The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Volume III: Birth of a New Age, December 1955-December 1956 [Hardcover]

Martin Luther King Jr. (Author), Clayborne Carson (Editor), Stewart Burns (Editor), Susan Carson (Editor), Peter Holloran (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Publication Date: February 27, 1997

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ideas--his call for racial equality, his faith in the ultimate triumph of justice, his insistence on the power of nonviolence to bring about a major transformation of American society--are as vital and timely as ever. The wealth of his writings, both published and unpublished, is now preserved in this authoritative, chronologically arranged multi-volume edition. Volume III chronicles the Montgomery bus boycott of 1956 and Dr. King's emergence as a public figure who attracted international attention. Included is the galvanizing speech he gave on the first day of the bus boycott, transcribed from a fragile tape recording and published here in its entirety for the first time. Also included are his remarks to an angry crowd after the bombing of his home and his powerful speech at the 1956 NAACP convention. King's words from this period reveal the evolution of his distinctive blend of Christian and Gandhian ideas and show his appreciation of the broader significance of the Montgomery movement, a protest that revealed the "longing for human dignity that motivates oppressed people all over the world." The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. is a testament to a man whose life and teaching continue to have a profound influence not only on Americans, but on people of all nations.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project at Stanford University was established by The Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., in 1984.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Director and senior editor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project, Carson (history, Stanford Univ.) presents another successful effort by the project to research and document the Montgomery bus boycott and Martin Luther King Jr.'s elevation to prominent Civil Rights proponent. It contains annotated transcriptions of King's vital sermons, speeches, correspondence, published writings, unpublished manuscripts, and so on. Like the preceding volumes (Vol. 1: Called To Serve, Jan. 1929-June, 1951, 1992; Vol. 2: Rediscovering Precious Values, July 1951-Nov. 1955, 1994), it includes a calendar of documents with an extensive list of important scholarly King-related primary and secondary sources covering 1954-56. Overall, it is a comprehensive, in-depth, and focused documentation. Highly recommended for African American studies collections.?Edward G. McCormack Lib., Univ. of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Lib., Long Beach
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In magisterial regularity, volumes of King's complete collected papers, planned to span 14 volumes, emerge one at a time. Only a single year is represented in the current installment, but what a consequential year it was for King and the civil rights movement. The brief but significant chronological range encompasses King's involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott following Rosa Park's arrest for not surrendering her bus seat to a white person. Documents compiled in this volume mark the growth of King's success as a protest leader, his "signal contribution to the Montgomery movement [being] to infuse it with a Christian ethos of nonviolence and explicitly Gandhian precepts of nonviolent action." The format duplicates that of the previous two volumes (which appeared in 1992 and 1994): a lengthy and enlightening biographical introduction preceding gathered correspondence, speeches, and other documents. Not for most browsers, but invaluable for public library research needs. Brad Hooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 598 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (February 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520079523
• ISBN-13: 978-0520079526
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > King, Martin Luther

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another book on MLK? Yes -- and perhaps the best one yet, April 5, 2000

By 

Michael I. Arrington (University of South Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Volume III: Birth of a New Age, December 1955-December 1956 (Hardcover)

I reviewed this volume for the Southern Communication Journal and found it to be one of the most comprehensive historical compilations to address the American Civil Rights movement. Kudos to Carson for undertaking such an ambitious project. In an age of sensationalism and revisionist histories, Carson and the rest of the King Papers Project have shown that accurate documentation, rather than speculation, yields priceless insight into King and the Montgomery bus protest, a key event in the American Civil Rights movement.

This volume combines letters (to and from King), speeches, newspaper articles, and other texts to illustrate the King's depth. We see his religious upbringing, as evidenced in the influences of Ghandi and Christianity; his talent as a minister and an administrator, suggested by the National Baptist Convention's invitation to serve them as their president; and his intellectual aptitudes, shown in the strategy he employed in the Montgomery protest. His decision to move toward incremental change (with full equality as a long-term end) is a major reason why the Montgomery movement succeeded. Had he opted for an all-or-nothing, now-or-never approach, he would have encountered greater resistance, and the movement might have ended while achieving little or no progress. Instead, he lobbied for minor changes in an effort to gain momentum for the larger movement -- an approach dismissed by more radical members of the African-American community. For its insights into King the preacher, King the scholar, King the strategic activist, this text is a valuable addition to the legacy of arguably the most influential American of the last century -- and likely the most influential one never to serve as U.S. President.