African Myths: Together with Proverbs First Edition, 1928

WOODSON, Carter G.

Published by Publication Date: 1928

[African American] [Education] WOODSON, Carter G. African Myths: Together with Proverbs. Washington, D.C.: The Associated Publishers, 1928. First edition. 8vo. 185 pages. Original green boards with black illustrations and text. No dust jacket, as published. Woodson was a pioneering Black historian, educator, and founder of Negro History Week. Woodson often called the "Father of Black History" compiled this text as a supplementary reader for use in segregated African American schools, recognizing the power of African folklore as both literary art and a tool of historical recovery. Designed to foster pride in African heritage among Black children, African Myths draws from oral folk traditions across the continent, presenting creation stories, cautionary tales, animal fables, and moral anecdotes in language accessible to early-grade readers. Stories such as "Why the Sun Shines by Day and the Moon by Night," "The Beginning of Death," and "The Disobedient Daughter s Marriage" are paired with proverbs that echo the wit and ethical teachings central to African storytelling. The book opens with a powerful preface in which Woodson asserts that folk tales are vital in understanding "the wit, wisdom, and philosophy of the people," and that storytelling in Africa functions as a cultural institution, especially among elder women. The contents reflect a wide array of moral lessons and cultural beliefs, ranging from cosmological myths like "Creation" to animal allegories such as "The Dog and the Leopard" and "The Cats and Fowls." Woodson emphasizes that these tales were collected and rendered without excessive editorializing, instead preserving the "simplest language possible" to engage and educate children. The book includes a photographic frontispiece depicting African market and village life, further underscoring the lived cultural settings from which the stories emerged. The title page describes it as a reader "composed of folk tales from various parts of Africa, adapted for the use of children in the public schools." Published by Woodson s own Associated Publishers, Inc. a press established to circumvent the exclusion of Black voices from mainstream academic publishing this book stands as a foundational work in African American educational literature. It is a rare survival from Woodson s program to provide culturally affirming curricula to Black schools during Jim Crow. Wear to covers, splitting to top of spine, ex libris stamps and cards on paste downs and free end papers. Pages are clean and binding is tight. Overall very good condition. Seller Inventory # 21976

Bibliographic Details

Title: African Myths: Together with Proverbs First ...
Publication Date: 1928
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Edition