8vo. Photographic frontispiece portrait. Original publisher's maroon cloth gilt. 

FIRST EDITION of the second of Washington's books published in his lifetime, which was a bestseller and was highly influential in the African American and allied communities. The success of the work prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to invite Washington to dine at the White House in October 1901. Although US presidents had previously hosted black guests including Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, this social occasion was notable because of its publicity and the equal footing Roosevelt extended to Washington. Vitriolic response from southern politicians and press, however, meant that no other African American was invited to dinner at the White House for nearly 30 years.