African American Studies
Reference Sources

This literature includes historical, economic, and political aspects of African- Americans as well as issues of education, family and culture. This is a selective list of available resources on African- American Studies in the John Henrik Clarke Africana Library. It is to be used to find more extensive material and should serve as a point of departure.

• General Bibliographies
• Biographies or Biographical Sources
• General and Specialized Reference Books
• History: Chronologies, Bibliographies, Fact Books, & Guides
• Literature By and About African-Americans
• Culture, Music, Theatre, Film, Art
• Social Issues
• Abstracts/Indexes
• Internet Resources

GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES

The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture. 1993. Ref./Z/1361/N39/L47x/1993

Afro-American Reference: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Resources. 1985. Ref./Z/1361/N39/D27

Up-to-date general bibliography covering "full interdisciplinary subject range of reference-type materials." Few journal articles.

Bibliographic Guide to Black Studies. 1975- . Ref./Z/1361/N39/N53

Annual acquisitions of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Arranged alphabetically and includes subject headings, author and title entries.

A Bibliography of the Negro in Africa and America. 1965 [c1928]. Ref./Z/1361/N39/W92+/1965

Chapters are classified; for students of history and the social sciences. All published before 1928.

Black Access: A Bibliography of Afro-American Bibliographies. 1984. Ref./Z/1361/N39/N551

Helps "locate information on virtually every aspect of Afro-American life, culture, and history." Includes many separately published bibliographies.

Blacks in America: Bibliographic Essays. Ref./Z/1361/N39/B63/1972

Includes bibliographic essays dealing with books and articles; and covers the period between 1500 to 1970.

Index to Afro-American Reference Resources. 1988. Ref./Z1361/N39/S84/1988.

Works indexed represent titles generally considered to be reference books. In addition, this source indexes selected resources that fall outside the traditional reference area.

BIOGRAPHIES OR BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

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African-American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. 1993. Ref./E/185.96/A45x/1993

Black Americans in Autobiography. 1984. Ref./Z/1361/N39/B85/1984

Annotated bibliography of autobiographies written by black Americans from the Civil War to 1973.

Black Biography 1790-1950: A Cumulative Index. 1991. Ref./E/185.96/B533/v.1-3

Indexes 297 reference books microfilmed in Black Biographical Dictionaries, 1790-1950. 1987. Microfiche 6. Volumes 1-2 arranges alphabetically 30,000 biographical sketches of historical figures. Volume 3 contains indexes by place of birth, occupation, religion, and sex.

Contemporary Black Biography. 1992- .Ref./DT/18/C76

Dictionary of American Negro Biography. 1st ed. 1982. Ref./E/185.96/D55

"A comprehensive biographical dictionary based on scholarly research." No living persons included. Cut off date 1970. Persons with regional or local influence. Includes bibliographic references.

Dictionary of Literary Biography. 1978- .

v. 33: Afro-American Fiction Writers After 1955. 1984. Ref./PS/153/N5/A23/1984
v. 38: Afro-American Writers After 1955: Dramatists and Prose Writers. 1985. Ref./PS/153/N5/A25
v. 41: Afro-American Poets Since 1955. 1985. Ref./PS/153/N5/A24/1985
v. 50: Afro-American Writers Before the Harlem Renaissance. 1986. Ref./PS/153/N5/A37/1986
v. 51: Afro-American Writers from the Harlem Renaissance to 1940. 1987. Ref./PS/153/N5/A39+
v. 76: Afro-American Writers, 1940-1955. 1988. Ref./PS/129/D55/v.76

Dictionary of Literary Biography Documentary Series: An Illustrated Chronicle.

v. 8: The Black Aesthetic Movement. 1991. Ref./PS/129/D552/v.8

Facts on File: Encyclopedia of Black Women in America 8 Volumes. /E/185.96/F2x/1997

In Black and White. 3rd ed. 1980. 2 vols. + suppl. Ref./Z/1361/N39/S76/1980 & Ref./Z/1361/N39/S76/1980/Suppl.

"A guide to magazine articles, newspaper articles, and books concerning more than 15,000 black individuals and groups," their careers and contributions to society. Includes index to occupations.

