The Conjure-Man Dies; A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem

New York: Covici-Friede, 1932. 1st ed. Hardcover. Good/Fair. 316p. Original cloth. dj 19 cm. Lending library copy, stamped in black "Lightner Rental Libraries St. Paul, Minn" on front pastedown. Jacket flaps tightly glued to inside of covers. Jacket complete but soiled and edge-worn with old creases and some tears. The jacket appears to have been completely reinforced with strips of brown paper glued to back of jacket. "Publication date Jul 22 1932" stamped in red near top edge of rear panel near backstrip. Fisher, an African American, was a commencement orator for Brown University's Class of 1919 and went on to graduate Howard University Medical School in 1924, become a practicing physician and a roentgenologist, write two novels and several short stories and die at the age of 37. A collection of his short stories was published in 1991 ("City of Refuge"). The Conjure-Man Dies" is generally considered to be the first mystery to feature African American detectives. Jacketed copies, even reinforced and partially glued down from lending libraries, are extremely scarce. [Website Only].