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Martin Luther King Jr.'s Signed Book for Nurse Who Saved His Life For Sale

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Getty / Moments in Time

There’s a piece of Martin Luther King Jr.‘s legacy on the market … a book he inscribed to a nurse who helped save his life following an assassination attempt.

MLK signed a copy of his book, “Stride Toward Freedom,” and wrote a personalized note to Gwen Brown, thanking her for caring for him at Harlem Hospital after his 1958 stabbing.

martin luther king jr signed document -

Moments In Time

The autographed copy is going up for sale over at Moments In Time … with a $35,000 price tag.

MLK was actually at a book signing for this very book at Blumstein’s Department Store in Harlem when Izola Ware Curry approached him and stabbed him in the chest with a steel letter opener.

martin luther king jr signed document

Moments In Time

The stab wound was so close to MLK’s aorta he would have died if he sneezed or coughed on his way to the hospital. With Gwen’s help, MLK made a full recovery.

MLK’s note to Gwen reads … “With best wishes and genuine appreciation for the attention you gave me as one of my nurses while I recuperated at Harlem Hospital.”


Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

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Remembering MLK

Launch Gallery

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The inscription is written in cursive and features MLK’s iconic autograph.

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