After the publication of the three volumes of his selected writings--The Future in the Present (1977), Spheres of Existence (1980), and At the Rendezvous of Victory (1984)--reviewers across the political spectrum were unanimous in their praise of C. L. R. James. They rated the Caribbean intellectual and man of letters "among the greats of the twentieth century," called him "the black Plato of our generation," and found it "remarkable how far ahead of his time he was on so many issues." In London the reviewer for the Sunday Times wrote, "C. L. R. James has had an extraordinary life. He has arguably had a greater influence on the underlying thinking of independence movements in the West Indies and Africa than any living man." James's contributions as a historian, political theorist/activist, and cultural/literary critic have attracted international attention for several decades. However, as the author of a novel...