Black History & Culture



African-American Religion: Research Problems & Resources for the 1990's
Noted scholars and theologians explore the emerging field of African American religious studies in this publication of the proceedings of a symposium sponsored by the Schomburg Center Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project.
1992, 159 pages, $19.95, ISBN 0-87104-432-3


Arthur Alfonso Schomburg: Black Bibliophile & Collector
By Elinor DesVerney Sinnette. The first full biography of the pioneering black collector whose search for the hidden records of the black experience led to the development of a research collection which laid the foundation for the study of black history and culture.
1989, b/w illustrations, 262 pages, hardcover, $32.95, ISBN 0-8143-2156-9
Available from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; trade discounts available from the Publications Office



The Arts of Black Folk
African American folk arts, the source of inspiration for much contemporary music, dance, literature, and visual art, are examined with a view toward preserving, identifying, documenting, and presenting them.
1991, 96 pages, $14.95, ISBN 0-87104-426-9


Black New York Artists of the 20th Century
Compiled by Victor N. Smythe. This catalogue of works by 122 black artists who have contributed to the visual heritage of New York City over the past century includes paintings, sketches, and sculptures. It celebrates the variety of media, themes, and subjects emplyed by black artists from Sam Middleton to Verna Hart.
1998, illustrated, 96 pages, paperback, $20.00, ISBN 0-87104-447-1



Black New York Photographers of the 20th Century
Compiled by Mary F. Yearwood. This celebration of the role and presence of black photographers in 20th-century New York showcases the work and various styles of 56 artists, including Gordon Parks, Chuck Stewart, and Terry Boddie. The book provides a window onto the lives of black New Yorkers over the past 100 years, through subjects ranging from poverty to race relations to class and gender differences, all as viewed by black photographers.
1999, illustrated, 76 pages, paperback, $20.00, ISBN 0-87104-463-3



The Black New Yorkers: The Schomburg Illustrated Chronology
Foreword by Maya Angelou; Afterword by David N. Dinkins. Blacks were among the founding fathers and mothers of pioneer colonial settlements in the future boroughs, and they have remained integral players in the teeming daily drama of New York City. The Black New Yorkers: The Schomburg Illustrated Chronology recreates this unique relationship between a people and a city, and through it chronicles the worldwide African American struggle for freedom and human dignity. This richly produced volume offers a monumental assembly of powerful images and engrossing text that narrates the African American odyssey from colonial times to the present day. Resonant with tales of trial, courage, and triumph, vibrant with portraits of both famous and humble history-makers, The Black New Yorkers is a sweeping, powerful record of the richly diverse heritage of African Americans in the capital of black America. It is a perfect reference for the serious student of history and a browser's delight for every reader interested in the black experience.
2001, illustrated, 480 pages, paperback, $24.95, ISBN 0-471-40173-0
1999, illustrated, 480 pages, hardcover, $40.00, ISBN 0-471-29714-3
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The Essential Black Literature Guide
Published in association with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, this book gives its reader a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich legacy of black literature. Including significant works from all time periods and genres, it carefully weaves biography, plot synopsis, illustration, and description into a tapestry depicting the rich history of black literature, its struggles and triumphs.
1996, 464 pages, paperback, $17.95, ISBN 0-7876-0734-7
Published by Visible Ink Press


In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience
By Howard Dodson and Sylviane A. Diouf. African Americans, more than any other population in the Americas, have been shaped by migrations. Their culture and history are the results of various movements, both coerced and voluntary, that started in the Western hemisphere 500 years ago. In Motion is the first book of its kind to trace these migrations and study the effects.