Notable Black American Men. Ref./E/185.86/N68x/1998

Notable Black American Women. 1992 + suppl. Ref./E/185.96/N89 & Ref./E/185.96/N891/1996

Who's Who Among African Americans. 9th ed. 1996- . Ref./E185.96/W62

Who's Who in Colored America. Annual. 7 vols. 1927-1950. Microfiche 6, nos. 281-287.

GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED REFERENCE BOOKS

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African American Encyclopedia. 1993. 6 vols. Ref./E/185/A255

Black American Reference Book. Ref./E/185/D26.1976

A comprehensive handbook of essays on all aspects of black life in the U.S. Contains statistical data, notes, and bibliographies.

Black Americans: A Statistical Sourcebook. 1990- . Annual. Ref./E/185.5/B615

Provides a single volume of statistical references: most tables display information on both whites and blacks and totals for Americans of all races. All from government sources.

Black Authors: A Selected Annotated Bibliography. 1991. Ref./Z/1215/N53

Similar to Monroe Work's Bibliography of the Negro in Africa and America (1928), attempts to identify works written, co-authored, or edited by black Americans. Includes over 3,200 titles in all subject areas, fiction and nonfiction, spanning over 200 years (1773-1990).

Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. 2 vols. 1993. Ref./E/185.86/B542x/1993

Encyclopedia of Black America. 1984, [c.1981]. Ref./E/185/E56

Brief articles and biographies of 1,400 Afro-Americans. A one volume major encyclopedic history of black Americans.

My Soul Looks Back, 'Less I Forget: A Collection of Quotations by People of Color. 1995, [c.1993]. Ref./PN/6081.3/M9w /1995

The Negro Almanac. 5th ed. 1989. Ref./E/185/N39/5th/1989

Includes statistics, biographies, sociological data, chronological history; extremely helpful.

The Negro Handbook. Annual. 1942-1949. 4 vols. Microfiche 6, nos. 184-187

An almanac of information about black Americans. Includes statistics, social issues (housing, crime, education, business, labor), sports, arts, religion, biographies, etc.

The Negro Yearbook. Annual. 1912-1938. 9 vols. Microfiche 6, nos. 190-198

This is similar to the Negro Handbook, only it covers an earlier time period.

Quotations in Black. 1981. Ref./PN/6081.3/Q9

Includes over 1,100 quotations from more than 200 men and women, along with over 400 anonymous proverbs attributable to blacks.

Statistical Record of Black America. 1st ed. 1990- . Ref./E/185.5/S79

HISTORY: CHRONOLOGIES, BIBLIOGRAPHIES, FACT BOOKS, GUIDES

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Afro-American History; A Bibliography. 1974-1981. Ref./Z/1361/N39/S64/v.1-2

Over 3,000 abstracts from America: History and Life since 1954; chronological arrangement.

Black Firsts: 2000 Years of Extraordinary Achievement. 1994. Ref./E/185/B574w/1994

Nearly 3,000 instances of firsts ranging from science to education to sports and entertainment are described.

Black Saga: The African American Experience. 1995. Ref./E/185/C519x/1995

Documents the African American experience in the United States from colonial times to the present in brief entries arranged in chronological order.

Chronology of African-American History. 1991. Ref./E/185/C53x/1991

Contains biographical information, significant events, legislation, court decisions, programs, manifestos, and data on social, economic, political and educational milestones.

Encyclopedia of African-American History and Culture. 5 vols. 1996. Ref./E/185/E54/1996

Historic Landmarks of Black America. 1991. Ref./E/185.53/A1/C36x/1991

Historical sketches on more than 300 cites related to African American history.

The Historical and Cultural Atlas of African Americans. 1991. Ref./E/185/A8x/1991

Historical Statistics of Black America.1995. Ref./E/185/H543x/1995/v.1-2

LITERATURE BY AND ABOUT AFRICAN- AMERICANS

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Afro-American Fiction, 1853-1976: A Guide to Information Sources. 1979. Ref./Z/1229/N39/M32

Bibliography of Afro- American fiction and critical bibliographies of some authors.

Afro-American Literature and Culture Since World War II: A Guide to Information Sources. 1979. Ref./Z/1229/N39/P36

Selective post-World War II until 1970; annotated bibliography by subjects.

Afro-American Poetry and Drama, 1760-1975: A Guide to Information Sources. 1979. Ref./Z/1229/N39/A25

Comprehensive list of poetry, anthologies. Index, author section is useful as a checklist.

