Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (First Dell Printing, Mass Market Paperback, 1963)

James Baldwin’s Nobody Knows My Name is his second major collection of essays, originally published in 1961. This is the first Dell mass-market paperback printing, explicitly stated on the copyright page as “First Dell printing—August, 1963.”

The edition features the striking black, red, and white typographic cover, a 50¢ cover price, and the distinctive turquoise/green-stained textblock edges associated with this Dell issue. The book measures roughly 6⅜ × 4¼ inches and runs 190 pages.

Baldwin’s essays examine race, identity, American society, expatriate life, literature, and politics, and include his reflections on figures including Richard Wright, Norman Mailer, and Ingmar Bergman.

Bright, attractive covers with strong color, clean turquoise page edges, and only modest vintage wear visible at the extremities. Interior pages show the expected age toning but remain clean and well preserved. A particularly appealing example of Baldwin’s first Dell paperback edition.