With the help of four comprehensive data-based maps and more than 150 illustrations, In Motion covers four major periods of migration and explains how they define the African-American experience. Always on the move, the resourceful and creative men and women of African origin have been risk-takers even in the face of exploitative and hostile environments. Their survival skills, efficient networks, and dynamic culture have enabled them to thrive and help settle and develop the Americas. In Motion identifies how the men and women of the early migrations not only transformed the cities they settled in, but turned their neighborhoods into the primary destinations for black people arriving from the Caribbean, West Africa, and South America, making their heritage the most diverse in the nation. In Motion is a fascinating look at both the history of migration and the effects these migrations will have on the future.
2005, 150 illustrations, 4 maps, 224 pages, hardcover, $35.00, ISBN 0-7922-7385-0
Published by National Geographic

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Jubilee: The Emergence of African-American Culture
By Howard Dodson; with essays by Amiri Baraka, Gail Buckley, John Hope Franklin, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Annette Gordon-Reed, and Gayraud S. Wilmore; Foreword by Wynton Marsalis. Slaves came to the Americas from many different parts of the African continent, bringing with them distinct languages, religions, and expressive arts. Through essays by leading voices in African-American history and literature, and more than 200 stunning illustrations culled from the Schomburg Center's collection of more than 5 million items, Jubilee shows the many ways that these diverse peoples united, forged their own identity, and laid the foundations for truly unique African-American social, cultural, political, and economic expressions throughout the Western Hemisphere. More ...
2003, 224 pages, over 200 illustrations in color and black and white, hardcover, $35.00, ISBN 0-7922-6982-9
Published by National Geographic

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The Legacy of Arthur Alfonso Schomburg: A Celebration of the Past, A Vision for the Future
This commemorative catalogue for the Schomburg Center's 60th anniversary exhibition celebrating Arthur Schomburg's legacy offers a biographical essay in English and Spanish along with a bibliography of works by Arthur Schomburg.
1986, b/w illustrations throughout, 140 pages, $10.00, ISBN 0-87104-299-1


The New York Black 100
Edited by Roberta J. Yancy. This is a celebration of the lives and achievements of 100 of the most significant black history-makers of the 20th century, selected by the people of New York City. Including athletes, musicians, filmmakers, writers, politicians, and others, this volume serves as a catalogue of black individuals who trace their roots and successes to New York City.
1998, illustrated, 112 pages, paperback, $12.00, ISBN 0-87104-448-X



The New York Public Library
African American Desk Reference

More than a simple encyclopedia, The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference features nineteen fact-packed chapters that capture the full sweep of African American history and culture--from ancient West African kingdoms to the present--while also offering a wealth of practical information on everything from business and travel to health and holiday traditions. The landmark reference taps the resources and expertise of the prestigious Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of The New York Public Library to provide concise, reliable information not found in any other single resource. And in the tradition of the million-copy-selling New York Public Library Desk Reference series, the information is presented in a variety of accessible formats, including charts, timelines, sidebars, reading lists, recipes, glossaries, quotations, and biographical profiles. Covering a wide array of knowledge, The New York Public Library African American Desk Reference is a magnificent resource for home, family, and business, and an essential addition to your personal reference library.
1999, 605 pages, hardcover, $34.95, ISBN 0-471-23924-0
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The New York Public Library Amazing African American History: A Book of Answers for Kids
By Diane Patrick. Amazing African American History answers questions about many of the most important events in African American history and some of the people who helped make it. Some of the questions can only be answered with more questions, while others will make children curious about an exciting part of history they never knew about before. Amazing African American History will stimulate young readers to investigate further our nation's African American heritage.
1998, illustrated, 170 pages, $12.95, ISBN 0-471-19217-1
Published by John Wiley & Sons



Nine Decades of Scholarship
Compiled by Betty Kaplan Gubert and Richard Newman. A bibliography of the writings of the staff of the Schomburg Center covering the period 1892 to 1983.
1986, 83 pages, paperback, $3.00, ISBN 0-87104-288-6
Available from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture


No Crystal Stair: A Booklist on the Black Experience
Compiled by the members of the No Crystal Stair Booklist Committee at The New York Public Library. Continuing the work begun with the publication of The Negro in the United States in 1925, No Crystal Stair in 1971, and No Crystal Stair: Still Climbing in 1996, this new edition is representative of the wealth of material available in a number of important areas of endeavor. From segregation to integration, from this life to the next, from the Cotton Club to the Delta Blues, from poetry to style, this list offers journeys within the black experience to educate, entertain, enlighten, and enrich.
2001, 50 pages, paperback, $8.00, ISBN 0-87104-751-9
Available from The Office of The Branch Libraries


