THE CONJURE WOMAN

Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1899. First Edition. Hardcover. Owner inscription dated 1899 on the front endpaper; mostly faint dampstain on the very top edge and lower right corner of many pages; gilt slightly dulled on spine but bright on the front cover which has a small stain at bottom corner. Very Good. Pictorial light brown cloth with gilt lettering. Author's first book, a collection of 7 stories set in North Carolina. Chesnutt sheds light on the complexities of race relations in the post-Civil War South, challenging stereotypes and offering a nuanced portrayal of African-American life. Chesnutt (1858-1932), a biracial author, attorney, and civil rights activist, was the first African-American novelist whose work crossed into the white mainstream. As with much of Chesnutt's writings, this book draws from his own experience addressing the issues of race and social standing based on skin tone.