Black Firsts

Jessie Carney Smith is a noted author, biographer, and black studies scholar. She is William and Camille Cosby Professor in the Humanities at Fisk University in Nashville, where she also serves as the university librarian. Among her numerous awards are the 1992 National Women's Book Association Award, the Candace Award for excellence in education, and "Sage" magazine's Ann J. Cooper Award for her published works on African American women. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

"The third edition of this invaluable resource of African American achievements updates the previous edition. Recommended for anyone from elementary-school age to adults who are interested in African American history."-- Booklist "In the new book Black Firsts by Jessie Carney Smith, you'll find information on tens of thousands of folks who've gone before you -- in a good way."-- Bookworm Sez "Black Firsts is a book full of hope."-- Chicago Sun-Times "A superb historical study of black achievement."-- Houston Chronicle "The well-researched sketches provide a great deal of information. This is an excellent resource for starting research on black history, but its sheer volume may be overwhelming to casual researchers. The lesser-known figures, however, make the title worth digging into."-- Library Journal "An exhaustive listing of the accomplishments of black Americans in the arts, business, education, the military, medicine and science, and sports."-- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "This authoritative work, with its brief biographies of many accomplished and famous African-Americans, is one that writers, researchers, and libraries will want to keep close at hand for its valuable information."-- Richmond Times-Dispatch "This is a must-have reference."-- St. Paul Pioneer Press "...comprehensively catalogs the achievements of everybody from Hank Aaron to Bruce Yuille..."-- Syracuse Post-Standard "An excellent reference source, but, more than most such encyclopedia collections, it also can be read."-- The Salt Lake Tribune