The inspirational sermons of the old Negro preachers are set down as poetry in this collection - a classic for more than forty years, frequently dramatised, recorded, and anthologised. James Weldon Johnson tells in his preface of hearing these same themes treated by famous preachers in his youth; some of the sermons are still current, and like the spirituals they have taken a significant place in black folk art. In transmuting their essence into original and moving poetry, the author has also ensured the survival of a great oral tradition.

"A skilled and worthy book. The cunning rhythms, the graphic language, the figures of speech join in a work that is of the realm of art." - CARL SANDBURG

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