Books Written by African-American Authors (not yet in the catalogue)

neecheelok70 · Post by **neecheelok70** » April 15th, 2023, 9:12 am

We have just finished and submitted the Sarah Farro novel True Love. Jim

I noticed someone suggested the novel The Primitive by Chester Himes as a possibility, but I didn't see it on the list. Is it available?

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » April 15th, 2023, 7:31 pm

neecheelok70 wrote: ↑April 15th, 2023, 9:12 am We have just finished and submitted the Sarah Farro novel True Love. Jim

I noticed someone suggested the novel The Primitive by Chester Himes as a possibility, but I didn't see it on the list. Is it available?

It was cleared as PD by Hathitrust but it seems like that isn't as trusted as Project Gutenberg. It hasn't been cleared there yet. But honestly if someone were to go to the trouble to actually get it submitted to PG, I think it would get cleared. I could find no trace of a copyright renewal on it.

Post by **MaryAnnSpiegel** » April 21st, 2023, 7:59 am

Thanks Jim. First post updated to remove "True Love".

flavo5000 wrote: ↑April 15th, 2023, 7:31 pm It was cleared as PD by Hathitrust but it seems like that isn't as trusted as Project Gutenberg. It hasn't been cleared there yet. But honestly if someone were to go to the trouble to actually get it submitted to PG, I think it would get cleared. I could find no trace of a copyright renewal on it.

Yes, that's fair. We are continuing to monitor/discuss the trustworthiness of Hathitrust for copyright clearances. We trust PG.

MaryAnn

neecheelok70 · Post by **neecheelok70** » April 21st, 2023, 9:35 am

Thanks, MaryAnn. Jim

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » July 21st, 2023, 5:57 am

Here's one I just came across:
Black No More by George Schuyler:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68811

It's a scathing satire that feels as relevant now as it did back in 1931!

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » July 22nd, 2023, 3:37 pm

Here's another one of interest:
Light Ahead for the Negro by Edward A. Johnson (1904)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56972

DrSpoke · Post by **DrSpoke** » July 27th, 2023, 1:31 am

Hi all, i think it would be good to have the first post clarifying that some listed books might be a no-no for non USA volunteers - a quick reminder for some, a good-to-know for others.
Thank you!

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » July 27th, 2023, 6:11 am

DrSpoke wrote: ↑July 27th, 2023, 1:31 am Hi all, i think it would be good to have the first post clarifying that some listed books might be a no-no for non USA volunteers - a quick reminder for some, a good-to-know for others.
Thank you!

Black No More by George Schuyler would fall into that category (Schuyler died in 1977). Light Ahead for the Negro by Edward Johnson should be cleared globally (Johnson died in 1944).

Post by **MaryAnnSpiegel** » July 28th, 2023, 9:17 am

Thank you! I've updated the first post of the thread.
MaryAnn

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » July 28th, 2023, 10:47 am

MaryAnnSpiegel wrote: ↑July 28th, 2023, 9:17 am Thank you! I've updated the first post of the thread.
MaryAnn

Just one quick thing, Life Ahead for the Negro is actually fiction, sci-fi to be exact!

Post by **MaryAnnSpiegel** » August 1st, 2023, 7:00 pm

Thanks for catching that. I saw Black No More listed as sci fi on the PG page, but missed it for Light Ahead.

MaryAnn

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » August 29th, 2023, 5:09 am

Here's an interesting looking one:
The New Negro edited by Alain Locke
https://archive.org/details/the-new-negro/page/n4/mode/1up

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Negro

Very well known anthology of African American essays, poems and fiction.

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » August 29th, 2023, 5:10 am

neecheelok70 wrote: ↑April 15th, 2023, 9:12 am
I noticed someone suggested the novel The Primitive by Chester Himes as a possibility, but I didn't see it on the list. Is it available?

It looks like the mods have been trusting Hathitrust more as of late (I've cataloged several from there myself in the last couple months) and I would think The Primitive should be ok to record for US volunteers now.

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » November 23rd, 2023, 9:33 am

Curtis Lucas (1914-?) was a Georgia-born black man who migrated to New Jersey. He wrote several novels of the African-American experience:

Angel (1953) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435052040292&seq=7

Third Ward, Newark (1946) https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000086128

Flour is Dusty (1943) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951002078879g&seq=5

Forbidden Fruit (1953) https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112002975990&seq=5

Death date is unknown, so these are most likely US-only.

flavo5000 · Post by **flavo5000** » November 23rd, 2023, 10:18 am

Another of interest:

Savage Holiday by Richard Wright (1908-1960)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004315027&seq=5

Wright was one of the most celebrated black writers of the 20th century, mostly for his novels Black Boy and Native Son.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wright_(author)