My Lord, What A Morning: An Autobiography by Marian Anderson.

ANDERSON, Marian.

Item Number: 142465

New York: The Viking Press, 1956.

First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. The dedication copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to her mother in the year of publication, “For Mother, With love, and every hope that you’ll enjoy the writing as you enjoy the voice- Marian Chrstmas 1956.” Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Miriam Woods. Photograph by Karsh.

My Lord, What a Morning is a gentle and engrossing memoir, abounding with the tender and inspiring stories of Marian Anderson's life in her own modest words. From her humble but proud beginnings in south Philadelphia to international vocal renown, the legendary contralto writes of triumph and adversity, of being grounded in faith and surrounded by family, and of the music that shaped her career. Anderson published My Lord, What a Morning in 1956 on the heels of her groundbreaking role as the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. In it are bittersweet reminiscences of a working-class childhood, from her first job scrubbing the neighbors' steps to the sorrow and upheaval of her father's untimely death. Here are the stories of a young girl with prodigious talent and her warm remembrances of the teachers, managers, friends, accompanists, and fans who worked to foster it. In addition, she provides a veritable travelogue of her concerts across the globe and rare glimpses at the personal life of a woman more concerned with family than celebrity.