Close Modal
0 0
Download high-resolution image Look inside

Not Without Laughter

Part of Vintage Classics

Author Langston Hughes
Look inside
Paperback
$12.00 US
Knopf | Vintage
5.16"W x 7.99"H x 0.75"D   | 9 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Jan 06, 2026 | 256 Pages | 9798217007554
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

The award-winning first novel by the legendary Harlem Renaissance poet

In small-town Kansas at the turn of the twentieth century, Sandy Rogers is a young Black boy growing up surrounded by family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family while his father, Jimboy, comes in and out of town, bringing his guitar with him, and his grandmother, Hager, tries to keep the whole family right in the eyes of God. Amid the many hardships of these years of great change, Sandy learns what it means to be a member of the complex society he’s inherited.

First published in 1930, Langston Hughes's award-winning debut novel draws from the author’s childhood in the rural Midwest to paint a moving account of the trials and joys of life in Black communities that, until the novel’s publication, had not seen themselves reflected in American literature. A groundbreaking work, Not Without Laughter established Langston Hughes as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.
“Langston Hughes is a titanic figure in 20th-century American literature . . . A powerful interpreter of the American experience.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[Hughes] is sumptuous and sharp, playful and sparse, grounded in an earthy music.”
—The Boston Globe

“[Hughes’s] poetry has a pulse, a beauty and familiar kindness. . . . Much of it delights, even dazzles. His best work sticks with you—forever.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A lyrical, charming, and moving story of a black Midwestern boy."
—Arnold Rampersad on Not Without Laughter
Langston Hughes (1901–1967), a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential and esteemed writers of the twentieth century, was born in Joplin, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in Kansas before moving to Harlem. His first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published in 1926; its success helped him to win a scholarship to Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, from which he received his B.A. in 1929 and an honorary Litt.D. in 1943. Among his other awards and honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rosenwald Fellowship, and a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hughes published more than thirty-five books, including works of poetry, short stories, novels, an autobiography, musicals, essays, and plays. View titles by Langston Hughes

About

The award-winning first novel by the legendary Harlem Renaissance poet

In small-town Kansas at the turn of the twentieth century, Sandy Rogers is a young Black boy growing up surrounded by family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family while his father, Jimboy, comes in and out of town, bringing his guitar with him, and his grandmother, Hager, tries to keep the whole family right in the eyes of God. Amid the many hardships of these years of great change, Sandy learns what it means to be a member of the complex society he’s inherited.

First published in 1930, Langston Hughes's award-winning debut novel draws from the author’s childhood in the rural Midwest to paint a moving account of the trials and joys of life in Black communities that, until the novel’s publication, had not seen themselves reflected in American literature. A groundbreaking work, Not Without Laughter established Langston Hughes as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.

Praise

“Langston Hughes is a titanic figure in 20th-century American literature . . . A powerful interpreter of the American experience.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[Hughes] is sumptuous and sharp, playful and sparse, grounded in an earthy music.”
—The Boston Globe

“[Hughes’s] poetry has a pulse, a beauty and familiar kindness. . . . Much of it delights, even dazzles. His best work sticks with you—forever.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A lyrical, charming, and moving story of a black Midwestern boy."
—Arnold Rampersad on Not Without Laughter

Author

Langston Hughes (1901–1967), a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential and esteemed writers of the twentieth century, was born in Joplin, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in Kansas before moving to Harlem. His first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published in 1926; its success helped him to win a scholarship to Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, from which he received his B.A. in 1929 and an honorary Litt.D. in 1943. Among his other awards and honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rosenwald Fellowship, and a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hughes published more than thirty-five books, including works of poetry, short stories, novels, an autobiography, musicals, essays, and plays. View titles by Langston Hughes

Other books in this series

Other Books by this Author

Related Articles

Adults Blog Children's Holiday General All Gift Pop Culture

Holiday Cheer, Perfectly Gifted 🎁

The holidays are here, and our specialty retail sales team can’t wait to help you find the best gifts for your customers so you can sleigh the season! From blockbuster celebrity books to charming stocking stuffers to festive gift bags from Out of Print, PRH Retail has everything you need to curate a custom assortment

Read more

Holiday Cheer, Perfectly Gifted 🎁

Adults Blog Children's Holiday General All Gift Pop Culture

Penguin Random House Retail

© 2025 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)