Feeling The Spirit: Searching The World For The People Of Africa By Chester Higgins Jr
Feeling The Spirit: Searching The World For The People Of Africa
A Magnificent Photographic Odyssey Reclaiming the Global Diaspora, Sacred Rituals, and Enduring Traditions of the African Soul
A Magnificent Photographic Odyssey Reclaiming the Global Diaspora, Sacred Rituals, and Enduring Traditions of the African Soul
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Feeling The Spirit: Searching The World For The People Of Africa
- Author & Photographer: Chester Higgins Jr.
- Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
- Publication Date: 1994
- ISBN-13: 9780553095562 (ISBN-10: 0553095560)
- Edition Details: First Edition, Hardcover Release.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium quarter-bound cloth with fine paper-covered boards, gilt-stamped lettering to the spine; complete with original illustrated dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Oversized Folio/Quarto (4to), 303 pages. Elegantly enhanced with 220 stunning, high-fidelity tri-tone black-and-white plates printed on heavy-gauge art stock. Dimensions: Approx. 32.1 x 25.9 cm.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Near Fine (NF)
- Exterior / Boards: The cloth and paper boards are in pristine, mint condition. Exceptionally flat, square, and well-preserved with sharp corners and unmarred edges. The spine is completely rigid, firm, and undamaged.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, completely clean, and tight. Internal pages and high-quality tri-tone photography plates remain crisp, immaculate, and bright white. Free of previous owner names, highlighting, dealer pencil notations, or dog-ears.
- Protection: Safely enclosed within an archival-grade protective cellophane sleeve.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition: Beautifully intact and unclipped. Exhibits only very limited, superficial signs of handling and minor storage friction on the exterior margins, completely consistent with careful preservation. Completely free of tears, chips, or spine fading.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published by Bantam Books in 1994, Feeling the Spirit: Searching The World For The People Of Africa is a monumental visual and narrative masterpiece. Celebrated photojournalist Chester Higgins Jr. spends three decades crossing geographical, national, and cultural boundaries to trace the unifying thread of the African spirit. Guided by his evocative philosophy—"We are Africans not because we are born in Africa, but because Africa is born in us"—Higgins documents the fierce dignity, sacred rituals, and empowering traditions that thrive across the global African diaspora. [1, 2, 3]
Through 220 masterful tri-tone black-and-white photographs paired with rich, lyrical prose, the book reclaims a long-misrepresented history. From intimate religious ceremonies passed down through generations to the profound, everyday symbolism of water, Feeling the Spirit serves as an irreplaceable historical chronicle and an artistic triumph.
Author Profile: Chester Higgins Jr.
Chester Higgins Jr. is an internationally acclaimed American photographer, author, and former staff photographer for The New York Times, where his career spanned over four decades. His work has been widely exhibited in premier institutions such as the International Center of Photography (ICP) and the Smithsonian. Higgins' artistic vision is dedicated to capturing the visual history of the African diaspora, turning his lens toward the complex spiritualities, visual poetry, and cultural dignity of African peoples worldwide.
High-Value Search Phrases: Chester Higgins Feeling the Spirit first edition, rare African diaspora photography book, Bantam Books 1994 black and white folio, collectible African history photojournalism hardcover, Chester Higgins Jr signed collectible art book.
