The Colour Purple Book
Object
Book
Object number
2025.20
Physical Description
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker. The cover depicts an illustration of a silhouette of a woman sitting on a rocking chair, reading a letter, in front of a window with the sun in the background. The cover is primarily purple and orange. The Women's Press Fiction logo is on the bottom right corner.
Object history
The Colour Purple is a novel by Alice Walker. The book is set in the early 1900s, Georgia, United States, and follows Celie, a young Black girl born into poverty and segregation.
This edition was published in 1983 by The Women's Press, Ltd. 124 Shoreditch High Street, London E1. The Women's Press are a feminist publishing company founded in 1977 in Shoreditch. They emphasised publishing contemporary works so as to raise consciousness around women's contributions to politics, art, history, and other areas.
This became a bestseller, and in 2003 went on to be chosen on a poll of the UK’s best-
loved novels. Though editorially independent, the Women’s Press was only able to meet this demand by being financially supported by a larger commercial publisher.
This edition was published in 1983 by The Women's Press, Ltd. 124 Shoreditch High Street, London E1. The Women's Press are a feminist publishing company founded in 1977 in Shoreditch. They emphasised publishing contemporary works so as to raise consciousness around women's contributions to politics, art, history, and other areas.
This became a bestseller, and in 2003 went on to be chosen on a poll of the UK’s best-
loved novels. Though editorially independent, the Women’s Press was only able to meet this demand by being financially supported by a larger commercial publisher.
Associated Organisation
The Women's Press (Publisher)
Associated Person
Walker, Alice (Created by)
Material
Paper
Dimension
Height: 260mm
Width: 134mm
Depth: 28mm
Width: 134mm
Depth: 28mm
On display?
No
Inscription
Now a major film
The Colour Purple
Alice Walker
The Women's Press Fiction
The Colour Purple
Alice Walker
The Women's Press Fiction