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  ©1994-1998
  Elke Moritz  
 
  Last updated:
  Apr.28, 1998

African-American Books

Here you find an incomplete list of the books on African-American history, theology, poetry, literature and (auto-)biography in my collection.
As you see, comments to several books are still missing, and probably some books in my collection aren't listed at all.
 
General History
History
Autobiographies & Biographies
Malcolm X
The King Family
Poetry
Essays
Fiction
Music

General History & Literature   TOP

Beckkner, Chrisanne - 100 African-Americans who shaped American History
ISBN 0-912517-18-2
Bennett, Lerone, Jr. - Before The Mayflower. A History Of Black America
ISBN 0-14-017822-8
Chapman, Abraham (ed.) - Black Voices. An Anthology of Afro-American Literature
ISBN 0-451-62660-5
Chapman, Abraham (ed.) - New Black Voices. An Anthology of Contemporary Afro-American Literature
ISBN 0-451-62617-6
Cone, James H. - Für mein Volk. Schwarze Theologie und Schwarze Kirche
"For My People: Black Theology and The Black Church"
Genossenschaft Edition Exodus, Freiburg/Schweiz 1987 (1984)
271pages, German paperback edition
ISBN 3-905575-21-3
Ten chapters on Black Theology, many many quotes (all unfortunately translated into German) and about 38pages of notes and remarks concerning the quotes. Since I like Cone, I enjoyed this book and the deep information it gives. Please let me know if there are any better books on Black Theology in the US in general.
DM 38,80 (DM 5,00)
Friedland, Cheryl - Famous Lives: Nine American Women In Profile
Cornelsen, Berlin, 1991
ISBN 3-464-05325-3
32pages
German schoolbook
Includes short biographies of Pocahontas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, Grandma Moses, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Marilyn Monroe and Wilma Rudolph. All biographies include one to three b/w pictures or drawings. The texts are about 2-3 pages long and the lines are numbered. A vocabulary list with comments on pronounciation and American and British English is also included.
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr, & McKay, Nellie Y. - The Norton Anthology of African American Literature
Norton, New York, 1997
ISBN 0-393-95908-2
incl. Audio-CD
2665 pages (!!!), more than 120 authors from 1746 to the present, 13 major works included complete, lots of poems, quotes and chapters from famous books...
probably one of the best books I´ve ever bought, although the pages are very thin ;-) and I´ll probably never be able to read it completely... The audio cd contains examples of spirituals & gospel songs, work songs and secular songs/ballads, Blues & Jazz, Rap ("The Message") and excerpted sermons of Martin Luther King, Jr. ("I have a dream", 5:10) and Malcolm X("The Ballot Or The Bullet", 5:45)
$ 47.95 at www.books.com and www.amazon.com
(DM 59,95 at Prinz, Mannheim, Germany)
Jahn, Janheinz (Hrsg.) - 36 x Schwarzes Lachen
Goldmann, orgininally Bärmeier & Nikel, Frankfurt, 1987 (1968)
"Afrika lacht" (1968)
ISBN 3-442-08663-9
288pages, German edition, incl. 3 pages bibliography
A collection of short stories and poems by authors from Africa, North America and the West Indies. Including
- Gwendolyn Brooks - "The Preacher Ruminates Behind The Sermon" (Poem)
- Countee Cullen - "For A Lady I Know" (Poem)
- W.E.B. DuBois - "On Being Crazy" (Short Story)
- George Samuel Schuyler - "Mohrenwäsche" (extract from the novel "Black No More" (1931)
- Langston Hughes - "Füsse Haben Ihr Eigenes Leben", "Ist Ja Gar Nicht So", "Versuchung", "Die Berufung" (Short Stories)
All poems, songs and short stories are translated into German!
DM 8,80 (DM 2,95)
Just Us Books - Black History Activity and Enrichment Handbook
Just Us Books, New Jersey, 1990
ISBN 0-940975-14-9
43pages, childrens book
This small book gives parents and teachers a lot of ideas on how to teach children something about African-American history. It can also be used by children and includes many pictures, quizes, questions and booklists. The six "Guideposts" cover the topics "Africa - The Beginning", "The Middle Passage", "Slavery vs. Freedom", "The Oral Tradition" (Rap etc.), "Reconstruction to Civil Rights" and "The Diaspora".
Mühlen, Norbert - Die Schwarzen Amerikaner. Anatomie einer Revolution
Kohlhammer Verlag, 1964
No ISBN
192pages, German edition
This book was finished in the summer of 1964, by Mühlen, who was born in Bavaria in 1909, but emigrated to the US in 1940. I only read parts of this book, since I didn't like the language that was used. Especially the paragraphs on Malcolm X (pages 122, 140 and 178f) made me furious, since these lines helped create the negative and violent image that Malcolm still has until today among the majority of the white population.
Poet's Workshop - Black American History Rap and Rhyme
ISBN0-913597-53-8
5pages
One of the things I learned was to be very careful when ordering books from online bookstores. I had hoped that this book would concentrate on African- American history as it is presented in Rap Music, but it is merely a 5 page long poem intended to teach young children the names of famous African- Americans. It's not even a very articulate poem: each famous African- American is covered with two to three lines.
Ward, Baldwin H. - Year's Pictorial History Of The American Negro
Year, New York, 1965
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 65-181-39

