Black Narratives – serie

Imperium in Imperio (1899) is a novel by Sutton E. Griggs. Written while Sutton was at the beginning of his career as a Baptist minister, Imperium in Imperio was sold door to door and earned modest praise upon publication. Although Griggs’ novels were largely forgotten by the mid-twentieth century, scholars have recently sought to emphasize his role as an activist and author involved with the movement for Black nationalism in the United States. Critics since have recognized Griggs as a pioneering political figure and author whose utopian themes and engagement with contemporary crises constitute some of the era’s most radical literary efforts by an African American writer. Born and raised in rural Virginia, Belton Piedmont knows the struggle of the poor Black American firsthand. In school, he befriends Bernard Belgrave, a young boy from a wealthier family who ends up enrolling in Harvard, leaving his roots for the center of American success. Although Belton remains behind, he devotes himself to activism and receives a check from an anti-lynching politician allowing him to attend college in Nashville. On campus, he gains a reputation for his radical politics, organizing acts of civil disobedience in order to oppose the segregation and inequality rampant at the institution. When a lynch mob leaves him gravely wounded, he wakes up on an operating table in a panic and accidentally kills his physician. His trial gains national attention, earning him the support of his old friend Bernard and his prominent political allies, who help Belton appeal his case. Years later, Bernard receives a cryptic invitation to Waco, Texas, where he finds Belton waiting for him. A group of Black nationalists have established a functional shadow state, and intend to use their power to secede from the Union. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sutton E Griggs’ Imperium and Imperio is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Unfettered: A Novel (1902) is a novel by Sutton E. Griggs. Sutton’s third novel is a story of violence and forced migration that explores and critiques the politics of liberalism and assimilation in twentieth century America. Although Griggs’ novels were largely forgotten by the mid-twentieth century, scholars have recently sought to emphasize his role as an activist and author involved with the movement for Black nationalism in the United States. Critics since have recognized Griggs as a pioneering political figure and author whose utopian themes and engagement with contemporary crises constitute some of the era’s most radical literary efforts by an African American writer. When Lemuel Dalton takes control of his father’s estate, he sets out to make a show of force against Samuel, an ex-slave who oversees the Dalton family farm. When a fight breaks out between Lemuel and Harry, Samuel’s son, he shoots the young Black man in cold blood, gravely wounding him. As the threat of an imminent race war increases tensions in the rural Southern community, a group of white men takes advantage of the unrest to lynch and kill Beulah, Samuel’s defiant daughter. When it becomes clear that the state is determined to protect the interests of those in power, the Black community flees en masse to the city. Newlyweds Morlene and Harry—who survived his encounter with Lemuel—set out in search of safety, settling down to start their lives anew. But when Morlene meets Dorlan, a local activist, she begins to have doubts about her marriage. Engaged with some of the leading social issues of its era—American imperialism, lynching, and the movement for economic self-determination in the Black community—Unfettered is a brilliant novel from an underrecognized talent of twentieth century literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sutton E Griggs’ Unfettered: A Novel is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Hindered Hand (1905) is a novel by Sutton E. Griggs. Sutton’s fourth novel is a story of race and identity that explores and critiques the politics of liberalism and assimilation in twentieth century America. Although Griggs’ novels were largely forgotten by the mid-twentieth century, scholars have recently sought to emphasize his role as an activist and author involved with the movement for Black nationalism in the United States. Critics since have recognized Griggs as a pioneering political figure and author whose utopian themes and engagement with contemporary crises constitute some of the era’s most radical literary efforts by an African American writer. The South is changing. In the city of Almaville, a burgeoning Black middle class offers hope to a people oppressed for centuries. Ensal Ellwood, a veteran of the Spanish American War, returns home to a community flowering with possibility yet inextricably rooted in a history of violence. As his political conscience wavers between Black nationalism and assimilation, he meets the beautiful Tiara Marlow, a young woman who has only just arrived in Almaville. When his friend is murdered in cold blood by a white lynch mob, Ensal flees America for Africa, where he is presented with a fateful choice. Engaged with some of the leading social issues of its era—American imperialism, lynching, and the movement for economic and political self-determination in the Black community—The Hindered Hand is a brilliant novel from an underrecognized talent of twentieth century literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Sutton E Griggs’ The Hindered Hand is a classic work of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

What would happen if science gave Black Americans the choice to become white? Mirroring Wallace Thurman’s The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, Black No More: Being an Account of the Strange and Wonderful Workings of Science in the Land of the Free, AD 1933-1940, is one of the first Afrofuturistic novels ever published.On New Year's Eve, Max Disher’s romantic advances are rejected on the basis that he is a Black man. Come New Year’s Day, the answers for his frustration appear in the form of an announcement about a new scientific procedure called, “Black-No-More.” Believing that his life will have much more fortune in white skin he goes through with the treatment—changing his name to “Matthew Fisher,” the newly-made white Max has to decide what it means to live and breathe on the other side of the color line.Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Black No More: Being an Account of the Strange and Wonderful Workings of Science in the Land of the Free, AD 1933-1940 is a reimagining of a Harlem Renaissance staple for the modern reader.Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Initially published in 1920, Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil is a combination of essays that tackle the power dynamics of gender, race and religion. It’s a searing portrait of America influenced by Du Bois’ own personal experiences. Du Bois delivers a contemporary examination of African American life during the first half of the twentieth century. He addresses issues of segregation, employment disparity and misogyny, specifically toward Black women. Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil is one of his prominent autobiographies, detailing internal and external conflicts and their effect on the whole. He presents an overall indictment of systemic racism, oppression and exploitation of any kind. W.E.B. Du Bois was a celebrated figure who dedicated his life to uplifting and educating the African American community. Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil is a critical part of his enduring legacy. It broaches tough topics and presents a valid critique of American culture. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil is both modern and readable.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

When two young people are given a life-changing opportunity they encounter moral and systemic challenges that are directly tied to their racial and economic backgrounds. In The Quest of the Silver Fleece, W.E.B. Du Bois confronts covert discrimination in contemporary America.

Cotton, also known as "silver fleece," is still a prized possession in the early-twentieth century. It continues to generate massive profits that are barely distributed amongst its predominantly Black workforce. Zora is a child of the South, and Bles, is a man with Northern sensibilities-yet, they both feel the weight of oppression. Set in Alabama and Washington D.C., The Quest of the Silver Fleece examines the struggle for upward mobility and the compromises to sustain it.

As a sociologist, Du Bois explores the ongoing effects of racial inequality in both the North and South. With The Quest of the Silver Fleece, he highlights the glaring disparity between the white establishment and African American labor. It's an explicit indictment of continued oppression in a post-slavery society.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Quest of the Silver Fleece is both modern and readable.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.