Archibald O. Poole to Charles W. Chesnutt, June 1932
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[1]
BRADHURST 2-0676
Warren Book Company
Headquarters for Negro Books
222 WEST 135th STREET
NEW YORK, N. Y.1
Dear Friend:
"There is plenty of heat in the world of expression; what we need is light." And one of the problems on which the country most needs light today is the problem of Color.
On that matter we are not attempting to express an opinion, but we do ask you to give it some thought. And nothing we can think of now is more provocative of thought than to read "A Gentleman in a Black Skin".2
A white woman, cultured, wealthy and beautiful, marries a Negro. Donna McKay has written a powerful novel. Her heroine repents next morning, but chooses a strange way to postpone settlement. It is a thrilling, gripping story - it will make you think. You will enjoy it.
You may remember the Python's call in Kipling's Jungle Book - "We be of one blood, ye and I." Let us prove that this blood is thick enough to make us stick together for the solution of our common problem and the advancement of our race. Give our troubles your attention and read for your information and pleasure, the books that portray our fellow Negroes.
Our present aim is to enroll those of our race interested in our literature and willing to co-operate toward our common goal. Please let us hear from you one way or the other. No postage needed.
Very truly yours, WARREN BOOK COMPANY Per Archie PooleP.S. Do you know a competent young man or woman who might be our agent in your locality? Please tell us.
Manuscripts ReadPublications Arranged
Complete Service to Authors [2]
Correspondent: The Warren Book Company, a bookstore dedicated to Black authors, was initially located on Staten Island and later in New York City, a block from the New York Public Library's Harlem Branch. It was owned and run by Archibald O. Poole (1885—1963), a Black printer, publisher, and photographer. In the 1920s and 1930s, he sent advertising circulars to individuals and organizations; his personal responses to Chesnutt were written on two of those circulars. Poole lived on Staten Island and along with his wife Drusilla (1888—1972) was active in many local civil rights organizations.
1. Although this letter is undated, it was likely written in June 1932, as it seems to be a response to Chesnutt's June 1, 1932, letter to Poole, inquiring about the status of a book that Chesnutt had ordered. [back]
2. A Gentleman in a Black Skin is a 1931 novel by Donna McKay about an interracial relationship between a White woman and a Black man, published by William Faro, a publishing imprint established by Samuel Roth (1893–1974). Roth was infamous (and several times imprisoned) for evading U.S. censorship with his unauthorized publishing of James Joyce's Ulysses and D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. Roth's Faro imprint existed for a short period in the early 1930s, specializing in erotic novels and political satire. Life dates for Donna McKay (likely a pseudonym) are not known. [back]
3. The 1923 novel Veiled Aristocrats by the White American journalist and fiction writer Gertrude Sanborn (1881–1928) dealt with "passing" and interracial romance. It was published by Associated Publishers, the publishing company founded by Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950) in 1921, and advertised in his Journal of Negro History, to which Chesnutt subscribed. Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951) used the book's title and theme for his remake of The House Behind the Cedars, but adhered to Chesnutt's character names, setting, and plot (albeit loosely). [back]
