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If Beale Street Could Talk.

If Beale Street Could Talk.

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If Beale Street Could Talk.

by Baldwin, James

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Condition
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Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
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About This Item

New York: The Dial Press, 1974. First edition of Baldwin's fifth novel, a love story set in Harlem in the early 1970s. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "For Ethan Reinhard, Thank you. James Baldwin." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Lynn Braswell. Reviewing the novel in The New York Times in 1974, the novelist Joyce Carol Oates described the book as "a moving, painful story" but "ultimately optimistic. It stresses the communal bond between members of an oppressed minority, especially between members of a family," offering "a quite moving and very traditional celebration of love. It affirms not only love between a man and a woman, but love of a type that is dealt with only rarely in contemporary fiction--that between members of a family, which may involve extremes of sacrifice." Basis for the film directed by Barry Jenkins, starring Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein, Brian Tyree Henry and Regina King.

Synopsis

If Beale Street Could Talk, James Baldwin's fifth novel is a love story set in Harlem in the early 70's. Young Tish and Fonny, who are in love and expecting a child. They plan on marrying until Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their tragic love story paints a bleak picture of racism and injustice. It is the only Baldwin novel narrated by a woman. 

Read More: Identifying first editions of If Beale Street Could Talk.

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Details

Bookseller
Raptis Rare Books US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
124543
Title
If Beale Street Could Talk.
Author
Baldwin, James
Book Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Publisher
The Dial Press
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
1974
Keywords
Autographed, If Beale Street Could Talk, james baldwin first edition, signed

Terms of Sale

Raptis Rare Books

30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed.

About the Seller

Raptis Rare Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2012
Palm Beach, Florida

About Raptis Rare Books

Founded by Matthew and Adrienne Raptis, Raptis Rare Books is an antiquarian book firm that specializes in literature, children's books, economics, photo books, signed and inscribed books, and landmark books in all fields. Our business model is simple: we strive to handle books that are in exceptional condition and to provide exceptional customer service.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Cloth
"Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Inscribed
When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
Jacket
Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...

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