Drum Major for a Dream: Poetic Tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Title: Drum Major for a Dream: Poetic Tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Author: Zepp, Ira G., Jr., and Melvyn D. Palmer

Publication: Calcutta, India: Writers Workshop, 1976.

Description: A collection of poetic tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr., published in 1976 by Calcutta-based Writers Workshop, a small press focused on publishing works in English. While many of these poems appeared elsewhere previously, this is the first edition of this compilation, which includes works by prominent Black American poets, such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, Lucille Clifton, Etheridge Knight, and Don L. Lee (later Haki R. Madhubuti), alongside Lillian Smith, Jackson Mac Low, and others. Date from introduction and publisher's catalog. Printed from handset type on Indian-made paper with an Indian-made press. Bound in pink and green Indian cotton handloom sari cloth over boards, stamped in gilt, with a printed paper wrap-around band with title and quote from Martin Luther King on Mahatma Gandhi and non-violence, in clear vinyl jacket as issued, with binder's label on rear pastedown. 8.75 x 5.75 pages; 57, [1] pages, plus 18, [2] pages of publisher's advertisements. Light dampstain to covers and light toning to the interior. Very Good. An unusual Indian publication of American civil rights and Black Arts poetry, reflecting the international resonance of King's legacy.