History   TOP

Carson, Clayborne, Garrow, David J., a.o. (eds.) - The Eyes On The Prize Civil Rights Reader.
Documents, Speeches, And Firsthand Accounts From The Black Freedom Struggle, 1954-1990
ISBN 0-14-015403-5
Davis, Angela - Rassismus und Sexismus. Schwarze Frauen und Klassenkampf in den USA
"Women, Race and Class"
Elefanten Presse, EP 93, Berlin, 1982 (1981)
ISBN 3-88520-093-7
255pages, German edition
When I had to hold a lecture in university on African-American women, this book was one of the few books I found in our local libraries. The included b/w pictures of African-American women and historic events as well as the included quotations were very helpful, although all the quote are in German. But the 20pages of annotations helped me to track down the original sources...
Foner, Eric - Reconstruction - 1863-1877. America's Unfinished Revolution
ISBN 0-06-015851-4
Hampton, Henry, Fayer, Steve - Voices Of Freedom
An Oral History Of The Civil Rights Movement From The 1950s Through The 1980s
ISBN 0-553-35232-6
Lester, Julius - To Be A Slave
Dial Press, New York, 1968
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 68-28738
160pages, hardcover
What a great book! Chapters include "To Be A Slave", "The Auction Block", "The Plantation", "Resistance To Slavery 1 & 2", "Emancipation", and "After Emancipation". All chapters consist of short introductory notes by Julius Lester, illustrations by Tom Feelings and many quotes and stories from (ex-)slaves. Most texts are taken from the Library of Congress or the books noted in the included bibiography.
$4.95
Seger, Pete, and Reiser, Bob - Everybody Says Freedom. A history of the civil rights movement in songs and pictures.
ISBN 0-393-30604-6
Williams, Julian - Eyes On The Prize. America's Civil Rights Years 1954-1965
ISBN 0-14-009653-1
Wright, Richard - Schwarze Macht
Claussen, Hamburg, 1956
"Black Power", 1954
No ISBN
343pages, German hardcover edition
Report on his trip to Africa in the early ´50s. This book was finished in May 1954, and shows Wright´s (American) views on the struggle for independence of African countries and especially the situation in Ghana (the former "Gold Coast") as well as Ghana´s celebration of independence.

