Name/Title
"The Clansman"Entry/Object ID
2013.7.16Description
Red cloth book covered with an illustrated dust jacket. The dust cover has an image of a Ku Klux Klansman riding a horse covered in a white sheet next to a woman on a black horse. The book's title, "The Clansman," appears in large blue font at the top of the dust jacket, as does the book's secondary title, "Photo-Play Title: The Birth Of A Nation." The same information, along with the author's name and the publication information, is found on the spine in black writing.Context
"The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan" was published in 1905 by Thomas Dixon, Jr. (1864–1946) of North Carolina. Set during the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, it follows two white families—the Stonemans of the North and the Camerons of the South. This photo-play title is a companion to the original book's film adaption entitled, "The Birth of a Nation."
The silent film follows the plot of Dixon's book, including the use of Black characters, played by white actors in blackface, to represent various racist tropes. The heroic portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan led to that group's revival shortly after the film's release.
Despite being a landmark film for its technical innovation and the first motion picture to be screened inside the White House (under the presidency of Woodrow Wilson), "Birth of the Nation" has also been called one of the most racist films ever made due to its characterizations of Black people as corrupt, immoral, and criminal. The film was still a commercial success, due in part to Griffith's marketing strategy, which made viewing the film into an experience, complete with its own orchestra score and a souvenir program.
Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949), author of the 1936 novel "Gone with the Wind," later told Dixon that she "was practically raised on [his] books, and loved them very much." The two books are set during the same time period and feature similar Lost Cause ideology and racial stereotypes, indicating that Dixon's work likely influenced Mitchell's. Much like "The Clansman," "Gone with the Wind" was adapted into a movie shortly after its publication.Dimensions
Height
7-3/4 inWidth
5-1/4 inDepth
1-1/2 inBook Details
Author
Thomas Dixon, Jr.Publisher
Crosset & DunlapDate Published
1905
