Scarce Martin Luther King Jr. LIFE Magazine Issue Published Directly After His Assassination

Martin Luther King Jr

Periodical

[Martin Luther King Jr.] [Civil Rights] Life Magazine. Vol. 64, No. 15. New York: Time Inc., April 12, 1968. First edition. Scarce assassination issue. 104 pages. Profusely illustrated with black-and-white and color photographs throughout. Original pictorial wrappers with cover photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Published just days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this issue of Life memorializes the civil rights leader with extraordinary immediacy and depth. Headlined “WEEK OF SHOCK,” the magazine features exclusive photojournalism from Memphis, where King was murdered on April 4, 1968. The cover solemnly reads “Martin Luther King, 1929–1968,” accompanied by a powerful studio portrait. Inside, the photo-essay “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” by South African photographer Joseph Louw—who was with King at the Lorraine Motel and captured the aftermath of the assassination—offers one of the most haunting and humanizing visual records of the event. Double-page spreads such as “A shot, an echo and then a prayer” and “Frantic search for the killer” unfold the narrative of King’s final hours, the chaos that followed, and the national manhunt for James Earl Ray. Other spreads retrace King’s legacy in nonviolence and civil disobedience, from Montgomery and Birmingham to his “fierce urgency of now” at the Lincoln Memorial. One page poignantly recalls the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross on King’s lawn in 1960; another shows King with Coretta Scott King accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Beyond the King coverage, this late 1960s issue captures a nation in crisis. An article on Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign offers insight into the turbulent political moment, while Hugh Sidey’s piece “The Presidency: A New Dimension” analyzes Lyndon Johnson’s withdrawal from the race and the Vietnam quagmire. The magazine balances national mourning with cultural analysis, offering a snapshot of America on the brink of transformation.

Minor edge wear and top portion of cover disbound. Mailing label affixed to lower left. Overall very good condition. An essential and visually arresting contemporary artifact of King's assassination and the political crisis of 1968, preserved in the pages of America’s most iconic photo-magazine.

Item #22347

Price: $225.00