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New York: Columbia University Press; London, P. S. King & Staples, Ltd., 1942. Hardcover. 8vo (9” x 6.25”), green cloth, gilt spine. 404 pp. Presentation inscription in ink at front paste down. CONDITION: Very good plus, covers near fine, light fingerprint marks on p. 6, small stain on fore-edge, lacking dj.

First edition. Scarce, and inscribed by the author: “To Professor Harry A. [sic, should be J.] Carman, teacher and friend—With deep appreciation for your many acts of helpfulness in the preparation of this volume. —Lorenzo J. Greene. January 9, 1943.” This groundbreaking work documents the social, economic, and political conditions of slavery and the status of African Americans—both enslaved and free—in the New England colonies.

Lorenzo J. Greene (1899–1988) was a pioneering scholar of African American history, publishing several landmark works on topics including the colonial period, Civil War, labor, and desegregation. Greene received his BA from Howard University, and his MA and PhD from Columbia University. For several years he worked closely with Carter G. Woodson, often considered the father of Black history. Greene completed his dissertation—later published as The Negro in Colonial New England—in 1942, while serving as professor at Lincoln University in Jefferson City Missouri, a position he held from 1933 until 1972. In addition to his academic work, Green was an advocate for civil rights and desegregation, serving on several organizations, including the Commission on Negro Housing, the Missouri Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He was also editor of the Midwest Journal from 1947 to 1956. 

Harry Carman (1884–1964) was professor of American history at Columbia University and Dean of the College from 1943 to 1950. Carman contributed to the field of American studies and developed new courses on contemporary civilization. A social historian, Carman was interested in labor and involved in labor affairs organizations. 

REFERENCES: Blockson 9759; “Lorenzo J. Greene, 88, Black History Scholar,” The New York Times, January 27, 1988, p. 23; “Champion of Black History: Lincoln University History Professor Lorenzo Johnston Greene” at Lincoln University Missouri online; “Dean Carman, 80, of Columbia, Dies; Social Historian and Leader in American Studies Was Champion of Humanities,” The New York Times, December 27, 1964, p. 64.

Item #10410

Price: $950.00