These Low Grounds
New York: Harper & Brother, 1937. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7. Very Good. Item #12833
The first novel by one of the more influential black writers to come out of the later years of the Harlem Renaissance. Turpin's critically acclaimed and exceedingly scarce novel covering four generations won him instant literary recognition. "Turpin's novels are what gained him recognition in African American literary history. Turpin's creative abilities were recognized early, and among those encouraging him to write was novelist Edna Ferber, who was the employer of Turpin's mother. "Although Turpin worked on several novels, only three were published. The first, These Low Grounds (1937), set on the eastern shore of Maryland, tells the story of four generations of an African American family. The second novel, 'O Canaan!' (1939), traces the progress of migratory farmers who left the South for Chicago during the depression. "Turpin's third and final published novel, The Rootless (1957), is a historical novel that depicts slave practices in eighteenth-century Maryland."Turpin's eloquent, dramatic, and imaginative writings are accurate portrayals of African American life during the first half of the twentieth century." - Oxford Reference.Green cloth with shadow-blocked gilt to front and spine. Mild age toning along edges of binding. Spine lightly sunned with some tanning to outer pages. Dust jacket with moderate edge wear and some sunning to spine. Presents handsomely in archival mylar.A superior edition of a rare and important work.
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