- Written by
- Himes, Chester, American, 1909 - 1984
- Published by
- Doubleday & Company Inc., American, founded 1897
- Printed by
- Country Life Press, American
- Date
- 1945
- Medium
- ink on wove paper and cardboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 7 3/4 × 5 7/16 × 7/8 in. (19.7 × 13.8 × 2.3 cm)
- Caption
- Chester Himes’ literary legacy has been largely forgotten, particularly outside literary circles. But before there was Walter Mosley, there was Chester Himes (1909 – 1984), whose seminal mid-20th century detective novels laid the foundation for African American urban crime fiction of today. If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945) is significant, not as a crime novel, but paradoxically as Himes’ very first novel, one he penned nine years after his release from prison for armed robbery, a crime committed in real life.
- Description
- A hardcover first edition of If He Hollers Let Him Go. Published in 1945, Chester Himes’s first (fiction) novel examines the conflicted position of its protagonist, who finds himself entangled in the traumas of racism and corrupt bureaucracy while working at a Los Angeles defense plant during the second World War. The book is protected by a plastic-covered yellow (front) and white (reverse) dust jacket. In large red bold font, the front reads: [CHESTER B. / HIMES / If He / Hollers / Let Him / Go / A NOVEL]. The same print is found on the yellow spine. On the reverse side of the dust jacket, the Doubleday Doran & Company Incorporated ship logo features at the top right corner. Beside the logo on the right, in large black print, is: [Towards a better / Understanding . . .]. Four novel synopses, also published by Doubleday Doran & Company Incorporated, are advertised on the remainder of the jacket.
- Place depicted
- Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Books and Published Materials
- Type
- hardcover books
- Topic
- Literature
- Race relations
- World War II
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2018.46.4
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Chester B. Himes
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




