The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life

New York: Macaulay Company, 1929. First edition. Hardcover. Good +. 262pp. Octavo [19.5 cm] Brown cloth with title stamped in black on the front board and backstrip. There is a small open tear to the cloth along the front joint, and the underlying boards are just beginning to peek through at the bottom fore-edge corner of the front board. The front hinge is a little weak, and the text block is cracked a few times. There is a previous owner's inscription on the front free endpaper. Thurman's first published novel offers a frank portrayal of prejudice within the black community, and was divisive among the public and critics alike. Thurman was already fairly well known within the "Harlem Renaissance," but the publication of this work would announce his talents to a wider audience, and would help to cement his reputation as a writer who would take on unpopular (and sometimes uncomfortable) subjects.