The Fire Next Time
James Baldwin
1924–1987
a p enguin since 1964
James Baldwin
The Fire Next Time
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First published in the United States of America by the Dial Press 1963
First published in Great Britain by Michael Joseph 1963
First published in Penguin Classics 1990
Reissued in Penguin Classics 2024
This edition published in Penguin Classics 2025 001
Text copyright © James Baldwin, 1963
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Set in 12/15pt Dante MT Std
Typeset by Jouve (UK ), Milton Keynes
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.
The authorized representative in the EEA is Penguin Random House Ireland, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin D 02 YH 68
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN : 978–0–241–75238–8
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For James James Luc James
‘God gave Noah the rainbow sign, No more water, the fire next time!’
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