London: Chatto & Windus, 1979. First UK edition. First published in 1970, The Bluest Eye is Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison’s first novel. It centers the experience of Pecola, a Black girl growing up with a foster family in Ohio and her longing for blue eyes; that is, the relief from the burden of her appearance, which stands in opposition to the standards of beauty in racist America. On the fiftieth anniversary of the novel for The New Yorker, Hilton Als highlights the acts of looking and being looked, and how they shape the character’s perception of what it means to be a “whole person”. A beautiful and visually striking copy of a masterpiece.

Hardcover. Blue cloth binding, very slight bumping on the bottom right corners, otherwise very good condition. Original dust jacket, designed by Kate Carry, with illustration on the front cover and a photograph of the author by Bert Andrews on the back cover. Jacket has light foxing on top and bottom edges. Slightly foxed interior and spine. Very good condition.