Description
First edition, first printing of The Color Purple: A Novel, signed by the author, Alice Walker.
Octavo, [8], 245pp, [3]. Cream hardcover, title in silver on purple cloth spine. Stated “First edition” on copyright page, with publisher’s full letter line “BCDE” listed. Solid text block, previous ownership inscription on the front free endpaper, a fine example. In the publisher’s first state dust jacket, $11.95 retail price on front flap, bright illustrations, also fine.
Signed on the title page by Alice Walker.
Alice Walker (b. 1944) is the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for this, her third novel. The Color Purple also received the National Book Award for Fiction. Although controversial and appearing on the American Library Association’s list of Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019, The Color Purple is still seen today as an incredibly influential novel, stretching into other mediums on screen and on stage.
