Jim Schutze is the author of “The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City.” Photo by Tim Rogers.
Local literary publisher Deep Vellum is re-releasing an East Dallas neighbor’s book that has been out of print for 35 years.
When Jim Schutze wrote “The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City” in 1986, he was working at the Dallas Times Herald. Schutze’s publisher dropped the release right before the scheduled publication due to poor pre-sales, but the book eventually got a small release.
After it sold out, neither Schutze nor his publisher thought another round of publishing would be profitable, but because the book helped the cause of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who was coming to power in the mid-1980s, Price wanted more copies. Schutze signed over the rights to Price, but he decided not to publish.
Around 2015, people started illegally printing and circulating copies of Schutze’s book. It was available to purchase on Amazon, but the price tag was a deterrent. (At the time of the publishing of this article, a used copy of “The Accommodation” is listed for $643.96 on Amazon.)
When it is re-released Sept. 7, the new edition will include a foreword by Price.
Will Evans, the founder of Deep Vellum, which started in 2013, said he wants to use the re-release “to find more under-told stories by writers in Dallas and across Texas and to connect with the readers hungry to learn more about the city and the state that we call home.”
To pre-order the new edition, go here. Hardcover, ebook and audiobook copies are available for $30.
