Nobel Lecture By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Aula of the University, Oslo, Norway December 11, 1964
New York: The Hecla Press, 1964.
First edition, suppressed first printing. 16 pp. (rather than 22 in the standard edition). 6 1/8" by 9 1/4". Stapled self-wrappers. Very Good with vertical crease throughout entirety, faint toning to left bottom corner of front wrap, paperclip impression and few tiny rust spots to rear wrap.
The first printing of Dr. King's Nobel lecture, possibly a proof printed with the intention of securing copyright in the United States or for distribution to the press ahead of King's speech. However, this copy, from the files of one of the civil rights leader's literary representatives, Marie F. Rodell, has a handwritten notation on the front wrap "DO NOT SEND OUT incorrect © notice."
According to the copyright records for 1965, King's lecture was copyrighted in the US by the Nobel Foundation on December 11, 1964. The copyright on this version is "by Martin Luther King, Jr."; likely this is the error referred to in the handwritten note. Apparently the person who commissioned this printing was not aware that the Nobel Prize Foundation typically obtained the copyright to the addresses given by the recipients. The publisher, The Hecla Press, was an established publisher of legal works in New York City.
There are many small differences between this version and the edition published by Harper & Row in an edition of 2000 copies in 1965. In the first sentence of this edition, King thanks only the "Norwegian Parliament," incorrectly. In the regularly published version, he correctly thanks the "Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament." Later in the same sentence, "civil rights movement" is all lower case in this version, and in the regular version the first letter of each word is capitalized. On page 5 of this version, the word "retrogression" is printed incorrectly as "retrogress" and Fascist is not capitalized. There are other differences in capitalization, punctuation, and style (spelling out versus using numerals for numbers).
Scarce. Not in Pyatt's MLK bibliography (see 0096 for the Harper & Row edition). Not on OCLC, although OCLC (69110730) records what may be a press copy, on 8 leaves of A4 (or similar) paper. Copy located in Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers (Series I-IV), Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., Atlanta, GA.
Just a year after giving his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, King's message here makes a case for racial equality, an end to poverty, and peace: "Mankind's survival is dependent upon man's ability to solve the problems of racial injustice, poverty and war." King's winning a Nobel Prize greatly increased his fame globally, and ensured that his foes would have to plot against him in a more sub rosa fashion.
Price: $8,500.00