General History

An updated edition of a classic African American autobiography, with new supplementary materials A Penguin Vitae Edition The preeminent American slave narrative first published in 1845, Frederick Douglass's Narrative powerfully details the life of the...

A casually wondrous experience; it made me feel like the city was unfolding beneath my feet." --Jia Tolentino, author of Trick Mirror In place-names lie stories. That's the truth that animates this fascinating journey through the names of New York City's...

The almost unfathomable courage and the undying faith that propelled the Civil Rights Movement are brilliantly captured in these moving personal recollections. Here are the voices of leaders and followers, of ordinary people who became extraordinary in...

The African American people fought for the basic right afforded to us by the constitution to live free, then to be seen as equals in a world that often dismisses us. We have overcome many obstacles placed in front of us. While we can quickly recognize...

Jeff Hamilton, only thirteen when purchased in 1853 by Sam Houston at a slave auction in Huntsville, Texas, was Houston's personal body servant during the period Houston was U.S. Senator, during both governorships, and was with Houston at his death...

A fascinating memoir of a white man who gained access to the private lives of the Blackfeet Indians. First published in 1907, My Life as an Indian is the memoir of J. W. Schultz's life as a young white man among the Piegan Blackfeet in the Montana...

Albert Halm, Holocaust survivor tells the fascinating story of his family carving out a meager life on the farm in the Carpathian Mountains, in what was then Czechoslovakia, taken away and being interned in three Nazi camps, and ultimately being saved...

An estimated four hundred gold records have been recorded in the Muscle Shoals area. Many of those are thanks to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, dubbed "the Swampers."Some of the greatest names in rock

The Chicano Civil Rights Movement (El Movimiento) of the 1960s and 1970s protested the social, political, and educational inequalities in Mexican American communities across the country, primarily in the Southwest. Chicana/Chicano muralists also took to...

"An exhilarating mix of unpredictable points of view . . . there's real vitality in this anthology's crazy-quilt vision of America."--Kirkus Reviews Is there such a thing as "American" culture? No, says Ishmael Reed, the editor of this refreshing...

Merging comprehensive research and grand storytelling, Mr. and Mrs. Prince reveals the true story of a remarkable pre-Civil War African-American family, as well as the challenges that faced African-Americans who lived in the North versus the slaves who...

What's the real meaning of "juke joint"? Explore these special places for a special brand of the blues.Juke joint - two words often used, often abused. They convey an inherent promise of something real, edgy, from another time. All ju

When the First World War breaks out, the British navy is committed to engaging the enemy wherever there is water to float a ship--even if the body of water in question is a remote African lake and the enemy an intimidating fleet of German steamers. The...

Dr. Jack Porter, a former Milwaukeean, now living in Newtonville, Mass, continues his memoirs with these two parts of the trilogy. Future memoirs will include How to be a Rabbi in Ten Easy Lessons, Twelve Screen Treatments including 'Key West Rabbi' and...

At Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, a Union force composed predominantly of former slaves met their Confederate adversaries in one of the bloodiest small engagements of the war. This important fight received some attention in the North and South but soon...

British Settlers of 1820The impact of the 1820 Settlers on South Africa has been immense. Their likes included great statesmen, fighters for civil rights and other people who made South Africa what it is today (for good and bad).Why were these settlers...