Item Details

A Week in Dowie's Zion.

nd. First Edition. Original Wraps. A very interesting/unusual bit of racial/racist erotica and fetishism. The book was an overt, debauched, attack on Dowie and his utopian community, in large part due to his support of changing racial views.
"Zion was founded by the charismatic preacher and faith healer John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907). Born in Scotland, Dowie came to this region in 1893 when he preached his message of "clean and faithful living" at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
He established the Christian Catholic Church and by 1899, his followers numbered in the thousands. After looking for a suitable location to build a "City of God," Dowie purchased 6,000 acres of farmland in Benton Township, and brought his followers to create a social utopia.
Although Dowie's leadership was criticized for its anti-democratic tendencies, he was ahead of his time when it came to social issues relating to the working class and minority groups.
He believed in an eight-hour work day at a time when 12- to 14-hour days were common, and allowed women to vote in local elections.
He also spoke out against lynching and racism, and encouraged interracial relationships.
It was Dowie's strongly enforced policy against racism that attracted African-Americans to settle in Zion.
Anyone found hostile to blacks, or, for that matter, breaking any of Dowie's rules, was expelled from the community.
In 1905, 200 of Zion's 10,000 residents were of African-American, South African or Caribbean heritage. Possibly the most influential of these African-American citizens was the town's dentist, Dr. James Brister (1858-1916)."
At first blush, there are no copies in any institutional holdings. Very Good in Wraps. Tight, bright, and unmarred. Quarterbound, green cloth tape spine, green textured paper wraps, black ink lettering. 12mo. np. (approx. 52pp). Item #10070

Price: $450.00