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First edition. Octavo. 262pp. Brown cloth with title stamped in black. Professionally recased and rebacked, preserving most of the original spine, the corners neatly refurbished, and the hinges seamlessly tightened, thus a presentable very good copy, lacking the dust jacket; housed in a lightly worn custom clamshell case. A very nice presentation copy, Inscribed by Thurman to silent film actor and director James Cruze: "To James Cruze-In anticipation of another story being especially written for submission to him. Sincerely, Wallace Thurman." Both Thurman and Cruze were from Utah, outsiders in their communities. In *Down in the Dumps: Place, Modernity, American Depression*, Thurman is quoted as writing to playwright and producer William Jourdan Rapp in June, 1929: "Met James Cruze, who is quite anxious to see a script of Harlem...[Cruze] has long wanted to do a first class colored movie and showed me countless stories he has considered. He wants to star Evelyn Preer, which is alright by me so long as he buys the movie rights...." Cruze directed or produced nearly 100 silent films, but appears not to have transitioned well to the talkies. We could find no evidence that he filmed any of Thurman's work. *The Blacker the Berry* is one of the keystone novels of the Harlem Renaissance and Thurman's first published novel. It offers a frank portrayal of prejudice within the Black community, featuring a dark-skinned young woman who travels to Harlem and is discriminated against by lighter skinned people of her own race, which caused some controversy with critics and commentators. Thurman was already well-known in Harlem Renaissance circles, but the publication of this work would announce his talents to a wider audience. Only the second presentation copy we've seen of this novel.

First edition. Octavo. 262pp. Brown cloth with title stamped in black. Professionally recased and rebacked, preserving most of the original spine, the corners neatly refurbished, and the hinges seamlessly tightened, thus a presentable very good copy, lacking the dust jacket; housed in a lightly worn custom clamshell case. A very nice presentation copy, Inscribed by Thurman to silent film actor and director James Cruze: "To James Cruze-In anticipation of another story being especially written for submission to him. Sincerely, Wallace Thurman." Both Thurman and Cruze were from Utah, outsiders in their communities. In *Down in the Dumps: Place, Modernity, American Depression*, Thurman is quoted as writing to playwright and producer William Jourdan Rapp in June, 1929: "Met James Cruze, who is quite anxious to see a script of Harlem...[Cruze] has long wanted to do a first class colored movie and showed me countless stories he has considered. He wants to star Evelyn Preer, which is alright by me so long as he buys the movie rights...." Cruze directed or produced nearly 100 silent films, but appears not to have transitioned well to the talkies. We could find no evidence that he filmed any of Thurman's work. *The Blacker the Berry* is one of the keystone novels of the Harlem Renaissance and Thurman's first published novel. It offers a frank portrayal of prejudice within the Black community, featuring a dark-skinned young woman who travels to Harlem and is discriminated against by lighter skinned people of her own race, which caused some controversy with critics and commentators. Thurman was already well-known in Harlem Renaissance circles, but the publication of this work would announce his talents to a wider audience. Only the second presentation copy we've seen of this novel.