Mint Editions (Black Narratives)

"Breezes blowin' middlin' brisk, / Snowflakes thro' the air a-whisk, / Fallin' kind o' soft an' light, /Not enough to make things white, / But jest sorter siftin' down / So 's to cover up the brown /Of the dark world's rugged ways / 'N' make things look like holidays. /Not smoothed over, but jest specked, / Sorter strainin' fur effect, / An' not quite a-gittin' through / What it started in to do. / Mercy sakes! It does seem queer / Christmas day is 'most nigh here. / Somehow it don't seem to me /Christmas like it used to be,- / Christmas with its ice an' snow, / Christmas of the long ago." Once praised by Frederick Douglass as "the most promising young colored man in America," Paul Laurence Dunbar was an exceptionally gifted poet who helped lay the foundation of African American literature and was the first African American poet to achieve major success across the color line. Published posthumously nearly ten years after his untimely death, Speakin' O' Christmas and Other Christmas Poems, collects over a dozen of his most festive, holiday-themed verses into a single volume, including, "Chrismus is A-Comin'," "Soliloquy of a Turkey," "Christmas in the Heart," and the titular, "Speakin' O' Christmas." Celebrating both the spirit of the holiday season and the talent of the "Negro dialect" poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Speakin' O' Christmas and Other Poems is a delightful collection of poetry for readers of all ages. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Beginning with his autobiographical sketch, “Memoir and Theatrical Career of Ira Aldridge, The African Roscius” follows Aldridge's journey as a Black man who, "obtained and maintains among Europeans, a reputation whose acquisition demands the highest qualities of the mind and the noblest endowments of the person." Making it a lifetime goal to use his success and influence to speak on the horrors of slavery in America and abroad, this memoir is addressed to what he hopes to be an enlighted reader, and details how he rose to fame as a Shakespearian actor in spite of the racism and prejudice he faced as a Black man in theater. This edition also includes Aldridge's 1847 translation of Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois's “Le Docteur Noir” (The Black Doctor). At the age of forty, Aldridge adapted the play about a hidden romance between a formerly enslaved doctor and the daughter of a French aristocrat and was said to have brought dignity to a role that traditionally ended in tragedy for its bi-racial lead. Together, these two pieces paint a stunning portrait of one of the first great Black actors. One part memoir and one part translation, “The African Roscius” is an exceptional piece of Black history professionally typeset and reimagined for modern readers.

What would happen if Marcus Garvey had achieved his dreams by force? Satirizing of one of the most influential figures of twentieth century Black America, George S. Schuyler's Black Empire is a remarkable look into the complicated politics of race and class. After witnessing a murder in Harlem, the promising young Black journalist, Carl Slater, is kidnapped by the incredibly charismatic but deranged Dr. Belsidus. Having secretly formed a Black Internationale, the doctor has plans to upset alliances between Europe and the United States when the time is right. As Carl slowly discovers the depth of the doctor's insanity and witnesses the fallout from the ensuing revolution, he watches as the dream of an Africa for Africans is fully realized but questions the cost. Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Black Empire reimagines a classic of satire and Black speculative fiction for the modern reader.

Published to critical acclaim in 1928, “The Walls of Jericho” is the debut novel of one of the most important voices of the Harlem Renaissance, Rudolph Fisher. Taking on a friend's challenge to "write [a] novel treating both the upper and lower classes of black Harlem equally," The Walls of Jericho treats readers to a tale of two Harlems. One occupied by the "dickties," well-to-do light skinned or white passing Black folk, and the other filled with "rats," average, poverty-stricken dark-skinned Black folk—both disgusted by the life choices of the other. Fred Merrit, a white passing lawyer, wants nothing more than to move into the most exclusive neighborhood in Harlem. Linda, Miss Cramps' former maid and Merrit's current housekeeper, just wants to secure her economic future. Joshua "Shine" Jones, fears Linda associating with the dickty Merrit. And Miss Cramps, once so interested in the advancement of the Negro race, is now panicked to discover that one could be moving in right next door. Weighing the consequences of cultural assimilation against complete and total isolationism, “The Walls of Jericho” examines intra-community issues of colorism, prejudice and class inequality in the pursuit of socio-economic and political advancement.

Revisit the debut novel of one of the "New Negroes" of the Harlem Renaissance filled with Niggerati sensibilities. Disgruntled by the treatment of Black soldiers in the military, Jake Brown heads to Harlem-the Mecca of Black creativity-to rebuild his life anew. Upon arriving, he discovers that Harlem isn't exactly the paradise of racial uplift and unity that one might read about in books; but then again, it's a far cry from the volatile streets of London and the isolation faced abroad. Meeting new faces and taking up odd jobs, Jake sets out on a journey to discover who he is as a Black man in the world and where he can truly belong.Home to Harlem (1928) is the bestselling, award-winning novel of Jamaican-American poet, Claude McKay that explores the spirit of the uprooted Black vagabond within Harlem's legendary nightlife. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

"...she's intelligent enough in a purely feminine way. Eighteenth-century France would have been a marvellous setting for her, or the old South if she hadn't made the mistake of being born a Negro." Mirroring Wallace Thurman's “The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life”, “Passing” (1929) is the phenomenal sophomore novel of Nella Larsen. On an ordinary day, Irene Redfield receives an unexpected letter from her old friend, Clare Kendry. Clare, having long ago crossed the color line, writes to Irene about the loneliness she feels in her new white life and asks to see her again. Conflicted about the request, yet curious all the same, Irene accepts the invitation and the two go out to lunch. The encounter, while innocent in its intent, forces Clare to face the reality of her decision to pass and leaves Irene to question the Black life she chose to lead. This edition of “Passing” is an outstanding reimagining of a Harlem Renaissance staple for the modern reader.

