Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)

The Souls of Black Folk

Centennial Edition

Centennial Edition

By W.E.B. Du Bois

By W.E.B. Du Bois

By W.E.B. Du Bois
Introduction by David L. Lewis

By W.E.B. Du Bois
Introduction by David L. Lewis

By W.E.B. Du Bois

By W.E.B. Du Bois

By W.E.B. Du Bois

By W.E.B. Du Bois

Best Seller

Part of Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction Books

Part of Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction Books

Mass Market Paperback $5.95

Jun 01, 1989 | ISBN 9780553213362

Hardcover $17.95

Jan 07, 2003 | ISBN 9780375509117

Ebook $1.99

Jul 26, 2005 | ISBN 9780553901764

Ebook $2.99

Nov 01, 2000 | ISBN 9780679641391

All Formats
+
    The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
    Hardcover $17.95
    Jan 07, 2003 | ISBN 9780375509117

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (3) +

    Paperback
    +

    Hardcover
    –

    • Hardcover $17.95

      Jan 07, 2003 | ISBN 9780375509117

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook (2)
    +

    • Ebook

      Jul 26, 2005 | ISBN 9780553901764

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Ebook

      Nov 01, 2000 | ISBN 9780679641391

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About The Souls of Black Folk

    "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line." Thus speaks W.E.B. Du Bois in The Souls Of Black Folk, one of the most prophetic and influental works in American literature. In this eloquent collection of essays, first published in 1903, Du Bois dares as no one has before to describe the magnitude of American racism and demand an end to it. He draws on his own life for illustration, from his early experiences teaching in the hills of Tennessee to the death of his infant son and his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.

    Far ahead of its time, The Souls Of Black Folk both anticipated and inspired much of the black conciousness and activism of the 1960’s and is a classic in the literature of civil rights. The elegance of DuBois’s prose and the passion of his message are as crucial today as they were upon the book’s first publication.

    About The Souls of Black Folk

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time

    When first published in 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk struck like a thunderclap, quickly establishing itself as a work that wholly redefined the history of the black experience in America, introducing the now famous “problem of the color line.” In decades since, its stature has only grown, and today it ranks as one of the most influential and resonant works in the history of American thought.

    This centennial edition contains a landmark Introduction by historian David Levering Lewis that brilliantly demonstrates how The Souls of Black Folk remains indispensable not only to an understanding of the history of race and democracy in America but to considerations of the future of racial and cultural comity in the twenty-first century.

    About The Souls of Black Folk

    W.E.B. Du Bois was the foremost black intellectual of his time. The Souls of Black Folk (1903), his most influential work, is a collection of fourteen beautifully written essays, by turns lyrical, historical, and autobiographical. Here, Du Bois records the cruelties of racism, celebrates the strength and pride of black America, and explores the paradoxical "double-consciousness" of African-American life. "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line," he writes, prophesying the struggle for freedom that became his life’s work.

    For the first time, the authoritative editions of works by major American novelists, poets, scholars, and essayists collected in the hardcover volumes of The Library of America are being published singly in a series of handsome and durable paperback books. A distinguished author has contributed an introduction for each volume, which also includes a detailed chronology of the author’s life and career, an essay on the choice of the text, and notes.

    About The Souls of Black Folk

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time

    “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.”  Thus speaks W.E.B. Du Bois in The Souls Of Black Folk, one of the most prophetic and influental works in American literature.  In this eloquent collection of essays, first published in 1903, Du Bois dares as no one has before to describe the magnitude of American racism and demand an end to it.  He draws on his own life for illustration, from his early experiences teaching in the hills of Tennessee to the death of his infant son and his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.

    Far ahead of its time, The Souls Of Black Folk both anticipated and inspired much of the black conciousness and activism of the 1960’s and is a classic in the literature of civil rights.  The elegance of DuBois’s prose and the passion of his message are as crucial today as they were upon the book’s first publication.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Also by W.E.B. Du Bois

    The Souls of Black Folk
    John Brown
    See all books by W.E.B. Du Bois

    Also by W.E.B. Du Bois

    The Souls of Black Folk
    John Brown
    See all books by W.E.B. Du Bois

    Also by W.E.B. Du Bois

    The Souls of Black Folk
    John Brown
    See all books by W.E.B. Du Bois

    Also by W.E.B. Du Bois

    The Souls of Black Folk
    John Brown
    See all books by W.E.B. Du Bois

    About W.E.B. Du Bois

    W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963), writer, civil rights activist, scholar, and editor, is one of the most significant intellectuals in American history. A founding member of the NAACP, editor for many years of The Crisis and three other journals, and author… More about W.E.B. Du Bois

    About W.E.B. Du Bois

    W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963), writer, civil rights activist, scholar, and editor, is one of the most significant intellectuals in American history. A founding member of the NAACP, editor for many years of The Crisis and three other journals, and author… More about W.E.B. Du Bois

    About W.E.B. Du Bois

    W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963), writer, civil rights activist, scholar, and editor, is one of the most significant intellectuals in American history. A founding member of the NAACP, editor for many years of The Crisis and three other journals, and author… More about W.E.B. Du Bois

    About W.E.B. Du Bois

    W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963), writer, civil rights activist, scholar, and editor, is one of the most significant intellectuals in American history. A founding member of the NAACP, editor for many years of The Crisis and three other journals, and author… More about W.E.B. Du Bois

    Product Details

    Category: Nonfiction Classics | Literary Collections

    Mass Market Paperback | $5.95
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Jun 01, 1989 | 240 Pages | 4-3/16 x 6-7/8 | ISBN 9780553213362

    Category: Nonfiction Classics | Literary Collections

    Hardcover | $17.95
    Published by Modern Library
    Jan 07, 2003 | 320 Pages | 4-11/16 x 7-1/4 | ISBN 9780375509117

    Category: Nonfiction Classics | Literary Collections

    Ebook | $1.99
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Jul 26, 2005 | 240 Pages | ISBN 9780553901764

    Category: Nonfiction Classics | Literary Collections

    Ebook | $2.99
    Published by Modern Library
    Nov 01, 2000 | 320 Pages | ISBN 9780679641391
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Praise

    “One hundred years after publication, there is in the entire body of social criticism still no more than a handful of meditations on the promise and failings of democracy in America to rival William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s extraordinary collection of fourteen essays.” —from the Introduction by David Levering Lewis

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates about W.E.B. Du Bois
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking SIGN UP, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Raise kids who love to read

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

     An online magazine for today’s home cook

    An online magazine for today’s home cook