From Library Journal
What began life as an article grew into probably the most comprehensive list of African American publications now available. In her informative and impassioned introduction, Henritze says that this book's major purpose is to identify source material for historical and genealogical research. The 5,539 publications (not all are newspapers) are listed by state/city, with sources they were located in, frequency of publication, and dates referenced (not necessarily complete years of publication). Many have colorful titles, such as Guiding Star of Truth, It's What's Happening, Herald of Mission & Patriotism, and People's Protector. There is a separate title index, an extensive bibliography, and a chart of newspapers by state. This checklist can claim a place alongside such titles as Index to Black Periodicals, published yearly by G.K. Hall, and is recommended for African American and journalism collections.
Bruce Rosenstein, "USA Today" Lib., Arlington, Va.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
If ever a reference work could be described as a labor of love, this one is it. What began as an article-length list of African American newspapers in the Cleveland area grew into a book-length publication with more than 5,000 entries. More than 100 resources were searched to compile this list, including annual editions of the
Ayer and
Rowell's directories and
Editor and Publisher Year Book. Many of these resources are local newspaper lists that are not widely held or are unpublished; in addition, a number of repositories were consulted directly. Titles are listed by state and city, along with their frequency and dates of publication, as that information is available. References are then given to the source lists in the back of the book. An extensive bibliography is provided in addition to the source list, as is a title index and a table showing the number of entries by state.
Henritze's introduction indicates her working method in some detail and is quite direct about what she sees as the shortcomings of the work. Nonetheless, some of these shortcomings do make this a less useful work than it might have been. Newspapers are often listed under more than one title, without cross-references, so that one publication may appear to be two or more separate items. Dates of publication are often at variance with those stated in such standard sources as Newspapers in Microform. In many cases, the author has inferred the continued existence of a publication from its listing in a particular directory, though she acknowledges that such directories often list publications for years after they have ceased. In all fairness, however, definitive information about dates of publications for these items is often difficult to establish. The checklist also makes no attempt to exclude periodicals, which appear with some frequency. Several titles that are quite far afield, such as the Alternative Press Index, make their way into the list. Finally, while it would perhaps not be reasonable to expect the author to list every source for each publication, it is regretted that references to widely held lists such as Newspapers in Microform or the United States Newspaper National Union List, so useful for locating files of these newspapers, are sometimes omitted.
Nevertheless, this list brings together a great deal of information not readily accessible except by laborious searching of many disparate sources, identifies many titles missing from standard newspaper lists, and points researchers to sources of information for these titles. This is the first attempt to compile a comprehensive, historical list of African American newspapers since Warren Brown's Check List of Negro Newspapers in the United States (Lincoln University, 1946) and is many times the size of that list. It is certain to receive heavy use where there is active interest in African American history or genealogy, particularly until the union list of African American newspapers currently being compiled by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin is completed. It is recommended for large academic and public libraries and for other libraries supporting work in these areas.
