"AIN'T YOU HEARD/ THE BOOGIE-WOOGIE RUMBLE OF A DREAM DEFERRED?": EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTATION/ASSOCIATION FIRST EDITION OF MONTAGE OF A DREAM DEFERRED, WARMLY INSCRIBED IN THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION BY LANGSTON HUGHES
HUGHES, Langston. Montage of a Dream Deferred. New York: Henry Holt, (1951). Octavo, original black cloth, original dust jacket.
First edition of Hughes' much anticipated 10th volume of poetry, in his own words, "a tour de force"—heralded as an "expansive poetic statement on the fate of blacks in the modern, urban world"—a highly distinctive presentation/association copy warmly inscribed on the half title in the year of publication by him to the preeminent African American journalist, editor and bibliophile Henry Proctor Slaughter, famed for "one of the finest private collections of books on Black history and culture," with Hughes' inscription reading, "Especially for Henry P. Slaughter, Sincerely, Langston Hughes March 2, 1951."
Montage of a Dream Deferred is a vibrant synthesis of Hughes' ability to make African American jazz and "the 'blues' as much a part of American literature as it had become of American music" (Hamilton, 241). Hughes considered this work, his 10th volume of poetry, to be "'precedent shattering… a tour de force'… Believing that the crucial medium of the 20th century was probably the montage (the composite, swiftly changing picture) or the collage (the inspired arrangement of still fragments), he sought to catch in verse the variety of Harlem life… At varying, unpredictable times witty, sardonic, ironic, expository, whimsical, documentary and tragic, Montage of a Dream Deferred is an expansive poetic statement on the fate of blacks in the modern, urban world" (Rampersad, Life Vol.II:151-53). A "'street epic' full of all sorts of jazz effects," it features the classic poem "Harlem," along with "Dream Boogie," "Joe Louis," and many others (Hamilton, 241).
"It is his generous and fierce love of human beings and gift of expression in terms of a people's speech, which gives Hughes' work its great appeal. However, its greatest value lies in its articulation of the… demand for respect and justice in a hostile white world" (Kirkus). With "First Edition" on copyright page. Bruccoli & Clark III:162. This copy's recipient, Henry P. Slaughter, was born in 1871 to former slaves. He early challenged "the biased treatment of slavery in his school textbooks, and spent a lifetime collecting materials that would more accurately represent African American history" (Garner, Henry Proctor Slaughter). He apprenticed as a printer before launching his distinguished career as an influential journalist and editor who also served as compositor at the Government Printing Office for decades. Dedicated to honoring Black history, Slaughter is perhaps best known as a passionate bibliophile who assembled "one of the finest private collections of books on Black history and culture"—an assemblage of over 10,000 volumes, as well as rare pamphlets, photographs and manuscripts "on every phase of the slavery question, the Civil War and the African background. He also aimed to acquire all works by individual Black authors" such as this seminal work by Langston Hughes (Africana, 769-70).
Dust jacket spine faded. A beautiful copy.