The Souls of Black Folk [L0128]

2008 PB reformatted printing of the 1903 original, in nice clean condition. A true classic of African American literature that belongs on every bookshelf. The Souls of Black Folk is a 1903 work of American literature by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a seminal work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature. The book contains several essays on race, some of which the magazine Atlantic Monthly had previously published. To develop this work, Du Bois drew from his own experiences as an African American in American society. Outside of its notable relevance in African-American history, The Souls of Black Folk also holds an important place in social science as one of the early works in the field of sociology. For example, in The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois used the term "double consciousness", perhaps taken from Ralph Waldo Emerson ("The Transcendentalist" and "Fate"), applying it to the idea that black people must have two fields of vision at all times. They must be conscious of how they view themselves, as well as being conscious of how the world views them.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This is, without question, one of the most compelling, erudite and far-seeing sets of essays I've yet to read; possibly one of the greatest ever set in print. The difficulty one faces is that each essay merits a review all on its own. This modestly sized book must be required reading for anyone concerned with social justice or seeking to understand Black History."; "I have decided that it is Du Bois's broadness and versatility which made The Souls of Black Folk so exhausting for me. His writing style is poetic, in that every sentence carries with it multiple shades of meaning. His social advocacy is rendered in prose dense with Biblical echoes and classical allusions; his vignettes push forward with the emotional weight of a sermon, but are couched in the learned style of a professor; his arguments are never dry, never sterile, but always proffered with full consciousness of their significance to the lives of real people."; "The roughly thirteen essays and one short story that comprises this W.E.B. Du Bois classic transcend its journalistic musings into true literary art. The lyrical prose, coupled with deep philosophical concepts, turns what could have been merely a profound reportage of the state of black people in the U.S. at the turn of the century into a masterpiece in American Black Literature, an incredibly important one at that."