Black Classic Press facts for kids
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| Parent company | Black Classic Press |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | W. Paul Coates |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Distribution | Publishers Group West |
| Fiction genres | Non-fiction and fiction |
| Imprints | Black Classic Press W.M. DuForcelf INPRINT EDITIONS |
Black Classic Press (BCP) is a special book publishing company. It was started in 1978 by W. Paul Coates. This company focuses on publishing books by and about African Americans. They have published many important authors. Some famous names include Walter Mosley and W. E. B. Du Bois.
BCP also has a printing company called BCP Digital Printing. It was created in 1995. This company prints books for Black Classic Press. It also prints for many other businesses and groups.
Contents
A Look Back: How Black Classic Press Started
W. Paul Coates founded Black Classic Press in 1978. He is the father of writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. He started the company from his home in Baltimore, Maryland. Black Classic Press is one of the oldest Black-owned publishers in the United States.
The main goal of the company is to publish important books. These books are often hard to find. They are all by or about people of African descent. Writers like John Henrik Clarke helped shape this mission. The company publishes about six new books each year. Most of these are older historical books. Black Classic Press brings them back into print.
Printing Their Own Books
The first books from Black Classic Press were small pamphlets. W. Paul Coates printed them himself. He used a photocopier he bought. Later, in 1995, he started BCP Digital Printing. This company is linked to Black Classic Press.
BCP Digital Printing is a very successful business. It prints books for Black Classic Press. It also works for other companies and groups. Many of these are in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. It is the only Black-owned printing company in the U.S.
What Are Imprints?
An "imprint" is like a brand name for books. It helps show what kind of books a publisher releases. Black Classic Press has three different imprints:
- Black Classic Press: This imprint publishes historical books. These books are about the history and culture of African people around the world.
- W.M. DuForcelf: This imprint is no longer active since 1994. It was created to promote self-reliance in the African-American community.
- INPRINT EDITIONS: This imprint publishes academic books. It also handles books that do not fit the main mission of Black Classic Press.
Famous Authors and Books
Walter Mosley's Stories
Black Classic Press became well-known in 1996. This happened when famous author Walter Mosley chose them. He wanted them to publish his book Gone Fishin′ (1997). This book was a prequel to his popular Easy Rawlins mystery series.
Mosley wanted to work with a small Black publishing house. He felt it was important. He wanted to show that writers could succeed. They could publish books outside of big New York companies. This partnership was very successful.
In 2003, Mosley worked with Black Classic Press again. They published What Next: An African American Initiative Toward World Peace. This book was part memoir and part call to action. It was written after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Their third book together was The Tempest Tales (2008). This book was Mosley's tribute to Langston Hughes' character, Jesse B. Semple.
- Gone Fishin': An Easy Rawlins Novel. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-1-574-78025-3,
- What Next: An African American Initiative Toward World Peace. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-574-78020-8,
- The Tempest Tales. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-574-78043-7
Other Important Books
Black Classic Press has published many other significant works. Here are a few examples:
- Baraka, Amiri, and Larry Neal. Black Fire An Anthology of Afro-American Writing. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-1-574-78039-0 .
- Ben-Jochannan, Yosef. He wrote many books about African history. Some titles include Africa: Mother of Western Civilization (1988) and Black Man of the Nile (1989).
- Blyden, Edward Wilmot. Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 1994. ISBN: 978-0-933-12141-6 .
- Du Bois, W. E. B.. The Negro. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-1-580-73032-7, .
- Lewis, Reginald F., and Blair S. Walker. Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?: How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire. Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-574-78050-5, .
- Miller, E. Ethelbert. He is a poet and editor. His works include First Light (1994) and Beyond the Frontier: African American Poetry for the 21st Century (2002).
- Porter, Dorothy. She edited important collections. These include Early Negro Writing, 1760-1837 (1995).
- Rogers, J. A.. He wrote about Black history. His books include Your History: From the Beginning of Time to the Present (1983).
- Seale, Bobby. Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. Baltimore, Md: Black Classic Press, 1991. ISBN: 978-0-933-12130-0 .
- Walker, David, and James Turner. David Walker's Appeal, in Four Articles. Baltimore, Md: Black Classic Press, 1993. ISBN: 978-0-933-12138-6, .
See also
- African-American book publishers in the United States, 1960–80
