University Libraries have unveiled their Special Collections Item of the Month: a 1953 edition of “Blood on the Forge” by William Attaway.
Released in 1941, “Blood on the Forge” earned Attaway a Rosenwald Fellowship Award. Taking place at the end of World War I, the story follows three brothers as they travel from the hills of Kentucky to Pennsylvania in search of a better life away from the segregated South. After securing jobs in steel mills, they come to the realization that life in the new land is not what they had hoped for.
Attaway was born in Greenville, Mississippi, in 1911 before moving to Chicago with his family as a child. Andrew Rhodes, the cataloguer for this item, explained the circumstances of Attaway’s life included in the novel. “He and his family were part of the Great Migration, and this novel is also about ‘The Great Migration.’” “The Great Migration” is a term used to refer to when millions of Americans moved from the rural South to northern cities.
When discussing the process of cataloging this item, Rhodes added: “You’re highlighting an item but it’s actually the story behind the item and the person that’s interesting.”
Though “Blood on the Forge” was not a hit upon its release, the novel grew in acclaim and reputation in the decades that followed its publication. It had also been praised by writers such as Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison.
Rhodes described the physical description of the edition of the book the library acquired. “Pulp books are these books that are printed on cheap paper. You can sell them for a quarter. Even something like Faulkner that is considered ‘high literary,’ they would try to sell it with pulp artwork.”
According to Rhodes, the book can benefit university students and faculty. “Introducing people to new authors or to books that may have been forgotten, but they still have value and they still may be good books and really interesting,” said Rhodes.
In 2005, a New York Review of Books Classics edition of the book was released, with the inclusion of a new introduction by writer Darryl Pinckney.
“Blood on the Forge” was Attaway’s final novel, after which he went on to write for radio, television and films. He also wrote music, publishing “The Calypso Song Book” in 1957.
University Libraries Unveils Special Collections Item of the Month
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