African Questions at the Paris Peace Conference: With Papers on Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Colonial Settlement (Hubert Harrison's copy)
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1923.
West Indian-born journalist and Black Power activist Hubert Harrison's signed and extensively annotated copy of a work by a white historian of the "Imperial school" on the close of World War I and its implications for Africa and other colonized lands. The book's author, George L. Beer, was a racist opponent of both colonialism and African self-government, writing that "the negro race has hitherto shown no capacity for progressive development except under the tutelage of other peoples." The book's owner, though, is considered "The Father of Harlem Radicalism." He worked as an editor for New Negro magazine and Marcus Garvey's newspaper, Negro World. Ownership inscription to front free endpaper, "Hubert Harrison / New York Feb. 29th 1924 / - The New York World - "; another inscription to title page partially effaced. This copy represents him talking back to G.L. Beer and imperialist ideology, a candid rejoinder and critique. Harrison's notes are very revealing and insightful, and are certain to reward scholars of his thought. For instance his annotation to a passage about Germany's battles with the subjects of its African colonies, Harrison notes, "The Belgian victims in the Congo at the same period was over five million." He critiques all colonial powers as well as the United States for its hypocrisy and the brutality of its treatment of its Black citizens. He's erudite and occasionally funny too. For instance, a passage in the introduction mentioning the author's aversion to a League of Nations (a proto-U.N.) for fears that it will become a global super-state is simply annotated by Harrison in the margin, "Rats!" Readers can see his uncensored opinions and personal observations throughout this copy.
First edition. xliv, 628 pp. with folding color map, six map plates and one map textual illustration. Bound in publisher's dark crimson cloth with spine lettered in gilt. Good with stained cloth, especially back board; fraying to ends, light dampstaining to contents.
This copy offers unique insights into Hubert Harrison's politics and personality. His early death and a lack of critical attention to his work have made him an unjustly obscure figure in the history of African American political activism and journalism.
Price: $20,000.00