Autobiographies & Biographies   TOP

Angelou, Maya - I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ISBN 0-553-27937-8
Angelou, Maya - Gather Together In My Name
ISBN 0-553-26066-9
Angelou, Maya - Singin' and swingin' and gettin' merry like christmas
ISBN 0-553-25199-6
Angelou, Maya - The Heart of a Woman
ISBN 0-553-24689-5
Angelou, Maya - All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
ISBN 0-679-73404-X
Angelou, Maya - Wouldn't take nothing for my journey now
ISBN 0-553-56907-4
Haley, Alex - Roots
Vintage Books, London, 1991 (1977, 1974)
ISBN 0-09-952200-4
688pages
I missed Roots on TV when it was first aired because I was too young at that time (I´m born in 1974). After reading "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" I looked through the catalog of our local library and stumbled over "Roots". I first read a German edition of this fabulous book and bought the English edition several years later in Ireland in 1992. This must have been shortly after Alex Haley´s "Queen" was aired on TV all over Europe and so "Roots" was republished.
The TV series (I think there are at least 12 90-minute episodes, as well as "Roots - the gift") was aired in about 1993/1994 on either RTL2 or Kabel1 (two German cable TV stations), so I taped all the episodes (in German, they didn´t air the original version).
Although the TV series was very popular, I always preferred the book. When I got confused by the many names of people introduced in the story (the book covers the time from 1750 to 1976), I tried to draw the timeline and the family tree, which eventually became very huge.
Nowadays, everytime I take the book out of my bookshelf, I either browse through the book, or I read the last chapters(chapters 118-120!), where Alex Haley describes the making of "Roots" and his travel to Gambia...
£ 8.99
Leeming, David - James Baldwin - A Biography
Penguin books, London, 1995 (1994)
ISBN 0-14-024099-3
438pages, lots of b/w pictures and quotations
x-mas present 1997, not read yet, but looks really promising
£ 9.99
Parks, Rosa (with Haskins, Jim) - My Story
ISBN 0-8037-0673-1
Skinner, Tom - Black & Free
The Paternoster Press, Exeter Devon, Great Britain, 1969 (1968)
SBN 85364-091-2
127pages, paperback, 8pages of b/w photos
Autobiography of Tom Skinner, who went on the "Harlem Crusade", preaching in New York in the 1960s.
Australia: 95c
Woods, Donald - Steve Biko. Ein Schicksal in Südafrika
"Asking for trouble"
Heyne, München, 1988 (1980)
ISBN 3-453-02837-6
Autobiography of Donald Woods, a white journalist who became a friend of Steve Biko. Sir Richard Attenborough based his movie "Cry freedom" starring (Denzel Washington) on this book. This edition only has two maps of South Africa and the Transkei, no photographs. Our local library once had a book by Donald Woods, which might have been a different book (and probably was published before the movie came out). This book not only contained several b/w photos of Steve Biko and others, it also had a few transcriptions of the trial etc.
DM 7,80 (DM 1,95)
Wright, Richard - Schwarzer Hunger. Bericht einer Selbsterfahrung
"American Hunger"
Knaur, München, 1988 (1944)
ISBN 3-426-01625-7
176pages, German edition
"American Hunger" is the second part of Richard Wright's autobiography. The German version of "Black Boy", the story of his childhood, was also published by Knaur. This book covers Wright's (1908-1960) years in Chicago (1927-1940).
DM 7,80 (DM 2,95)

Malcolm X   TOP

For books on Malcolm X please see the X-Book-section on my Malcolm X Page.

The King Family   TOP

Bennett, Lerone - Martin Luther King - Freiheitskämpfer und Friedensnobelpreistr&aauml;ger
Ullstein, Frankfurt 1965
("What Manner Of Man", 1964)
No ISBN
158pages, German edition
Probably one of the most famous biographies on Martin Luther King, Jr., this book unfortunately ends in the year 1964.
If you need a complete and thorough biography, I recommend the books by Stephen B. Oates ("Let the trumpet sound") and David J. Garrow("Bearing the cross")
DM ???
Garrow, David J. - Bearing The Cross.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Pulitzer Prize Winner
ISBN 0-224-02603-8
King, Coretta Scott - Mein Leben mit Martin Luther King
"My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr.", 1969
in: Reader's Digest Auswahlbücher. 1971
140pages, Reader´s Digest Edition, German
This shortened version of Coretta Scott King´s autobiography includes 8 small b/w photographs. It´s completely in German (incl. the quotes), with a few footnotes (I don´t know if those do also exist in the original edition).
King, Coretta Scott - The Words of Martin Luther King
Fount Paperbacks, London, 1985 (3rd impression 1989, 1983)
ISBN 0-00-626811-0
112pages
Selection by Coretta Scott King.
Many short quotes (not longer than one page), sorted in topics like "Racism", "Civil Rights", "Justice and Freedom", "Nonviolence", "Peace" etc., the exact origin of the quotes is not stated. It would be nice to know at least when King did say these things and in which context. But nice if you search for fitting quotes.
Includes a shortened version of "I've been to the Mountain Top" and "I have a dream", as well as a few b/w pictures and an 11 page chronology.
£ 1.95
King, Martin Luther, Sr. - Die Kraft der Schwachen. Geschichte der Familie King
"Daddy King", 1980
Bücherbundausgabe -02144/4-
263pages, German bookclub edition, 8 pages of b/w photos
This is the autobiography of Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., MLK´s father. He not only talks about his famous son, but also gives a great insight into his activities in the civil rights movement, his work as a baptist minister, and his work in the voter registration stride. The reader gets a great insight on MLK´s family and their background, and what happened after MLK´s death. His brither A.D. drowned in 1969, Mama King (Daddy King´s wife), was killed by a psychopath while playing organ in church (1974).
Washington, James M. (ed.) - A Testament Of Hope.
The Essential Writings And Speeches Of Martin Luther King, Jr.
ISBN 0-06-064691-8

