Uncle Remus: a controversial name to be reckoned with

Harris, Joel Chandler Harris, Nights With Uncle Remus (Houghton Mifflin, 1883, 1911). Hardcover, published under copyright renewed by Harris’ widow. 34 African-American tales in dialect, with 21 lithographed engravings. Green  boards with embossed titling and illustrations on the cover, no dust jacket. Good condition; gift inscription on front endpaper from 1915. HBB price: $19.

It’s the birthday of Joel Chandler Harris, the Southern journalist and folklorist. In honor of the occasion, we offer a copy of the second of his nine collections of African-American folk tales, Nights With Uncle Remus.

Harris- lionized in his day as a pioneer in folklore collecting- has become a highly controversial figure since World War II, when the Walt Disney film, The Song of the South, and the subsequent rise of the civil rights movement, called his methods and motives into question.

Love him or loathe him, Harris remains a major figure in American- and British- letters, as Henry Bemis’ birthday profile demonstrates.

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Henry Bemis Books is one man’s attempt to bring more diversity and quality to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg market of devoted readers starved for choices. Our website is at www.henrybemisbookseller.blogspot.com. For more information about any listed book, or more photos, please contact Lindsay at henrybemisbookseller@gmail.com. Henry Bemis Books is also happy to entertain reasonable offers on items in inventory. Shipping is always free; local buyers are welcome to drop by and pick up their purchases at our location off Peachtree Road in Northwest Charlotte if they like. #RareBooks #HenryBemisBooks #JoelChandlerHarris #NightsWithUncleRemus