The Black West

This entirely new edition of a famous classic has glorious new photographs—many never before seen—as well as a revised and expanded text that deepens our understanding of the vital role played by African American men and women on our early frontiers.Inspired by a conversation that William Loren Katz had with Langston Hughes, The Black West presents long-neglected stories of daring pioneers such as Nat Love, a.k.a. Deadwood Dick, Mary Fields, a.k.a. Stagecoach Mary, Cranford Goldsby, a.k.a. Cherokee Bill—and a host of other intrepid men and women who marched into the wilderness alongside Chief Osceola, Billy the Kid, and Geronimo.Featuring captivating narratives and photographs (many from the author’s world-famous collection), The Black West enriches and deepens our stirring frontier saga. From slave runaways during the colonial era, to the journeys of Lewis and Clark, to the charge at San Juan Hill, Katz vividly recounts the crucial contributions African Americans made during scores of frontier encounters. With its stirring pictures and vivid eyewitness accounts, The Black West is an exhilarating treasure trove.

Drawing on letters, diaries, and other personal writings, as well as on official documents, this richly illustrated, meticulously documented look at a little-known aspect of African-American history captures the unique experiences of these pioneers. Features a new Introduction by the author. 250 photos. 55 line drawings.

Historian WILLIAM LOREN KATZ is the author of forty books including such award-winning titles as Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage, Black Women of the Old West, and Breaking the Chains: African American Slave Resistance. He has lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa and has served as a scholar in residence at Columbia University’s Teachers College and New York University. He has been a consultant to the Smithsonian Institution, and in school systems from Seattle and Miami to London, England. Katz lives in New York City.