John Henry
Roark Bradford (Author), Julius J. Lankes (Wood engraver), Literary Guild of America (Publisher), Haddon Craftsmen, Inc (Printer), Harper & Brothers
The life story of the legendary African American folk hero, John Henry, who worked as a "steel-driving" man, tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel. According to legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam-powered rock drilling machine, a race that he won only to die in victory with hammer in hand as his heart gave out from stress
Print Book, English, 1931
First edition
The Literary Guild, New York, 1931