Landmark Republication of cult classic The Spook Who Sat By the Door Launch Party
Jacaranda Books Celebrates Landmark republication of cult classic The Spook Who Sat By the Door with original editor Margaret Busby in conversation with Irenosen Okojie
Last Thursday 17th October 2024, Jacaranda Books filled the iconic Hachette office rooftop with over a 100 people to celebrate the republication of Sam Greenlee’s The Spook Who Sat By The Door: The First Black Man in the CIA (2024).
In partnership with The Floor Magazine, who designed and curated an exclusive blaxploitation -inspired community driven zine to usher in this new era of The Spook Who Sat By the Door, the publishing house threw a party featuring an in conversation between 1968 publisher of this radical story of ‘The First Black man in the CIA’, Margaret Busby CBE, HON. FRSL and Black to the Future founder, Irenosen Okojie. The conversation was preceded by a riveting reading from the book by author, scholar, actress and producer, Anni Domingo and followed by an explosive DJ-set by DJ Talia A. Darling as guests partied, enjoying drinks and patties while getting books signed.
The merging of the history of this book with a partnership with a younger outlet was important for Jacaranda Books who wanted to ensure that the thread fo Black British publishing past and present was represented in the room.
For Campaigns Manager, Niki Igbaroola: ‘The story of The Spook is not just an American story about race and politics, but one about the history of publishing - who has been excluded, and who has challenged that exclusion. It was important that this celebration of the republication of The Spook Who Sat By The Door was not just about nostalgia for those who recall its earlier iterations. I wanted to bring new readers, thinkers and writers into the room alongside legacy voices to ensure that we never forget that Black British publishing is rooted in its own legacies and we are not constantly feeling like we are starting from scratch, but instead building on what has been.’
During the conversation, Busby shared stories about beginning her publishing journey at age 20 with Greenlee’s book as her first publication, highlighting how resourcefulness drove her to creating the original cover artwork, and branding for the book. The new cover, bold in its use of reds and yellows, is a much different look from the earlier, iconic black and white of the original cover, but the influences of this Busby designed cover are still evident to the keen artistic eye.
The Spook Who Sat By The Door: The First Black Man in the CIA (2024) will continue to be celebrated with planned screenings of the original movie and more in conversations slated for 2025 in partnership with Greenlee’s daughter, Natiki Hope Pressley.
Images from the night taken by Neil Akinyemi can be accessed here.