HUGHES, Langston.
The Weary Blues
. With An Introduction By Carl Van Vechten. Small 8vo, original blue cloth-backed decorated boards, pictorial dust jacket by Covarrubias. N. Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1926.
First edition of Hughes’ first book. One of 1500 copies printed. Dickinson 1. Advance copy, with the publisher’s review slip, giving the publication date, laid in. One of the cornerstones of the Harlem Renaissance, The Weary Blues includes Hughes’ important sequence of poems, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, in addition to the poems inspired by the “blues”. Carl Van Vechten, the flamboyant gay novelist, photographer, and impresario, was almost single-handedly responsible for producing Hughes’ book: Van Vechten befriended the poet, solicited the manuscript, secured the publisher, designed the book, commissioned Covarrubias to illustrate the dust jacket, and wrote the introduction. Despite criticism from members of the Harlem community, Hughes regarded Van Vechten as his “good angel” and remained grateful to the friend who had helped launch his career. Extremities of boards slightly rubbed, otherwise a fine copy in lightly chipped dust jacket, which is faintly darkened along spine. The first edition of The Weary Blues is extremely rare in dust jacket.
$25,000.00
First edition of Hughes’ first book. One of 1500 copies printed. Dickinson 1. Advance copy, with the publisher’s review slip, giving the publication date, laid in. One of the cornerstones of the Harlem Renaissance, The Weary Blues includes Hughes’ important sequence of poems, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, in addition to the poems inspired by the “blues”. Carl Van Vechten, the flamboyant gay novelist, photographer, and impresario, was almost single-handedly responsible for producing Hughes’ book: Van Vechten befriended the poet, solicited the manuscript, secured the publisher, designed the book, commissioned Covarrubias to illustrate the dust jacket, and wrote the introduction. Despite criticism from members of the Harlem community, Hughes regarded Van Vechten as his “good angel” and remained grateful to the friend who had helped launch his career. Extremities of boards slightly rubbed, otherwise a fine copy in lightly chipped dust jacket, which is faintly darkened along spine. The first edition of The Weary Blues is extremely rare in dust jacket.
$25,000.00
