Modern Library

Self-published in 1899 and sold door-to-door by the author, this classic African-American novel – a gripping exploration of oppression, miscegenation, exploitation, and black empowerment – was a major bestseller in its day. The dramatic story of a conciliatory black man and a mulatto nationalist who grow up in a racist America and are driven to join a radical movement dedicated to the creation of an all-black nation in Texas, Imperium in Imperio had a profound influence on the development of black nationalism.

About the Author

Author of the Preface: A. J. Verdelle, lecturer in the creative writing program at Princeton, is the author of “The Good Negress.” Introducer: Cornel West, University Professor of Religion at Princeton, is the author of “Race Matters “and” The American Evasion of Philosophy,” and is the co-author of “The Future of American Progressivism.”