Explore Black History

1936-1938; reprinted 1991

A hardcover copy of Black Empire by George Schuyler. The book has a paper dust jacket and a plastic book jacket cover. The front cover of the dust jacket is black and is dominated by a large black-and-white woodcut illustration. The print depicts two (2) men standing side-by-side at a window that overlooks fields, two buildings, and a runway for a plane. A small plane is taking off from the runway. One man is depicted wearing an aviator hat with goggles perched on the crown. The other man wears a suit, tie and Stetson hat. The illustration is framed by a gold box with the book title [BLACK] and [EMPIRE] printed above and below. A red band frames the gold box. The author’s name, [GEORGE S. SCHUYLER], is printed in white text at the top and the editors’ and contributing authors’ names are printed in red text at the bottom [Edited, with an Afterward, by / ROBERT A. HILL & R. KENT RASMUSSEN / Forward by JOHN A. WILLIAMS]. The dust jacket spine features the author’s name in red text, book title in black text and the publisher’s logo at the bottom [nu] in red stylized text. The back of the dustcover has blurbs from reviews, the name of the publisher, and the barcode. The jacket’s front and back interior flaps feature a book summary, brief biographies for the author and editors, and credit for the cover art. The front and back covers of the book are covered in black fabric and are plain. The book title and author are printed on the book spine in gold text and the publisher’s logo is printed at the bottom, also printed in gold text that reads [nu] and framed in a gold rectangle. The book’s interior has white pages with black type. The contents of the book include a forward by John A. Williams, the reprinted serials “The Black Internationale” and “Black Empire” written by George Schuyler under the pseudonym Samuel I. Brooks, an afterword by Robert A. Hill and R. Kent Rasmussen, appendices and a bibliography. The book has three hundred and forty-seven (347) pages. The editor’s name [Robert A. Hill] is inscribed in blue ink on the title page of the book.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Books and Published Materials

Afrofuturism

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2019.106.2

hardcover books

© George Schuyler Estate
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

ink on paper (fiber product) with cardboard , book cloth (textile material) and acetate film

H x W x D (2019.106.2): 9 5/8 × 6 7/16 × 1 7/16 in. (24.4 × 16.4 × 3.6 cm)

Title • Black Empire

nmaahc_2019.106.2

NMAAHC

BLACK EMPIRE

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1930s

Williams, John A. • Rasmussen, R. Kent • McCurdy, Michael • Schuyler, George • Hill, Robert A. • Northeastern University Press

United States • Massachusetts • North and Central America • Boston

African diaspora • Afrofuturism • Colonies • Science fiction • Black power • Decolonization

African Americans • Africans

City • Boston • State • Massachusetts • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America

Use Restricted