Johnson, James Weldon (1871-1938) Saint Peter Relates an Incident of the Resurrection Day, signed limited edition.
New York: The Viking Press, 1930.
First edition, limited issue, octavo; copy number 25 of 200 printed for private distribution, signed by the author in ink on the limitation; with his NAACP business card laid in at front with the gift inscription, "A Merry Christmas" in blue ink, likely to Louise E. Jefferson (her inked signature on rear pastedown); title printed in red and black; bound in full black cloth, front cover decorated with a gilt outline of Aaron Douglas's illustration, Judgment Day, spine gilt-lettered (backstrip detached, unsuccessfully repaired and reinforced with tape, corners exposed); 10 x 7 in.
Louise E. Jefferson (1908-2002) was a founding member of the Harlem Artists Guild and the first Black woman to hold a directorial position in the American publishing industry. Her studies in graphic design at Columbia University led to her working at the National Council of Churches' publishing branch, the Friendship Press, where she was eventually promoted to artistic director in 1942. She also worked as a freelance artist for Doubleday, Macmillan, and Viking, as well as numerous academic presses.