Poetry   TOP

Angelou, Maya - The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
ISBN 0-679-42895-X
Harper, Michael S., Walton, Anthony (eds.) - Every Shut Eye Ain't Asleep.
An anthology of poetry by African-Americans since 1945
ISBN 0-316-34710-8
Randall, Dudley (ed.) - The Black Poets
(Anthology)
ISBN 0-553-27563-1

Essays   TOP

Baldwin, James - Schwarz und Weiß - oder Was es heißt, ein Amerikaner zu sein
"Notes of a Native Son" / "Nobody Knows My Name"
Rohwolt, Reinbeck bei Hamburg, 1963 (1955/1961)
ISBN 3-499-14055-1
139pages, German edition
Selection of 11 essays by James Baldwin:
1. Autobiographical Notes (1955)
2. Notes Of A Native Son (1955)
3. A Question Of Identity (1954)
4. Stranger In The Village (1953)
5. Everybodyïs Protest Novel (1949)
6. Notes For A Hypothetical Novel (1960)
7. The Male Prison (1954)
8. Faulkner and Desegregation (1956)
9. Alas, Poor Richard
  I. Eight Men (1961)
  II. The Exile (1961)
  III. Alas, Poor Richard (1955)
10. The Black Boy Looks At The White Boy (1961)
11. The Discovery Of What It Means To Be An American (1959)
Essays 1.-5. were taken from "Notes Of A Native Son" (1955),
essays 6. - 11. from "Nobody Knows My Name" (1961)
"Richard" always refers to Richard Wright, especially to his autobiography "Black Boy" and his famous novel "Native Son".
Rohwolt also published the following books by James Baldwin in German:
"Beale Street Blues", "Sag mir, wie lange ist der Zug schon fort", "Gesammelte Erzaehlungen", "Gehe hin und verkuende es vom Berg", Giovannis Zimmer", "Eine Strasse und kein Name", "Sie nannten ihn Malcolm X", "Des Menschen nackte Haut".
DM 3,80
Cleaver, Eldridge - Seele Im Feuer
ISBN 3-7751-0463-1
Cleaver, Eldidge - Soul On Ice
ISBN 0-440-21128-X
Jackson, George - Soledad Brothers - The Prison Letters Of George Jackson
Penguin Books, Middlesex, 1970
ISBN 0-1400-3315-7
291pages
One of the first books I read on the black panther ideology (I first found this book in a German edition in our local library!). George Jackson's letters, collected from 1964 til 1970, give a great insight on the US prison system, a view on the 60s from inside the prison and quite some insight on the ideas of the black panthers. This was the book which made me search for more infos on the Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale and Fred Hampton, and especially on police brutality against the BPP.
$ ??? (I£ 1.65 used, Dublin)
Walker, Alice - Auf der Suche nach den Gärten unserer Mütter / Beim Schreiben der Farbe Lila
Goldman Taschenbücher, München, 1989 (1987)
(In search of our mother's gardens ¸ 1973-1983)
ISBN 3-442-09442-9
221pages, 15 essays, German edition
I really liked this one. Especially since it introduced me to many women writers, like Zora Neal Hurston or Nella Larsen. It took a few years until I found more info on them in the internet and in Norton's Anthology of African-American Literature.
DM 9,80 (DM 2,50)

