ID: 2631
Journey to an Illusion. The West Indian in Britain
HINDS, Donald
Category: First Edition
Place/Publisher/Date:
London, Heinemann. 1966.
Description:
First edition; 8vo; original boards and dust jacket. Inscribed by the author on the front free end paper, "Deborah [Rogers] to whom I am deeply indebted. Please accept a small installment". Donald Lloyd Hinds (1934-2023)was born in Jamaica in 1934. In 1955, he travelled to London to join his mother. He had qualified as a teacher in Jamaica but like many other West Indian migrants to the UK was unable to find employment. He eventually got a job with London Transport as a bus conductor, working out of Brixton Bus Garage. While working on the buses Hinds met Theo Campbell, a Jamaican businessman who owned London's first Black record shop. The record shop shared the building with the West Indian Gazette. Campbell introduced Hinds to Claudia Jones, the newspaper's editor, and Hinds began working for the paper in the summer of 1958. Between 1959 and 1963, Hinds was also broadcasting on BBC Caribbean, often reading short stories based on his experiences working on the buses. After The Observer published a piece by him he was approached by Deborah Rogers, which led to the commissioning of Journey to an Illusion. Receiving an advance of £100 Hinds left his job with London Transport to concentrate on his writings. Journey to an Illusion has been described as "One of the great works of journalism to have come out of the Jamaican-British encounter". Deborah Rogers (1938-2024), who founded her own agency in 1967, went on to represent Angela Carter, Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Peter Carey and many others. Very good in a very good dust jacket which is slightly rubbed at the extremities.
Price £2750.00
