Daddy Was a Number Runner [Inscribed by Author]

Title: Daddy Was a Number Runner

Author: Meriweather, Louise

Publication: New York : The Feminist Press, 1986.

Description: First Feminist Press edition of this classic novel by Louise Meriwether about life in Harlem in the 1930s, told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl. Warmly inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper: "To Cheryl, my lovely sister hostess, with love, Louise Meriwether, 9/88." In color pictorial card wrappers. 8.5 x 5.5 inches; 234, [2] pages. Marginal marking and underlining throughout. Mild edgewear and sunning, with a small nick on the front cover near the spine. Very Good.

First published in 1970, Daddy Was a Number Runner was Meriwether's first novel. Meriwether did not receive as much acclaim as other authors of her time, though she was well-admired by her peers. James Baldwin and Nellie McKay wrote the foreword and afterword, respectively. The novel is now considered an important contribution to the Black literary canon. Meriwether passed away in October 2023 at the age of 100. There are very few signed copies of her books currently on the market and no records of signed copies of Daddy Was a Number Runner in Rare Book Hub. The Feminist Press was founded in 1970, as a publisher of second wave feminism and women's studies texts. The press started the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize in 2016 to recognize debut works by women and nonbinary authors of color that follow in the tradition of "Daddy Was a Number Runner."