Preface to the Jubilee Edition of The Souls of Black Folk

Presents the text of a preface written by Du Bois for the Blue Heron Press Jubilee edition (1953) of his book, The Souls of Black Folk, which had been out of print for quite awhile. It is noted that Blue Heron was established by Howard Fast after his self-published novel, Spartacus, became a best-seller. His novel had been turned down by his regular publishers who were avoiding works that raised fundamental questions about US society. None of the later editions of Souls contain Du Bois' radical preface to the Blue Heron Press edition, in which he emphasizes the influence of both Sigmund Freud & Karl Marx on the modern world, & discusses the underlying causes of the problem of race/color. Du Bois points out that civilized persons are willing to wage war to maintain the privilege of living in comfort, even at the cost of poverty, ignorance, & disease for the majority. He concludes that the "excuse for this war continues largely to be color & race.". J. Lindroth