The brainchild of Daniel Alexander Payne Murray, Banneker: The Afro-American Astronomer was first conceived after Murray discovered what he found to be a beautifully written letter to Thomas Jefferson by a then unknown writer of color. Aided in his research by Will A. Allen, the pair discovered the man to be one Benjamin Banneker, a mathematician and astronomer. An extraordinary mind in a time where most people of African descent in the United States were denied the right to a formal education and, having no such access to the opportunity, Banneker was for the most part self-taught. He was the author of several commercially successful almanacs, aided in the survey of Washington D.C., and frequently corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, to plead for the justice and freedom of enslaved Africans within the U.S.

Originally written during his two year imprisonment in Atlanta, The Tragedy of White Injustice and Other Meditations is a collection of short thoughts or, impromptu poetry, from one of the Fathers of Black Nationalism, Marcus Garvey. In 1925, Garvey was tried and sentenced for the crime of mail fraud in relation to his business with the Black Star Line. Left to the mercy of the United States Federal Penitentiary of Atlanta, Garvey had not much to do except write-to his wife, to the U.N.I.A, and to anyone who could help spread his message of total and complete independence for Black people across the world. With the support of his wife, Amy Jacques Garvey, he was able to publish, The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey in 1925, and The Meditations of Marcus Garvey in 1927. Beginning with the lines, "Lying and stealing is the white man's game / For rights of God nor man he has no shame / (A practice of his throughout the whole world) / At all, great thunderbolts he has hurled," Garvey penned "The Tragedy of White Injustice," a cry for the people of the world to wake up to the atrocities of colonialism and racism. Described by Garvey as neither verse nor orthodox prose, "The Tragedy of White Injustice" as well as his other meditations, showcased his never-ending pursuit of worldwide Black independence and his everlasting Black pride even in the face of the harshest of circumstances. Including such pieces as, "Keep Cool," "The Black Woman," and "Hail! United States of Africa!," The Tragedy of White Injustice and Other Meditations is an essential piece of Black history, professionally typeset and reimagined for modern readers.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson was an extraordinary scholar and an important figure in the Afrocentrism movement. Being one of the first people to study African-American history and the history of the African diaspora at large, he is known today as the "Father of Black History," for his incredible contributions to the field. His magnum opus, The Miseducation of the Negro (1933) and its spiritual predecessor The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 (1919) are considered to be among the most comprehensive studies of the history of African-American education in the United States published in the early twentieth century. As individual works, The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 functions as a documentation of the ways in which obtaining education provided mental and intellectual freedom to both enslaved and freed Africans in America; and The Miseducation of the Negro explores the effects of slavery on Black minds, challenging the effectiveness and overall intent of the United States Educational System in regard to the cultural indoctrination of Black Americans. Together, these two works laid the foundation for Woodson's argument in favor of Black History Week, which would eventually grow to be recognized nationally as Black History Month; and are essential to the cultural understanding of the importance in recognizing African-American history as a legitimate field of study.

Hailed by Arnold Rampersad as "[Hughes'] most brilliant book of poems," Fine Clothes to the Jew is the stunning sophomore collection of poetry that-in conjunction with The Weary Blues-solidified Langston Hughes as a literary powerhouse. Originally published in 1927, Fine Clothes to the Jew is both a continuation and extension of his previous volume of verse; continuing to utilize the rhythm and function of Black classical music-the blues, as it were-to capture a scene of Black life in America, only this time with a less pristine picture. Turning his focus from the tender and nostalgic depiction of the culture, Hughes opts to reveal the raw and unfiltered realities of Harlem; the depression, the poverty, and the struggle of those outside the purview of the Talented Tenth; creating what is arguably, one of the most significant collections of poetry ever published and one of the most-overlooked pieces of work in African-American literary history. Featuring such poems as, "Po' Boy Blues," "Death of Do Dirty," "Song For a Dark Girl," and "Lament Over Love," Fine Clothes to the Jew is a must-read book for fans of Langston Hughes and a forgotten classic of the Harlem Renaissance. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Revisit the critically acclaimed sophomore novel of Crisis editor Jessie Redmon Fauset, Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral (1928). After the death of their parents, the Murray family consists of just two people-Virginia, the younger darker-skinned teacher; and Angela, the elder fair-skinned artist-both Black, both women. While Virginia embraces her Blackness entirely; goes on to move to Harlem, teach Black children and marry a Black man, Angela outright rejects it-opting to move to New York, pass for white, and use her privilege to shatter the glass ceiling of her race. But is it enough? While the act of passing gets her foot in the door; allows her the opportunity for artistic success and even leads to a romantic affair, as a woman there's only so far she can go and only so much respect she can garner. If being a woman, even a white woman, limits the ways in which she is able to seek fulfilment in her life, what is the point in trying to pass at all? Semi-autobiographical in nature, Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral is a coming-of-age novel that questions the intersectionality of race, class, and gender in the early twentieth century. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.