Books On Books Collection – Emory Douglas

Books On Books

Reparations (2010)

Close-up of a small, handmade book with the name 'Emory Douglas' printed in red and a decorative black pattern at the bottom. The book is tied with a piece of string.

Reparations (2010)
Emory Douglas
Cover enclosing leporello. Cover: H102 x W105 mm. Leporello: H89 x W95 mm (closed); W380 mm (open). [4] panels.Edition of 100, of which this is #45. Acquired from the San Francisco Center for the Book, 30 June 2025.
Photos: Books On Books Collection. Displayed with permission of the publisher.

Open book with a textured cover displaying the title 'REPARATIONS' by Emory Douglas, detailing its publication and production information.

“Emory Douglas is renowned for his iconic representations of the Black Panther Party through his work as the Party’s Minister of Culture. For decades, he communicated the power and charisma of the movement through his compelling straightforward graphic style. … The imagery for this edition was initially a painting by Mr. Douglas’ which was then translated into a 2 color, letterpress graphic. The pages of the book are a one-sided, accordion fold piece. The folded cover is made of Amate bark with hand-spun hemp and silk thread and letterpress printed in 2 colors with interior colophon page attached””–San Francisco Center for the Book

A closed art book by Emory Douglas featuring decorative elements, with the title 'REPARATIONS' prominently displayed on an open page. The cover is made of textured paper with a tribal pattern, and the book is tied with twine.
Art piece featuring the word 'REPARATIONS' in bold black letters entwined with red chains, set against a textured background with a black patterned border.
Artistic representation of the word 'REPARATIONS' with stylized figures and red chains, accompanied by a geometric black pattern at the bottom.
A close-up of an open book featuring stylized text spelling 'NATIONS' intertwined with red chains, above a decorative black and white pattern at the bottom. The page is numbered 45/100.

The chains fastened at the neck, wrist, and ankle of each letter and linking each human figure to the next propose a new orthography. What was spilled spells out the case. In the original mural on which this quietly loud artist’s book is based, the chains were colored red, white, and blue.

Happy 250th Anniversary, fellow citizens.

Further Reading

“Tia Blassingame“. 17 August 2020. Books On Books Collection.

“Global Afrikan Congress“. 15 May 2023. Books On Books Collection.

“Sarah Matthews“. 15 February 2025.Books On Books Collection.

“Arial Robinson“. 15 May 2023. Books On Books Collection.

“Ruth E. Rogers“. 17 November 2025.Books On Books Collection.

“Clarissa Sligh“. 2 September 2020. Books On Books Collection.

“Carrie Mae Weems“. 14 February 2025. Books On Books Collection.

“Kara Walker“. 9 January 2026. Books On Books Collection.

Douglas, Emory et al. 2007. Black Panther : The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas. New York, NY: Rizzoli.

Douglas, Emory. “The Black Panther Party and the Struggle for a Just Society“. Arizona State University. Video, go to 18’00”.

Gabor, Nora. 18 February 2021. “Black History and Experiences through Book Arts“. The Full Text: News about library resources and services. Chicago, IL: DePaul University. Accessed 22 January 2024.

Gleek, Charlie. “Centuries of Black Artists’ Books“, presented at “Black Bibliographia: Print/Culture/Art” conference at the Center for Material Culture Studies, University of Delaware, 27 April 2019, pp. 7-8. Accessed 20 July 2020.

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