first edition
1963 · New York
by [AFRICAN AMERICANA] [CIVIL RIGHTS] KING, JR., Martin Luther (contributor)
New York: Jewish Currents, 1963. First Edition. Slim octavo (21.5cm); original pictorial wrappers, stapled; 48pp; illus. Light wear and handling, tiny stain to lower edge of front wrapper; Near Fine. Contents include UN correspondent David Matis's lengthy article "Birmingham Diary: A Reporter's Observations," which contained on-the-ground coverage of the SCLC's Birmingham Campaign. Couched within the article is a full-page excerpt of "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," Martin Luther King's eloquent assertion of the principles of non-violent resistance, which would become one of the key documents of the American civil rights struggle, and one of the most significant 20th century works written by a political prisoner. The text appears on p.12, under the title "The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. To His Fellow Ministers." This appearance is not mentioned in Pyatt's MLK bibliography, but chronologically ranks among its earliest periodical apperances. (Inventory #: 60699)