History & Culture

'This book brings history alive' BERNADINE EVARISTO WITH A FOREWORD FROM ZADIE SMITH 'Black England is a book that will be relevant for ever' BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH ---------------- The idea that...

Bracing and essential, a radical reframing of British Romanticism through the lens of Black experience – for fans of David Olusoga, Gretchen Gerzina, Saidiya Hartman and Emma Dabir Wordsworth, Shelley,...

What’s Black about “History of Art”? Since the inception of mainstream art history, Blackness has been distinctly ignored. In Reframing Blackness, art historian and founder of @ABlackHistoryOfArt, Alayo Akinkugbe challenges this...

A Memoir of Slavery, Poverty, Celebrity, and Scientology “Hey, kid. Kid.” A voice in the darkness of the slum dorm. I awoke to my stale, bare mattress. It was midnight....

The battle for recognition in a white Hollywood On 29 February 1940, African American actor Hattie McDaniel became the first person of colour, and the first Black woman, to win...

"Part memoir, part history, and part political treatise, The South chronicles Reed's life under Jim Crow to correct what he sees as misleading representations of the past."–Elias Rodriques, Bookforum A...

Before his murder at twenty-five, Tupac Shakur rose to staggering artistic heights as the pre-eminent storyteller of the 90s, building, in the process, one of the most iconic public personas...

A lyrical meditation on how Black Americans have envisioned utopia - and sought to transform their lives.How do the disillusioned, the forgotten, and the persecuted not merely hold on to...

Racial Feudalism and the Rise of Black Liberalism How medieval-inspired racial feudalism reigned in early America and was challenged by Black liberal thinkers Though the United States has been heralded...

A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History Winner, James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference, History, and ScholarshipWinner, Harriet Tubman Prize “Slaves for Peanuts plumbs a fascinating...

A Book About De La Soul The first book about De La Soul, High and Rising is a stunning cultural biography of the era-defining hip-hop trio that touched millions of...

The Shakurs and the Nation They Created A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' PICK An NPR Best Book of the Year • Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year Longlisted for...

How slavery shaped Australia The story of Australia’s Black convicts has been all but erased from our history. In this deeply researched and illuminating book, Santilla Chingaipe offers a fresh...

A devastating look at how mental health 'care' has been historically used to oppress the Black community in the United States - told through the prism of a segregated asylum,...

A history of Black imagery that recasts our understanding of visual culture and technology In Black Meme, Legacy Russell, award-winning author of the groundbreaking Glitch Feminism, explores the “meme” as mapped...

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Begin Again, a politically astute, lyrical meditation on how ordinary people can shake off their reliance on a small group of...

In Pursuit of Freedom for All A ground-breaking, personal exploration of America’s obsession with continuing human bondage from the editor of the New York Times–bestselling Barracoon. Freedom and equality are the...

The definitive account of Blaxploitation cinema—the freewheeling, often shameless, and wildly influential genre—from a distinctive voice in film history and criticism In 1971, two films grabbed the movie business, shook...

A STIRRING GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION The end of slavery started in what was then San Domingo. In 1791, the enslaved people of the most prized French sugar...

The Black Fives is a groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who pioneered the sport....

Illustrated by Hugo Martinez A stunning, imaginative work of history that transforms our understanding of slavery and resistance Women warriors planned and led slave revolts on slave ships during the...

Illustrated by Nate Powell "In sharing my story, it is my hope that a new generation will be inspired by Run to actively participate in the democratic process and help...

A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route A profound and harrowing meditation by a descendant of slaves who journeyed to Africa to understand her past. The slave, Saidiya Hartman observes,...

A young reader's edition of Candacy Taylor's acclaimed book about the history of the Green Book, the guide for Black travelers Overground Railroad chronicles the history of the Green Book,...

Remembering the Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street Illustrated by Stacey Robinson One hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Across the Tracks is a celebration and memorial of...

‘I cannot help but see the bodies of my near ancestors in the current caravans of desperate souls fleeing from place to place, chased by famine, war and toxins. Ideas...

Land, Labor, and Politics in the South Featuring a new foreword by Robin D. G. Kelley, this updated edition of the classic exploration of the economic inequality that fuels systematic...

A Cultural HistoryA groundbreaking book that explores the visual representations of Black culture across the globe throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-firstThe African diaspora — a direct result...

For many, the story of the weeks of protests in the summer of 2020 began with the horrific eight minutes and 46 seconds when Police Officer Derek Chauvin killed George...

Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women and Queer Radicals Revolution in a minor key: how young Black women invented freedom. At the dawn of the twentieth century, Black...

A New American Origin Story A dramatic expansion of one of the definitive journalistic events of recent years- The 1619 Project, The New York Times Magazine's award-winning reframing of the American founding and...

'We shall therefore confine our walk to Central London where people meet on business during the day, and to West London where they meet for pleasure at night. If you...

A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots One of TIME's 100 Must Read Books of 2020 Now in paperback and featuring a new afterword from the author, comes...

A Journey Across the country that Black America Built Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks —...

Art has always declared its dissatisfaction against the status quo. Throughout history artists have used their art to criticise and protest against a range of injustices and inequalities, oppression and...

Memoir of a Freedom RiderA firsthand exploration of the cost of boarding the bus of change to move America forward — written by one of the Civil Rights Movement's pioneers.At...

The True Story of One British Ship's Battle Against the Slave TradeA groundbreaking history of the Black Joke, the most famous member of the British Royal Navy's anti-slavery squadron, and...

A Black Woman’s Story The incredible memoir of Elaine Brown — the first female leader of the Black Panthers "I have all the guns and all the money. I can...

How Black Radicals Reshaped the British LeftMaking the Revolution Global shows how black radicals transformed socialist politics in Britain in the years before decolonisation.African and Caribbean activist-intellectuals, such as Amy...

The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960sA radical reckoning with the racial inequality of America’s past and present, by one of the leading scholars of...

In The Third Reconstruction, distinguished historian Peniel E. Joseph offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the...

Recognised as one of the most beloved fruits of the Black diaspora, Plantain holds profound value within the cultures and communities it is part of. A Quick Ting On Plantain...

THE FIRST BOOK ON AFROBEATSAfrobeats is a fast-growing genre, one that has carved out a distinct and powerful Black identity rooted within the African continent. The first book of its...

Black Lives and the Making of White Power and Wealth In this, provocative, timely, and painstakingly researched book, the award-winning author of Think Black tells the story of how Black...

The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake A renowned historian traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women to craft a...

A Philosophy of Violence Translated from the French by Kieran Aarons. A brilliant study of violent self-defense in the struggle for liberation by an award-winning philosopher Is violent self-defense ethical?...

A collection of the New Yorker‘s groundbreaking writing on race in America, including work by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Hilton Als, Zadie Smith, and more From the pages...

Ranging from chattel slavery, through the New Deal to the Covid pandemic, a groundbreaking work that investigates how pivotal decisions have established and perpetuated discriminatory practices, even as the rise...

In Praise of Black Performance A celebration of Black culture beyond the white gaze, from the "MacArthur genius" who has been dubbed 'the most important cultural critic in America right...

A celebration of Black WomanhoodFor centuries, Black women have been written out of the dominant narrative, their stories untold, their art appropriated. Many of them found ways to resist. Some...