Lot 71
Washington, Booker T (1856-1915). American educator, author, orator, and presidential advisor who was the dominant leader in the African-American community in the post-Reconstruction era South. Born into slavery and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865, Washington taught himself to read and worked to put himself through school before taking charge of the Tuskegee Institute in 1881. In 1895, he attained national prominence for the Atlanta Address, his articulation of what came to be known as the Atlanta Compromise -- a call for black progress through education and entrepreneurship rather than the reversal of Jim Crow segregation and the disenfranchisement of Southern black voters.
Up From Slavery: An Autobiography. Doubleday, Page & Co., New York, 1903. Signed ("Booker T. Washington") and inscribed on the front endpaper, "To Mrs. Ada C. Merrill with kind regards … Feb. 23, 1904". Hardcover, maroon vertically ribbed textured cloth over boards, stamped gilt title on front and spine, 8vo, black and white portrait frontispiece of author with tissue-guard, 330 pp. Some wear along the edges, especially at the corners, but the binding remains tight, the text clean. Inscription and signature are clean and bold. In very good condition.
Mrs. Ada Merrill wrote a tremendously favorable review of Washington's autobiography, and subsequently sent it to Washington to share. Washington promptly replied, humbly thanking Merrill and returning to her this very copy of his book, personalized with an inscription and autograph. Merrill then affixed a clipped copy of her review to the final pages of the book and tipped in Washington's typed letter signed ("Booker T. Washington), as Principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, on Tuskegee Institute letterhead, 1 page, 11 x 8½", Tuskegee, Alabama, February 20, 1904. The letter bears the usual folds to fit an envelope, and is affixed with glue to the book, but is otherwise fine. The signature is clear, with the surname lightly smudged -- perhaps by Washington himself upon signing. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000
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