Description
Signed first edition of Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether, inscribed to public relations executive Paul Werth.
Octavo, 208pp. Cream cloth, title in black on spine. No additional printings listed. Slight lean to text block, otherwise fine. In the publisher’s dust jacket, price-clipped, touch of wear to corners, shelf worn.
Inscribed on the front free endpaper: “To Paul Werth / Thanks for an exciting interview. Best of Luck, Louise Meriwether.” A scarce title with the author’s signature.
Louise Meriwether (1923-2023) was a prominent African-American author. Her popular debut novel, Daddy Was a Number Runner, explores themes of race, poverty, and family life in Harlem during the 1930s. In addition to writing she was involved in numerous activist groups, including the anti-apartheid Black Concern, the Harlem Writers Guild, and the Black Anti-Defamation Association. She passed away in 2023 at the age of 100.The recipient of this copy, Paul Werth, opened his PR firm “Paul Werth Associates” in May, 1963 in Columbus, Ohio. The firm grew to national acclaim, representing companies like Anheuser-Busch, Ohio National Bank, and American Electric Power.
