First published in London in 1939, Minty Alley is now made available for the first time to American readers. In the pages of this work C. L. R. James is both an imaginative political theorist and a sensitive commentator on the West Indian social and cultural scene. James's novel has been acclaimed as "a ground-breaking example of regional social realism" and as "a major forerunner of the Caribbean literary movements in English." Many of James's readers believe that it is not possible fully to comprehend Caribbean literary art in English without first reading Minty Alley. In the interactions of the characters of Maisie, Haynes, Mrs. Rouse, and Benoit, James discerns new forms of society rooted in the oldest of desires and aspirations. In the everyday language of the unforgettable dialogues in the novel James reveals new modes of human relationships...........