American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Contributing editors Ophelia Settle Egypt, Jitsuichi Masuoka, and Charles S. Johnson. 8vo, approx. 330 one-sided typewritten copied (mimeographed) pages; paper wraps in perfect binding, spine reinforcement (some chips to front cover, light toning throughout, some errors in pagination, with some pages out of order).

FIRST EDITION, ORIGINAL PRINTING of No. 1 in a series of at least 6 studies conducted by Johnson at Fisk University, reproducing oral interviews with formerly enslaved individuals, this one conducted by Ophelia Settle Egypt between 1929-1930.

According to the introduction, 37 oral interviews were collected, but other reports indicate that as many as 100 subjects were interviewed. The formerly enslaved individuals lived primarily in Tennessee and Kentucky. Many speak of living in Nashville and name places within the city, citing where buildings or people were located and what was then in that location. Many note the city slave markets.

Ophelia Settle Egypt (1903-1984) was a social worker and educator. It is said that these interviews by Egypt were some of the first interviews conducted with formerly enslaved people. She also authored a children's book on James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), influential Civil Rights activist and leader of the NAACP. Egypt's personal papers are housed at Howard University, her alma mater.