The Papers of Martin Luther King, JR.: Volume I: Called to Serve, January 1929-June 1951

Glimmers of the galvanic orator that Martin Luther King Jr. would become sporadically flicker through this compilation of his college and seminary papers (which got As and Bs), early speeches, boyhood letters, articles and miscellany. First installment in a multivolume edition of the civil rights leader's works, this volume will appeal chiefly to scholars. King's youthful writings reflect his restless, inquiring intellect, his balancing of Christian liberalism with neo-orthodoxy, his call to the ministry and growing political awareness. The insightful introductory essay ably traces his religious doubts and search for a personal relationship with God; it also describes his early encounters with racism. Carson is professor of history at Stanford, Luker associate professor of history at Antioch, Russell a doctoral candidate at Stanford. Photos. (Feb.)