Bibliographical Guide to African-American Women Writers. 1993. Ref./Z1229/N39/J82

Writers are arranged in dictionary order with primary sources entered alphabetically by title followed by secondary sources entered by author.

Black American Women Novelists: An Annotated Bibliography. 1989. Ref./Z/1361/N39/W49

Offers biographies and commentaries.

Black American Women Poets and Dramatists. 1996. Ref./PS/153/N5/B547/1996

Provides biographical, critical, and bibliographical information on the most significant black American women poets and dramatists.

Black Literature Criticism. 1992.Ref./PS/153/N5/B617

Covers 125 writers representing the United States, Africa, and Jamaica. Each entry presents a historical survey of critical response to the author's works.

Contemporary Black American Playwrights and Their Plays: A Biographical Directory and Dramatic Index. 1988. Ref./PS/153/N5/P48

700 contemporary dramatists, screenwriters, radio and TV scriptwriters, 1950-present. Attempts to be comprehensive.

Index to Black American Literary Anthologies. 1979. Ref./Z/1361/N39/K14

Designed to aid students in locating black American literature published in collections.

Index to Black Poetry. 1974. Ref./Z1231/P7/C46+

Ninety-four books and pamphlets by individual poets are indexed as well as 33 anthologies.

Index to Poetry by Black American Women. 1986. Ref./Z1229/N39/C46/1986

Over 4,000 poems by 400 female poets are indexed; author, title, first line, subject approach.

Masterpieces of African-American Literature. 1992. Ref./PS/153/N5/M264x/1992

Essays on 149 works of literature arranged alphabetically by title.

Masterplots II: African American Literature Series. 3 vols. 1994. Ref./PS/153/N5/M2645x /1994

Contains 266 essays examining major writings in all genres from poetry to

non-fiction, drama to novels.

CULTURE, MUSIC, THEATRE, FILM, ART

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Afro-American Artists: A Bio-bibliographical Directory. 1973. Ref./N/6538/N5/C38

Covers 18th to 20th centuries and brings together data from exhibition catalogues, reviews, periodicals, books and questionnaires.

Afro-American Religious Music: A Bibliography and a Catalogue of Gospel Music. 1979. Ref./ML/128/S4/J13

Includes citations to music of established black churches in the United States, the Caribbean, South America, and West Africa.

American Black Women in the Arts and Social Sciences. 1994. Ref./Z/1361/N39/W725/1994

Black Arts and Black Aesthetics. 2nd ed. 1981. Ref./Z/5956/A47/F78/1981

Defines "Black Arts" to mean "the philosophy of art which can be inferred from works by black Americans." Arranges materials into 2 categories: Articles and essays, and monographs. Each category is further subdivided into culture theory, dance, drama, music, Negritude, plastic arts, and poetry and fiction.

Black Dance: An Annotated Bibliography. 1989. Ref./Z/7514/D2/A19

Documents black dance in all its forms. Mainly includes printed material published in the Western Hemisphere.

Black Music Biography: An Annotated Bibliography. 1987. Ref./ML/128/B3/F64

A survey of the history of the music of black Americans and of race relations in the United States. A collection of "brief career vignettes." Selective discography listed after each entry.

Blacks in American Films and Television: An Encyclopedia. 1988. Ref./PN/1995.9/N4/B672

A collection of synopses of important black-oriented films and television programs with credits for each production and critical commentary.

Blacks on Television: A Selectively Annotated Bibliography. 1985. Ref./Z/1361/N39/H64

Covers 45 years of black involvement in television (1939-1984) and contains more than 2,800 entries.

Complete Annotated Resource Guide to Black American Art. 1978. Ref./N/6538/N5/H75

Focuses on survey and historical sources related to black visual artists in the U.S.

Dictionary of the Black Theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Selected Harlem Theatre. 1983. Ref./PN/2270/A35/W86

Part I documents more than 300 shows from 1898 to 1981. Part II includes biographical entries of major performers, writers, and directors and notes on major organizations that have encouraged the black theatre in New York City in the 20th century.

Directory of African American Religious Bodies: A Compendium. 2nd ed. 1995. Ref./BR/563/N4/D57x/1995

Includes 5 essays on the African American religious experience and provides documentation of existing African American religious bodies, organizations, and agencies.

