Farr's book is the best and most unbiased effort to date, to outline the extent and nature of the African-American sailor in the US maritime past. ...this is historical writing at its best. There is no comparable work. (B.H. Groene, Choice) This brief volume surveys a vast area and a broad sweep of time. (James Sidbury, Maryland Historical Magazine)
The Author: Born into a casual California lifestyle, disoriented by the chaos of the Sixties, James Farr pursued a number of different career paths, including manual laborer and disc jockey, before taking a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Farr has taught a wide range of courses at San Jose State University, and has published in The Journal of Negro History and California History. He is married and has three delightful sons.
Contents: A comprehensive History of Black American Seafarers, from colonial times to the present. Black Argonauts documents extensive Black Participation in the Navy, Whaling, and Merchant Marine.