Langston Hughes' Reflection on Race and Freedom in "Fields of Wonder", Signed First Edition, 1947

Langston Hughes

First Edition

[African American][Poetry][Harlem Renaissance] Hughes, Langston. Fields of Wonder (1947), a scarce signed copy of Hughes’ major postwar poetry collection. The collection reflects Hughes’ sharpened political consciousness, shaped by travel in Mexico, Spain, Russia, and the American South. In this volume, Hughes returns decisively to lyric poetry after years devoted largely to drama and autobiography, articulating themes of racial injustice, Black solidarity, labor exploitation, and the urgency of freedom. Lines such as “I do not need my freedom when I’m dead” underscore the immediacy of liberation struggles, while poems like “Johannesburg Mines” connect African American experience to the broader African diaspora, drawing parallels between Black freedom movements across the world at the dawn of the Cold War.

Hughes, Langston. Fields of Wonder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1947. Signed by Langston Hughes on the front free endpaper with the inscription “Sincerely — Langston Hughes,” beneath the name of prior owner Charlene B. Johnson. First edition. 114 pages. 8vo. Original teal cloth boards in publisher’s printed dust jacket, price-clipped at $2.50.

Fields of Wonder channels both introspection and outward-looking critique of American social structure. Hughes’ use of vernacular rhythms with refined lyric structure exemplifies his style of poetry rooted in Black speech and musical tradition while addressing international systems of colonialism and oppression. Top fore-edge retains original yellow stain; hinges sound and text block clean. Dust jacket shows light chipping and edge wear, particularly at the spine crown, with discreet reinforcement and mylar protection. Overall very good in good to very good dust jacket. A signed first edition of Hughes’ postwar collection addressing Black oppression preceding the modern Civil Rights movement.

Item #22209

Price: $2,800.00