SUTTON GRIGGS

Self-published in 1899 and sold door-to-door by the author, this classic African-American novel-a gripping exploration of oppression, miscegenation, exploitation, and black empowerment-was a major bestseller in its day. The dramatic story of a conciliatory black man and a mulatto nationalist who grow up in a racist America and are driven to join a radical movement dedicated to the creation of an all-black nation in Texas, Imperium in Imperio had a profound influence on the development of black nationalism.