Crusader Without Violence: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

REDDICK, L.D. [Martin Luther King.

$14,000.00

Item Number: 149245

New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1959.

First edition of one the earliest biographies of “the American Gandhi.” Octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with black and white photographs. Boldly signed by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket, name to the pastedown. Jacket photograph by Dan Weiner. Rare and desirable, we have never seen another one signed.

In Crusader Without Violence: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1959), L.D. Reddick offers one of the earliest comprehensive accounts of Dr. King’s life and leadership during the formative years of the Civil Rights Movement. Reddick, a noted African American historian and archivist, provides a detailed narrative of King’s rise to national prominence, particularly highlighting his role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and his unwavering commitment to nonviolent resistance. The biography is both informative and reverent, emphasizing King's philosophical grounding in Gandhian principles and Christian ethics, while also situating his activism within the broader historical context of racial injustice in America. Reddick’s work is significant not only for its biographical insight but also for its role in shaping the public perception of King as a moral leader and symbol of peaceful protest. Though limited by its publication date, which predates many of King's most pivotal actions, the book remains a valuable primary source for understanding early interpretations of King’s influence and the ideological foundations of the Civil Rights Movement.