The Souls of Black Folk , by W. E. B. Du Bois, sociologist, historian, civil rights activist and author, has a central place in American history and literature. "Few books make history and fewer still become foundational texts for the movements and struggles of an entire people. The Souls of Black Folk occupies this rare position." - Manning Marable. "The boycott of the buses in Montgomery had many roots . . . but none more important than this little book of essays published more than half a century earlier." -- Saunders Redding