Beacon Forum. Vol. II, No. 16.
Pittsburgh: The Beacon Publishing Co., 1939. 24pp., likely mimeographed text. Quarto. Original green illustrated wrappers, stapled. Noticeable damp staining along top portion throughout, front wrapper stained, with some chipping along top edge costing some of decorative border but no text, top corner of rear wrapper chipped. Good condition only. Item #13057
A particularly interesting issue of an unrecorded Pittsburgh African American periodical, which bills itself as "America's Only Weekly Negro Magazine." This issue includes features, editorials, local gossip, stories on local politics, cooking and household help, church life, boxing, "Why Pennsylvania Needs a Negro National Guard," and more. Particularly interesting is "An Open Letter to Negro Motorists" on page 6. The letter emanates from the Fidelity Motor Club, a group of lawyers and businessmen who have "been giving serious thought to the problems of the Negro motorist." In essence, the Fidelity Motor Club is offering insurance coverage for African American drivers, "and such benefits for its members as are offered by other automobile clubs." The letter is signed by the secretary of Fidelity, Wister L. Lynch. An application form for the Fidelity Motor Club is printed on page 9. In addition to the text, several advertisements are printed on the wrappers, including Lee's Floral Shoppe, "Pittsburgh's Only Colored Florist." Hard to believe that no other copies of a 20th-century weekly magazine have survived, but we could not locate any records for this work in OCLC, auction history, the trade, or online.
Price: $850