Remaking the Past to Make the Future
This 60th anniversary tribute book offers a historical overview of the evolution of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture through photographs and text.
1986, b/w illustrations throughout, 48 pages, $5.00


The Schomburg Center Guide to Black Literature From the Eighteenth Century to the Present
Complete with photos and chronologies, this easy-to-use, thorough reference source is an authoritative guide to the works of novelists, poets, critics, journalists, dramatists, and other black writers from around the world. It will serve as a resource for students and teachers alike.
1996, 572 pages, $75.00, ISBN 0-7876-0289-2
Published by Gale Research


The Schomburg Library of Nineteenth-Century Black Women Writers
Henry Louis Gates, General Editor. These remarkable volumes bring to light the voices of an important segment of the African American literary tradition with their offerings of rare works of fiction, poetry, autobiography, biography, essays, and journalism.
Selected titles available; paperback only. For information on specific titles and prices, call or write the Schomburg Center.
Published by Oxford University Press in collaboration with the Schomburg Center


Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Celebration of Black Prayer
Foreword by Coretta Scott King. This unique volume from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, combining striking photographs and inspiring prayers drawn primarily from the collections of the Schomburg Center, spans the broad spectrum of religious traditions during the 19th and 20th centuries. Reflecting themes relevant to the black experience--including struggle, triumph, worship, family, and community--Standing in the New of Prayer features examples from diverse religious traditions, including Islam, Christianity, Yoruba, and Vodou. The book also includes prayers from some of the history's most powerful voices, among them W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
2003, duotone illustrations,224 pages, $27.50, ISBN 0-743-23466-9
Published by The Free Press, Simon & Schuster

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Up from Slavery and Other Early Black Narratives
By Booker T. Washington and others. Washington was without question the most prominent spokesman for his race during the post-Reconstruction period. Whether he is viewed as a savior or a traitor to his race -- both opinions were held by his contemporaries -- his autobiography is essential reading for its insight into the black experience in the early twentieth century. This Collector's Edition also includes excerpts from five slave narratives, including the first known narrative by an enslaved woman in the Americas. Illustrations are drawn from the vast archives of The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
1998, illustrated, 366 pages, $18.50, ISBN 0-385-48729-0
Published by Doubleday



Who's Uptown: Harlem '87
This exhibition catalogue features photographs of selected works by 42 artists who resided in or maintained studios in Harlem at the time of the exhibition.
1988, 56 pages, limited edition of 100 autographed catalogues: $35.00, regular catalogues: $8.00; ISBN 0-87104-406-4


Words Like Freedom: Afro-American Books and Manuscripts in the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature
By Richard Newman. A survey of rare and manuscript material by and about blacks, literary and historical, in the Library's special collection of English and American literature.
1989, 11 b/w illustrations, 42 pages, paperback, $10.00, ISBN 0-87104-413-7
Available from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture


Exhibition Portfolios:

The African Presence in the Americas: 1492-1992
Explore the 500-year history of African people in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean in this portfolio, which examines the commonalities and differences in background, culture, color, gender, and social status of these African Americans. There are 61 images on 38 panels.
1992. Includes user's guide, timeline, and text panels. Leatherbound case. Panels are 11" x 14". $85.00


Harlem 1900-1940: An African-American Community
Historic Harlem, the nation's "black capital," is brought to life in this handsome exhibition portfolio. Harlem Renaissance figures Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Countee Cullen, along with Marcus Garvey, Madam C. J. Walker, and other leading personalities, organizations, and institutions of the period are represented in the 41 images on 21 panels.
1991. Includes user's guide, timeline, and text panels. Leatherbound case. Panels are 11" x 14". $85.00





B. Bergeron, rev. 5/07