Directory of Blacks in the Performing Arts. 2nd ed. 1990. Ref./PN/1590/B53/M29/1990

Contains information on approximately 1,100 black performing artists in film, television, radio, theatre, dance and musical performance.

Encyclopedia of African American Religions. 1993. Ref./BR/563/N4/E56

Includes introductory essays, a chronology of African American religion, alphabetically arranged entries on churches, institutions, and people. Entries conclude with brief bibliographies.

Images of Blacks in American Culture: A Reference Guide to Information Sources. 1988. Ref./NX/652/A37/I31

Explores images of Blacks as they have been presented in the study and development of American culture in 10 chapters. Suggested readings and bibliographies conclude each chapter.

SOCIAL ISSUES

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African-American Community Studies from North America: A Classified, Annotated Bibliography. 1991.Ref./Z/1361/N39/H37x/1991

Identifies and annotates the literature on African-American local (urban, town, rural) communities.

Black American Culture and Society: An Annotated Bibliography. 1994. Ref./Z/1361/N39/B498x/1994

Includes chapters on family issues, drugs and drug-related crime, research on crime, health issues, and research on the aged.

The Black Family in the United States: A Revised, Updated, Selectively Annotated Bibliography. 1986. Ref./E/185.86/D264/1986

Chronicles and accesses historical evolution of black families; up-to-date books, articles, and dissertations; annotated bibliography.

Black Immigration and Ethnicity in the United States: An Annotated Bibliography. 1985. Ref./Z/1361/N39/B61

Relates to the issues of black immigration of recent decades and its effects on the changing composition of the black population in the U.S.

Black Males in the United States: An Annotated Bibliography From 1967 to 1987. 1988. Ref./Z/1361/N39/E92

Annotated bibliography of published research literature on black males. Focuses on psychological and behavioral perspectives.

Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Present. 1992. Ref./E/185.61/E54x/1992

Contains over 800 short articles on individuals, organizations, events, court cases, bibliographies, and a chronology of events.

The Progress of Afro-American Women: A Selected Bibliography and Resource Guide. 1980. Ref./Z/1361/N39/S58

Covers all aspects of Afro-American women in 19th and 20th century.

State of Black America. Annual. Ref./E/185.5/N34

Statement on the current condition of black America. Includes essays by distinguished scholars and a chronology of the previous year's events.

Abstracts/Indexes

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Analytical Guide and Indexes to the Crisis, 1910-1960. 3 vols. 1975. Ref./E/185.5/C931/R7+

A selective index designed for users interested in locating the important items dealing with social change and reform.

Antebellum Black Newspapers. 1976. Ref./E/185.5/J17

Indexes the New York Freedom's Journal (1827-1829), The Rights of All(1829), The Weekly Advocate(1837), and The Colored American(1837-1841).

Black Index: Afro-Americana in Selected Periodicals, 1907- 1949. Ref./Z/1361/N39/N55

Articles relevant "to study of the Afro-American experience." Some little-known magazines and state historical publications indexed.

Black Newspapers Index. 1986- . Ref./AI/3/I365

Continues Index to Black Newspapers. 1977-1985. Provides abstracts and indexing of all significant articles in the Afro-American, Muslim Journal, New York Amsterdam News, Chicago Defender, Cleveland Call & Post, Norfolk Journal & Guide, Los Angeles Sentinel, and Michigan Chronicle.

Black Studies Database. 1997- . Ref./Disk/Z/1361/N39/B625

Contains 174,000 citations from over 150 periodicals. A CD-ROM version of the Kaiser Index to Black Resources, 1948-1986. 5 vols.1992. Ref./Z/1361/N39/N39/K34x/1992.

Black Studies on CD-ROM. 1995- . Ref./Disk/Z/1039/B56/B62

Contains 100,000 records for monographs and audiovisual material owned by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the last five years of periodical indexing from Index to Black Periodicals.

Index to Black Periodicals. 1950- . Ref./Z/1361/N39/I38

Indexes magazines and journals by authors and subjects. Covers all aspects of the African-American experience. Reviews included.

INTERNET RESOURCES

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Here are a few exemplary home pages which indicate the variety of Internet resources available in African American Studies.