Civil Wars
Boston: Beacon Press, 1981. 1st Edition. Octavo, publisher’s terracotta cloth, spine and upper board stamped in black, original printed dust jacket.
First edition of June Jordan’s collection of political essays, inscribed to her cousins. An award-winning Jamaican-American poet, activist, and educator, Jordan authored numerous works, including a novel, a memoir, poetry, political essays, books for children and young adults, and two librettos. Born in Harlem and raised in Bed-Stuy, she was active in the civil and women's rights, antiwar, and LGBT movements, much of her work engaging, at times openly and other times obliquely, with being a queer Black woman in the US. A demonstration of Jordan's personal commitment to justice and equality, the book encompasses a variety of personal and political topics including racism, her early interracial marriage, First Amendment issues, Black feminism, children's rights, the Vietnam War, and violence. Inscribed by Jordan to Valerie Orridge, her older first cousin, with whom she was raised as a sister, and Orridge's son (and Jordan's second cousin) Gene Howard, to the title page in black marker: "1993 / for my family / Valerie and Gene / with much love and faith, / always, / june." Orridge and Jordan's mothers were sisters from Jamaica; Orridge herself was a nurse, health and sexuality educator, housing rights activist, and archivist of Black opera. First printing with complete number row to copyright page. Sticker residue to front endpaper, some soiling to pastedowns, some rubbing to spine-ends and spine lettering; price-clipped dust jacket with minor rubbing and edgewear. Very good. Item #9723
$350.00