Letter From Birmingham City Jail
Philadelphia: American Friends Service Committee, 1963. Third printing. The third printing of this seminal text of the civil rights movement: an open letter penned by Martin Luther King, Jr. to a group of white clergymen from solitary confinement in a Birmingham, Alabama jail. King was arrested on Good Friday, 1963 for his participation in a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience against Alabama’s segregationist policies. Contrary to popular belief, King did not write the published letter , but continued to edit and revise it along with other SCLC staffers after his release. The SCLC hoped to have it published in the New York Times, but following leaked excerpts appearing elsewhere, the Times decided against publishing it. The American Friends Service Committee received permission from the SCLC to publish it as a pamphlet and 50,000 copies were published in May, 1963. This third printing was published the following month in an edition of 30,000 copies, with two more printings to follow.
Stapled wrappers (9” x 6”), 16 p. A fine copy. Item #10908
Price: $750.00