Ralph Ellison Signed 1952 Invisible Man HC w/DJ National Book Award Winner

Description: Hardcover. 8vo. Random House, New York. 1952. 439 pgs. Signed and inscribed by Ralph Ellison to literary critic Robert Langham on the titile page. First Edition/Fourth Printing. DJ has shelf-wear present (edges of the DJ is chipped and worn with a removed spine label present, missing the rear flap, front flap detached and trimmed down) Bound in cloth boards with titles present to the spine. Boards have light shelf-wear present to the extremities Text is free of marks. Binding tight and solid. We rely, in this world, on the visual aspects of humanity as a means of learning who we are. This, Ralph Ellison argues convincingly, is a dangerous habit. A classic from the moment it first appeared in 1952, Invisible Man chronicles the travels of its narrator, a young, nameless black man, as he moves through the hellish levels of American intolerance and cultural blindness. Searching for a context in which to know himself, he exists in a very peculiar state. "I am an invisible man," he says in his prologue. "When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination--indeed, everything and anything except me." But this is hard-won self-knowledge, earned over the course of many years. Ralph Ellison Signed 1952 Invisible Man HC w/DJ National Book Award Winner Click images to enlarge Description Up For Sale Today is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Hardcover. 8vo. Random House, New York. 1952. 439 pgs. Signed and inscribed by Ralph Ellison to literary critic Robert Langham on the titile page. First Edition/Fourth Printing. DJ has shelf-wear present (edges of the DJ is chipped and worn with a removed spine label present, missing the rear flap, front flap detached and trimmed down) Bound in cloth boards with titles present to the spine. Boards have light shelf-wear present to the extremities Text is free of marks. Binding tight and solid. We rely, in this world, on the visual aspects of humanity as a means of learning who we are. This, Ralph Ellison argues convincingly, is a dangerous habit. A classic from the moment it first appeared in 1952, Invisible Man chronicles the travels of its narrator, a young, nameless black man, as he moves through the hellish levels of American intolerance and cultural blindness. Searching for a context in which to know himself, he exists in a very peculiar state. "I am an invisible man," he says in his prologue. "When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination--indeed, everything and anything except me." But this is hard-won self-knowledge, earned over the course of many years. As the book gets started, the narrator is expelled from his Southern Negro college for inadvertently showing a white trustee the reality of black life in the south, including an incestuous farmer and a rural whorehouse. The college director chastises him: "Why, the dumbest black bastard in the cotton patch knows that the only way to please a white man is to tell him a lie! What kind of an education are you getting around here?" Mystified, the narrator moves north to New York City, where the truth, at least as he perceives it, is dealt another blow when he learns that his former headmaster's recommendation letters are, in fact, letters of condemnation. What ensues is a search for what truth actually is, which proves to be supremely elusive. The narrator becomes a spokesman for a mixed-race band of social activists called "The Brotherhood" and believes he is fighting for equality. Once again, he realizes he's been duped into believing what he thought was the truth, when in fact it is only another variation. Of the Brothers, he eventually discerns: "They were blind, bat blind, moving only by the echoed sounds of their voices. And because they were blind they would destroy themselves.... Here I thought they accepted me because they felt that color made no difference, when in reality it made no difference because they didn't see either color or men." Invisible Man is certainly a book about race in America, and sadly enough, few of the problems it chronicles have disappeared even now. But Ellison's first novel transcends such a narrow definition. It's also a book about the human race stumbling down the path to identity, challenged and successful to varying degrees. None of us can ever be sure of the truth beyond ourselves, and possibly not even there. The world is a tricky place, and no one knows this better than the invisible man, who leaves us with these chilling, provocative words: "And it is this which frightens me: Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you?" -- FROM WIKIPEDIA: Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American novelist, literary critic, and scholar. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote Shadow and Act (1964), a collection of political, social and critical essays, and Going to the Territory (1986). For The New York Times, the best of these essays in addition to the novel put him "among the gods of America's literary Parnassus." A posthumous novel, Juneteenth, was published after being assembled from voluminous notes he left after his death. OUR MISSION STATEMENT: Our goal is to provide the best books for the lowest prices. We understand that you have more choices than ever to buy books, so we strive to provide the best service, accurate descriptions, the cheapest shipping and the best customer service in the realm of bookselling. Thank you for visiting this listing and we hope to see you again soon! Book formats and corresponding sizes Name Abbreviations Leaves Pages Approximate cover size (width × height) inches cm folio 2º or fo 2 4 12 × 19 30.5 × 48 quarto 4º or 4to 4 8 9½ × 12 24 × 30.5 octavo 8º or 8vo 8 16 6 × 9 15 × 23 duodecimo or twelvemo 12º or 12mo 12 24 5 × 7⅜ 12.5 × 19 sextodecimo or sixteenmo 16º or 16mo 16 32 4 × 6¾ 10 × 17 octodecimo or eighteenmo 18º or 18mo 18 36 4 × 6½ 10 × 16.5 trigesimo-secundo or thirty-twomo 32º or 32mo 32 64 3½ × 5½ 9 × 14 quadragesimo-octavo or forty-eightmo 48º or 48mo 48 96 2½ × 4 6.5 × 10 sexagesimo-quarto or sixty-fourmo 64º or 64mo 64 128 2 × 3 5 × 7.5 ALL ITEMS ARE DESCRIBED TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY! PLEASE CHECK ALL THE PHOTOS BEFORE BIDDING! PAYMENT IS DUE WITHIN FOUR (4) DAYS OF THE INVOICE! Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. 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Price: 2000 USD

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia

End Time: 2024-12-25T03:16:41.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.99 USD