The first Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia, Sterling Brown served as a professor at Howard University for 40 years. He was pivotal in recognizing and legitimatizing folklore as an integral component of the black aesthetic. He married Daisy Turnbull in 1927 and she served in part as his muse.

"Negro Poetry and Drama and The Negro in American Fiction include his seminal studies of black literary history. The former shows the growth of black artists within the context of American literature and delineates a black aesthetic; the latter examines what had been written about the black man in American fiction since his first appearance in obscure novels of the 1700s." [Poetry Foundation].

Both part of the Bronze Booklet series, numbers 6 and 7.

Octavos, Two Volumes. In Fair condition. In publisher's orange wraps. Both volumes inscribed by Brown, possibly to his wife, Daisy.

The Negro in American Fiction. Octavo, [6], 209 pages. Wraps reinforced with thick brown tape along all four edges of front wrap, spine, fore edge of rear wrap, front wrap only held on by the tape, some soiling, general wear, and creasing to wraps, small blue ink spot to gutter of page 15, extending slammer through to 5, inscribed on the title page 'For Daisy / Who saw it / growing / Sterling / June 15, 1938'; Pencil on page 1 reads 'Mrs Dolly Moore Cleveland / youngest son for Sterling H. Brown', some pencil marginalia starting on page 17.

Negro Poetry and Drama. Octavo, [6], 142 pages. Front wrap detached but present, some soiling and wear to wraps, inscribed on the title page 'For Daisy / First fruits of the / Fellowship / Sterling", small pencil marginalia correction to page 11.

JR Consignment. Shelved in Case 1.