Originally published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk is a collection of essays on race. Specifically, it focuses on the experiences of black African slaves and their descendants as they navigate post-Reconstruction American society. Each chapter is prefaced by several bars of what du Bois calls a “sorrow song,” a piece of vocal music originating in black American culture that we today would call a “spiritual.” The essays contain historical analyses, anecdotes from du Bois’ life, and cautionary tales from the black experience. Some of the observations du Bois made are (sadly) still relevant almost 125 years later, and it was this realization that inspired my redesign.

This version of the book is intended to visually refresh the text and make it feel more contemporary. Typography and design can change an author’s writing in subtle ways; for example, serif faces have their roots in antiquity and can unintentionally make something feel older, so I chose to use sans-serif faces for the book’s main text and titles. All the faces used in the book are by Typodermic Fonts and available in the public domain.

The book is mainly set in Rakesly, a condensed sans-serif that invites informality and frankness. Each chapter features an excerpt from a classic poem, which I set in Goodfish. The chapter titles are set in Kilsonburg to lend some Jazz Age flair to the work.

I had originally designed several more pattern designs than included in the final product. I took inspiration from Art Deco sensibilities, but also included a subtle nod to Ghanaian textile patterns. Du Bois made the then-newly independent Ghana his home in the last years of his life, dying there on August 27, 1963 at the age of 95.

The cover features French flaps that hide an illustration I created specifically for the book. The image, painted digitally in Clip Studio Paint, is reminiscent of a starfield and nebulae, and is intended to look like a simple dark image from a distance, but come into greater clarity and depth the closer and longer you look at it. The front cover has a die cut to let the image show through the front, giving a hint of its complexity and inviting the reader to make the effort and take a longer look at what they might ordinarily pass over.

Originally, the book was bound as a regular 6″ x 9″ paperback by a full-service printer. The original covers didn’t include the French flaps or the die cut, and so the musical note included on the cover featured the dark illustration printed instead. That particular construction didn’t have the impact of my original vision, so I had a separate vendor print some full-size covers on #100 cover stock, which I then cut as I had planned. After removing the covers from the text blocks, I attached the new covers. As such, only two prototypes currently exist, though I hope that one day I’ll be able to print this edition on a larger scale.

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Below you’ll find the first chapter in digital format, though keep in mind that the book was originally designed for print.