Black Book Publishers in the United States: A Historical Dictionary of the Presses, 1817-1990

Since the second decade of the nineteenth century, there have been black-owned book publishers in the United States, addressing the special concerns of black people in ways that other book publishers have not. This is the first work to treat extensively the individual publishing histories of these firms. Though largely ignored by historians, the story of these publishers, as documented in this study, reveals fascinating details of literary history, as well as previously unknown facts about the contribution of blacks to Western civilization.

Donald Franklin Joyce offers comprehensive profiles of forty-six publishing companies, selected for inclusion through an examination of major bibliographic works, book advertisements, periodical literature, and business directories. Each profile contains information on the company's publishing history, books and other publications that were released, information sources about the firm, other titles issued, libraries holding titles produced by the publisher, and officers and addresses, where appropriate. Entries are arranged alphabetically by the publisher name, while an appendix presents a geographic listing of the firms and an index offers author, title, and subject access. This work will be an important resource for students, scholars, and researchers interested in cultural and intellectual black history, as well as public and academic libraries seeking specific information on individual publishing companies.

Author: Donald Franklin Joyce
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 10/14/1991
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.31lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.51w x 0.95d
ISBN: 9780313267833

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/01/1992

About the Author

DONALD FRANKLIN JOYCE is Director of the Felix G. Woodward Library at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee.