The Walls of Jericho

Rudolph Fisher’s outstanding debut novel The Walls of Jericho, published in 1928, explores race and class issues during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance through the lens of Black lawyer Fred Merrit, who buys a home in a white neighborhood bordering Harlem. What progresses is a satirical journey through Merrit’s life as he encounters the racism of his new white neighbors as well as racism and classism among the residents of Black Harlem. This edition includes four of Fisher’s short stories that capture the Black Jazz Age urban experience, initially published in the iconic magazine The Atlantic Monthly: “City of Refuge,” “The Promised Land,” “Ringtail,” and “Blades of Steel.”

The Walls of Jericho was first published in 1928 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York
The stories included here were first published in The Atlantic Monthly as follows:
City of Refuge (Feb. 1925); Ringtail (May, 1925); The Promised Land (Jan. 1927); Blades of Steel (Aug. 1927) black history month; black af history; black authors; black history books for kids adults; urban historical fiction; african American; Harlem; community; neighborhood; classic; prohibition; family; Migration; spirituality; identity; bible short stories; race; class; lawyer; distrust; Langston Hughes; city; social satire; humor; Harlem Renaissance; Jazz Age