The African American National Biography
Price:
$995.00 (08)Description
The African American National Biography presents history through a mosaic of the lives of thousands of individuals, illuminating the abiding influence of persons of African descent on the life of this nation from the arrival of Esteban in Spanish Florida in 1529 through to notable black citizens of the present day.Available initially as a handsome eight-volume set containing over 4,000 entries written and signed by distinguished scholars, the AANB continues to grow along with the field of African American biographical research, and continuous updates to the online edition will bring the total number of lives profiled to more than 5,000. This is a remarkable achievement, an eightfold increase over the number of biographies contained in 2004's award-winning and substantial African American Lives .
In addition to Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King Jr., the AANB includes a wide range of African Americans from all time periods and all walks of life, both famous and nearly-forgotten. In the words of AANB editor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., "These stories, long buried in the dusty archives of history, will never be lost again. And that is what scholarship in the field of African American Studies should be all about."
Reviews
"A powerful testament to our intelligence, integrity and commitment to excellence, traits often ignored by mainstream historians....This reference collection is a must-have for your library."
--Essence
"Blows the dust off Black History Month."--Newsweek
"[A] Massive new biographical treasure chest." --Washington Post
"Impressive....a major new standard reference work that most libraries of any size will want to have."--Booklist , starred review
"Another major reference work that will add luster to Oxford University Press's reputation for serious scholarship. Given the set's obvious quality, the inclusiveness of its coverage, and the importance of African American Biography as a reflection of American history, libraries of all types would be wise to consider it."--Against the Grain
"Comprehensive....Ambitious"--MSNBC.com
"I have always admired the great work of Editor-in-Chief, Henry Louis Gates. The volumes will remain among my treasured displays."--Linda Johnson Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson Publishing Company
"This set, a monumental creation, is now the definitive black biographical database....Either the print or the online version should be a crucial purchase....Highly recommended. All levels."--CHOICE
About the Author(s)
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University.
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
is Professor of History and Afro-American Studies at Harvard University and editor of The Harvard Guide to African American History
.
