Burial for a King: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Funeral and the Week that Transformed Atlanta and Rocked the Nation, (Signed by the author)

Burns, Rebecca

ISBN 10: 143913054X / ISBN 13: 9781439130544

Published by Scribner, (2011), New York, 2011

About this Item

244 pages. 8vo. Illustrated. Signed by the author on the title page. First Edition, First Printing with the "1" in the number sequence. Dust jacket protected in a mylar sleeve, not price clipped. Front flap of dust jacket has a crease. No former owner's names or marks except the author's signature. Dust jacket and book are in square, tight, very clean, like new condition. Seller Inventory # 002514

Bibliographic Details

Title: Burial for a King: Martin Luther King Jr.'s ...

Publisher: Scribner, (2011), New York

Publication Date: 2011

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

In the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, riots broke out in 110 cities across the country. For five days, Atlanta braced for chaos while preparing to host King’s funeral. An unlikely alliance of former student radicals, the middle-aged patrician mayor, the no-nonsense police chief, black ministers, white churchgoers, Atlanta’s business leaders, King’s grieving family members, and his stunned SCLC colleagues worked to keep Atlanta safe, honor a murdered hero, and host the tens of thousands who came to pay tribute.

On April 9, 1968, 150,000 mourners took part in a daylong series of rituals honoring King—the largest funeral staged for a private U.S. citizen. King’s funeral was a dramatic event that took place against a national backdrop of war protests and presidential politics in a still-segregationist South, where Georgia’s governor surrounded the state capitol with troops and refused to lower the flag in acknowledgment of King’s death. Award-winning journalist Rebecca Burns delivers a riveting account of this landmark week and chronicles the convergence of politicians, celebrities, militants, and ordinary people who mourned in a peaceful Atlanta while other cities burned. Drawing upon copious research and dozens of interviews— from staffers at the White House who dealt with the threat of violence to members of King’s family and inner circle—Burns brings this dramatic story to life in vivid scenes that sweep readers from the mayor’s office to the White House to Coretta Scott King’s bedroom. Compelling and original, Burial for a King captures a defining moment in America’s history. It encapsulates King’s legacy, America’s shifting attitude toward race, and the emergence of Atlanta as a new kind of Southern city.

About the Author:

Rebecca Burns is an author and journalist who focuses on Southern history and the intersection of race, religion, and politics. She was editor in chief of Atlanta magazine for seven years and is the author of Rage in the Gate City: The Story of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, which was a finalist for the 2007 Georgia Author of the Year Awards. She wrote the Atlanta edition in the Yesterday and Today book series and is a frequent speaker at colleges and community groups.