Photographing James Baldwin and the icons of the Civil Rights Movement

A poetic testimony to the black experience and the vital civil rights movement, author James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Door has been illustrated for the first time with Steve Schapiro’s moving photography. Bringing together two of the most vibrant documenters of their times, the new book is a testimony to both an era and two icons. Travelling together to the American South for Life magazine, the two creative forces epitomise a generation and capture history so thoughtfully.

First published in 1963, Baldwin’s book gave a personal account of his experiences as a black man in the United States, and did so through ever rich and powerful prose. Made ever more potent now with over 100 photographs by Schapiro, the edition captures the movement’s leaders and people: from Dr. Martin Luther King to Rosa Parks. Capturing a struggle which seems far too relevant still in Trump’s America, The Fire Next Time provides a needed empathy for the activists and trailblazers of our past, as well as our present and our future.

James Baldwin and Steve Schapiro’s ‘The Fire Next Time’ is available in hardcover now for £40 from TASCHEN here. Click through the gallery below for a peek into the new book now…