Please Note: This historic 1958 first edition "stride toward freedom" book dated and signed by King "Harlem hospital October 2, 1958 was given by King in gratitude to an attending nurse that fateful day. On September 20, 1958 at a Harlem book signing, King was approached by a deranged black woman, Izola Curry, who asked; "are you Dr. King?” She then plunged a letter opener into his chest. King was quoted years later, in his autobiographical recollection of the event. “I spoke with Dr. Aubrey the chief surgeon who informed me the tip of the blade had been touching my aorta, and had I sneezed ..."

Presented is a signed hardcover copy of an early Stride Toward Freedom edition. On the flyleaf, the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner has placed the signature and inscription, “Best Wishes / Martin Luther King Jr.,” in unhurried strokes of a blue ballpoint pen. (A fainter inscription, reading, “Oct. 2, 1958 / Harlem Hospital,” appears below Dr. King’s penmanship on the same page.)

The book displays evidence of respectful handling, conceding only very mild shelf and reading wear. The volume, published by Harper & Row, has retained its paper dust jacket, which features a black-and-white photo of Dr. King. A notation in ink on the inside of the front cover reads, “Ex Libris / Elida B. Adams.”

After the publication of Stride, Dr. King became increasingly involved in the civil rights movement on the national stage, and he attracted millions of followers who supported his ideals for peaceful societal change. Tragically, he was felled by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968; Dr. King was 39 years old. Although the world was deprived from that point of the beloved leader’s wisdom and guidance, Dr. King left behind a pacifist philosophy that was dedicated to improving race relations. Stride Toward Freedom was a significant early glimpse of Dr. King’s devotion to progress and equality, and it represents an important part of his enduring legacy. LOA from PSA/DNA.

Please Note: This historic 1958 first edition "stride toward freedom" book dated and signed by King "Harlem hospital October 2, 1958 was given by King in gratitude to an attending nurse that fateful day. On September 20, 1958 at a Harlem book signing, King was approached by a deranged black woman, Izola Curry, who asked; "are you Dr. King?” She then plunged a letter opener into his chest. King was quoted years later, in his autobiographical recollection of the event. “I spoke with Dr. Aubrey the chief surgeon who informed me the tip of the blade had been touching my aorta, and had I sneezed ..."

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