Some Useful Reference Books on African American Literature


The following dictionaries, encyclopedias, and guides are useful in locating information about African American writers in general. If you, however, are interested in biographical sources in the specific genre, select one of the following:

Hine, Darlene. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. Brooklyn: Carlson, 1993. Leavey; Reference Center E185.A253

Jordan, Casper. A Bibliographical Guide to African-American Women Writers. Westport: Greenwood, 1993.
Reference Center Z1229.N39J67 1993

Magill, Frank. Masterpieces of African-American Literature. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.
Leavey; Reference Center PS153.N5M264

Peavey, Charles. Afro-American Literature and Culture Since World War II: A Guide to Information Sources. Detroit: Gale, 1979.
Reference Center Z1229.N39P4

Rywell, Martin. Afro-American Encyclopedia. 10 vols. North Miami: Educational Book Pub., 1974.
Reference Center E185.A28

Salem, Dorothy. African American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Garland, 1993.
Leavey; Reference Center E185.96.A45

Ploski, Harry. Reference Library of Black America. 5 vols. Detroit: Gale, 1990.
Reference Center E185.R44 1990

Williams, Michael. The African American Encyclopedia. 6 vols. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1993.
Reference Center E185.A253