BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

The Color Purple
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple Paperback - 2019

by Alice Walker

Add to wish list

About this book

The Color Purple is an acclaimed epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, this collection of letters weaves an intricate mosaic of women joined by their love for each other, the men who abuse them, and the children they care for. In this, The Color Purple focuses on black female life in the American South during the 1930s, addressing the numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture.

The novel received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. Because of the explicit content, particularly in terms of violence, The Color Purple has been a frequent target of censors, appearing on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999.

Reader reviews for The Color Purple

From the publisher

Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino.

Celebrating its fortieth anniversary, The Color Purple writes a message of healing, forgiveness, self-discovery, and sisterhood to a new generation of readers. An inspiration to authors who continue to give voice to the multidimensionality of Black women's stories, including Tayari Jones, Honore Fanonne Jeffers, Jesmyn Ward, and more, The Color Purple remains an essential read in conversation with storytellers today.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early-twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance, and silence. Through a series of letters spanning nearly thirty years, first from Celie to God, then from the sisters to each other, the novel draws readers into a rich and memorable portrayal of Black women--their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery.

Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, The Color Purple breaks the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, and carries readers on an epic and spirit-affirming journey toward transformation, redemption, and love.

"Reading The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women's literature as world literature. In writing us into the world--bravely, unapologetically, and honestly--Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay." --Tayari Jones

"The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art." --Kiese Laymon

First edition identification

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich first published The Color Purple in New York in 1982. First editions state “First Edition” on the copyright page along with “BCDE,” the publisher’s code.

Details

  • Title The Color Purple
  • Author Alice Walker
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 304
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books
  • Publication date 2019-12-10
  • ISBN 9780143135692 / 0143135694
  • Weight 0.58 lbs (0.26 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.9 in (21.08 x 13.21 x 2.29 cm)
  • Reading level 670
  • Themes
    • Ethnic Orientation: African American
  • Category Fiction - General
  • Library of Congress subjects Domestic fiction, Sisters
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • School Library Journal, 09/13/2024, Page 1

About the author

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for her novel The Color Purple. Her other novels include By the Light of My Father's Smile and Possessing the Secret of Joy. She is also the author of three collections of short stories, three collections of essays, seven volumes of poetry, and several children's books. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, Walker now lives in Northern California.

More Copies for Sale

The Color Purple: A Novel
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple: A Novel

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$2.95
A$5.66 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 12/10/2019 12:00:01. paperback. Good. 0.9400 in x 7.9374 in x 5.2800 in.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$2.95
A$5.66 Delivery to USA
The Color Purple
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
13
Seller
Item price
A$9.20
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2019. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.20
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
3
Seller
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group, 2019. Paperback. Acceptable. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2019. Paperback. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2019. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.29
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
16
Seller
Item price
A$9.32
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books, 2019. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.32
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple: A Novel
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple: A Novel

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Very good
Condition
Very good
Edition
Reprint
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
5
Seller
Item price
A$12.12
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books. Reprint. Very Good. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.12
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple: A Novel
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple: A Novel

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Very good
Condition
Very good
Edition
Reprint
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
6
Seller
Item price
A$12.29
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books. Reprint. Very Good. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.29
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple: A Novel
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple: A Novel

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.39
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2019-12-10. Reprint. paperback. Used: Good. 5.30x0.80x8.00. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.39
Free Delivery to USA
The Color Purple: A Novel
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Color Purple: A Novel

by Walker, Alice

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780143135692 / 0143135694
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.83
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Penguin Books. paperback. Good. 9.5X6.5X1.5. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.83
Free Delivery to USA