: Hardcover
ISBN13: 9781931082525
Hardcover|9781931082525
✨ Featured Offer
Used, Like New
$23.34
List Price: $40.00
🚚
See all 5 offers from $17.62 FREE standard delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Overview
James Weldon Johnson's career was one of extraordinary range, spanning the worlds of diplomacy (as U.S. consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua), politics (as Secretary of the NAACP), journalism (as founder of one newspaper and longtime editor of another), musical theater (as lyricist for the Broadway songwriting team of Cole and Johnson Brothers), and literature (as novelist, poet, and anthologist). At the dawning of what would become the modern civil rights movement, he forged a record of accomplishment that defied the odds. The Library of America now presents a collection of his writings that displays the many facets of a complex and impassioned writer.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man(1912), Johnson's first book, is a novel that on its original anonymous publication was taken by many for an actual memoir. A groundbreaking work of modern fiction, it powerfully describes the inner development of a gifted, socially alienated man as he tries to come to terms with the constraints of racism.
Along This Way(1933) is Johnson's genial and enthralling account of his fantastically busy life, with a cast of characters including W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Clarence Darrow, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Carl Van Vechten, and many others.
A selection of shorter prose-editorials from TheNew York Age, political essays, literary prefaces, an excerpt from the historical studyBlack Manhattan-confirms the variety of Johnson's interests, as he comments on figures and topics including Jack Johnson, Marcus Garvey, Woodrow Wilson, lynching, anti-Japanese discrimination in California, American involvement in Haiti, changing trends in theater and poetry, and the significance of spirituals.
Johnson's poetry is represented by the full text ofGod's Trombones(1927), his stirring homage to African-American preaching, and shorter works including "O Black and Unknown Bards," lyrics from Johnson's Broadway songwriting days, and "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the hymn often referred to as the "Negro National Anthem."
LIBRARY OF AMERICAis an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man(1912), Johnson's first book, is a novel that on its original anonymous publication was taken by many for an actual memoir. A groundbreaking work of modern fiction, it powerfully describes the inner development of a gifted, socially alienated man as he tries to come to terms with the constraints of racism.
Along This Way(1933) is Johnson's genial and enthralling account of his fantastically busy life, with a cast of characters including W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Clarence Darrow, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Carl Van Vechten, and many others.
A selection of shorter prose-editorials from TheNew York Age, political essays, literary prefaces, an excerpt from the historical studyBlack Manhattan-confirms the variety of Johnson's interests, as he comments on figures and topics including Jack Johnson, Marcus Garvey, Woodrow Wilson, lynching, anti-Japanese discrimination in California, American involvement in Haiti, changing trends in theater and poetry, and the significance of spirituals.
Johnson's poetry is represented by the full text ofGod's Trombones(1927), his stirring homage to African-American preaching, and shorter works including "O Black and Unknown Bards," lyrics from Johnson's Broadway songwriting days, and "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the hymn often referred to as the "Negro National Anthem."
LIBRARY OF AMERICAis an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
| ISBN-13 | 9781931082525 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 1931082529 |
| Weight | 1.32 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 5.30 x 1.11 x 8.20 In |
| List Price | $40.00 |
| Edition | 1st Edition |
| Format | Hardcover |
|---|---|
| Pages | 828 pages |
| Publisher | Library of America |
| Published On | 2004-01-05 |
View All Offers
Sort by:
Price
Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Good
Seller details
Montclair Book Center
Montclair, NJ, USA
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
BayStateBooks
North Smithfield, RI, USA
The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact including the dust jacket if origina...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Very Good
Seller details
Friends of RRLS
Lexington, VA, USA
Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 828 p. Contains: Illustrations. Library of Americ...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
SurplusTextSeller
Columbia, MO, USA
Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust j...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
✨ Used, Like New
Seller details
Broad Street Books
Branchville, NJ, USA
Size: 5x1x8; Slipcased Edition-Dark Red cloth boards with white slipcase. Book is in excellent unu...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026