African-American literature has a rich history of wonderful writers, including: Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, and others. These books collect some of the greatest works by African-American writers.
1. Norton Anthology of African-American Literature
The book gathers the works of 120 writers including poetry, fiction, drama, autobiographical narratives, essays, letters, and journal entries. An audio CD is included with this anthology, which provides spoken recordings of sermons, prayers, testimonies, and speeches. It's a great combination.
2. Anthology of African-American Literature
by Rochelle Smith (Editor). Prentice Hall. This collection includes works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, speeches, songs, paintings, and photography. The book also provides students with historical contexts and rhetorical strategies.
3. African-American Literature: A Brief Introduction
by Al Young. Longman. This collection features autobiography, fiction, poetry, and drama, including works by Frederick Douglass, Charles Chestnut, Zora Neale Hurston, Jupiter Hammon, Lucy Terry, and more.4. Crossing the Danger Water
by Deirdre Mullane, Editor. Doubleday & Company. Deirdre Mullane collects historical documents and literary texts, including fiction, autobiography, poetry, songs, letters, and more. The book includes works by Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and W.E.B. Du Bois.5. My Soul Has Grown Deep: Classics of Early African-American Literature
by John Edgar Widerman. This book includes works by Phyllis Wheatley, Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and others.6. A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore
by Harold Courlander and Enrico Arno (Illustrator). DIANE Publishing Company. This work collects oral literature from African American communities. Included are myths, narration, and much more.7. Afro-American Women Writers, 1746-1933
by Ann A. Shockley. Macmillan. Shockley gathers the works of 41 writers in this anthology. Writers include: Olivia Ward Bush, Angelina Weld Grimke, Charlotte Grimke, Frances Ellen Harper, and others.8. From Bondage to Liberation: Writings by and about Afro-Americans
by Faith Berry. Continuum International Publishing Group. Faith Berry offers more than 125 works by significant American writers, including: Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.9. The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader
by David Levering Lewis, Editor. Viking Penguin. This anthology includes memoirs, essays, political statements, criticism, poetry, and fiction.10. Harlem's Glory Black Women Writing, 1900-1950
by Lorraine Elena Roses, Editor, and Ruth Elizabeth Randolph, Editor. This book features poems, stories, memoirs, and essays from Angelina Weld Grimke, Elisa Johnson McDougald, Regina Andrews, Zora Neale Hurston, and Georgia Douglas Johnson.