Victor Gollancz Ltd

Victor Gollancz Ltd was the London publisher that first rejected the uncorrected proofs of Native Son and later accepted a revised version. Its change of decision followed substantial revisions made during the Book-of-the-Month Club’s intervention, making the publisher a significant part of the novel’s publication history and of the path toward an English edition.

Initial Rejection

Gollancz rejected the first uncorrected proofs outright. The rejection was reported by Aswell in a January 11, 1940, letter to Wright, which relayed a cable from London. The evidence establishes the decision and its timing, but does not specify the publisher’s reasons for turning the novel down.

Reconsideration of the Revised Proofs

After the Book-of-the-Month Club requested changes, Wright substantially revised the novel. The early movie-theater scene was rewritten: the published version refers briefly to a newsreel and describes the feature film The Gay Woman at length, removing the original scene’s mention of Mary Dalton and its references to masturbation. Other revisions toned down explicit sexual language, altered plot details, shortened speeches by Bigger’s lawyer and the district attorney, and added a few paragraphs.

A revised set of proofs was then sent to Gollancz. Aswell reported that the publisher accepted it, adding that the changes made for the Book-of-the-Month Club apparently changed Gollancz’s decision. This sequence connects the acceptance to the revised text without establishing which particular changes mattered most to the London publisher.

Place in the Publication History

By January 1940, the Book-of-the-Month Club had also decided to accept the novel, and the book was published in the United States on March 1, 1940. Aswell’s letter reported Gollancz’s acceptance and the prospect that it would bring out an English edition; the evidence here does not establish when that edition appeared. Gollancz’s reversal thus marks a consequential shift from rejection of the uncorrected proofs to acceptance after revision, while also showing how editorial changes made for one publishing decision accompanied the novel’s movement toward another market.