HUGHES, Langston. Shakespeare in Harlem. 1942. FIRST EDITION. PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY HUGHES TO NOEL SULLIVAN.
Sale 1336 - Fine Books and Manuscripts, including Worlds of Tomorrow, and Americana
Jun 7, 2024
9:00AM CT
Live / Chicago
Estimate
$800 -
$1,200
Sold for $3,493
Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium
Lot Description
HUGHES, Langston (1901-1967). Shakespeare in Harlem. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1942.
8vo. Illustrations after E. McKnight Kauffer. Original orange and black cloth; pictorial dust jacket (a few short tears, spine toned). Provenance: Noël Sullivan (presentation inscription); by descent to present owner.
FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED PRIOR TO PUBLICATION BY HUGHES TO SULLIVAN: “Dear Noël – Much of this book, you know, was written at Hollow Hills. But the poems are of much less pleasant places. Happiness to you always! Langston. New York, February 6, 1942.”
In writing Shakespeare in Harlem, his book of poems about the blues published on February 16, 1942, Hughes “returned to the inspiration for his greatest creative period, which had culminated in in 1927 in Fine Clothes to the Jew” (Rampersad, Life, Vol. II, p.40). “Shakespeare in Harlem was emphatically, unashamedly about being black. Like Fine Clothes to the Jew, it was also an interior portrait, almost completely free of overt protest in self-pity, and resounding in its success as a representation of the lives and thoughts of the mass of black Americans” (ibid., p.42). Much of the work was written in 1941 while Hughes stayed at Noël Sullivan’s Hollow Hills. “To aid Langston Hughes, and have him living at Hollow Hills, was both a spiritual and psychological book to Sullivan” (ibid., p.7). The benefit was mutual; one of Hughes’s friends, actress Elsie Arden, wrote him during this period: “I love to know you are near Noël…your serenity of spirit and manner, your gentle voice and your inviolable affection for him are of real support in his heavy and often difficult hours” (ibid., p.7).
Fine African Americana from the Collections of Noël Sullivan & William P. and Alice D. Mahoney
Condition Report
The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to
age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and
restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition
they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make
no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind
as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue
description or a condition report shall not amount to a full
accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Hindman
staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the
Department prior to bidding.
The absence of a posted condition report on the Hindman website or
in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an
item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for
inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect
the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have
requested, received and understood any condition report provided
by Hindman.
Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.