Fiction   TOP

Armstrong, William H. - Sounder
Penguin Puffin Books, Middlesex, England, 1973 (1969)
ISBN 0-14-030594-7
96pages, childrens book
Book to the beautiful movie for children, "Sounder", starring Cecile Tyson(?). About the friendship of a small black boy to his dog "Sounder". The movies "Sounder" and the sequel "Sounder 2" have been running on German children TV some times over the last few years.
$ ??? (I£ 0.50 used, Dublin)
Hansberry, Lorraine - A Raisin In The Sun
Ernst Klett Verlag, Stuttgart, 1980 (1958)
ISBN 3-12-578800-5
95pages, German edition, incl. text and study guides for school
This is a special edition of Lorraine Hansberryïs great play, intended to be read in German schools. The book also contains a lot of questions to help the students understand the play, as well as a few materials on the author.
Heyward, Du Bose - Porgy und Bess
"Porgy"
Ullstein, Frankfurt/Main, 1962 (1955, 1935, 1925)
No ISBN
154pages, German edition
An old paperback which I found in my grandfather's bookshelf, this novel was written in 1925 and put into a famous opera by George Gershwin (the play based on the novel was written by Heyward and Ira Gershwin) and later into a movie by Samuel Goldwyn. The book also contais 12 pictures from the movie "Porgy and Bess", starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, jr., Pearl Bailey a.m.o.
Himes, Chester - Blind, mit einer Pistole
"Blind Man With A Pistol"
Rohwolt Taschenbuch, Reinbeck bei Hamburg, 1988 (1970, 1969)
ISBN 3-499-42867-9
224pages, German edition
Crimestory set in Harlem (125th)
DM 7,80 (DM 1,95)
Himes, Chester - Die Geldmacher von Harlem
"The Five-cornered square" and "For Love of Imabelle"
Rohwolt Taschenbuch, Reinbeck bei Hamburg, 1988 (1976 (1959 bzw. 1965)
ISBN3-499-42859-8
153pages, German edition
Crimestory set in Harlem.
One of Chester Himes' stories was put into a movie, called "A Rage in Harlem", starring Forest Whitaker, I'm not sure if the movie is based on this story though.
DM 6,80 (DM 1,95)
Norst, Joel - Colors
Grafton Books, London, 1988 (1987)
ISBN 0-586-20509-8
253pages
Novel based on the screenplay to the major motion picture "Colors", starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall. The gang war in L.A. (crips vs. bloods) and the LAPD street crime unit. Very popular movie with a good soundtrack starring Ice T, Big Daddy Kane, 7A3 and many others. The book is not that good, but it was one of the first books I read in English...
I£ 3.55 (£ 2.75)
Norst, Joel - Mississippi Burning. Die Wurzeln des Hasses
Goldmann, München, 1989 (1988)
ISBN 3-442-09556-5
251pages, German edition
Book to the major motion picture "Mississippi Burning". About two FBI agents investigating the murder of the three civil rights activists in Mississippi in 1964. There exists a movie from the late 1970s, made for TV, called in German "FBI - Kampf dem Terror" (180min. long), which is more detailed and not a "popular major motion picture". But for a better account on what has happened, check out the books to the TV series "Eyes on the prize".
DM 9,80
Walker, Alice - Das dritte Leben des Grange Copeland
Bertelsmann Club
Buch-Nr. 028274
317pages, special edition from a German book-club
Walker, Alice - Meridian
Goldmann Taschenbücher, München 1984
ISBN 3-442-08855-0
255pages, novel; German edition
The first book by Alice Walker I read was "The Color Purple". I even read it before I saw the film. Then I read a few short stories, some poems and a few essays. I never really made it through this book though...
DM 9,80
Walker, Alice - The Color Purple
Pocket Books, New York, 1982
ISBN 0-671-72779-6
295pages, novel; won the Pulitzer Prize
IMHO Alice Walker's best book. The language is what captured me most. It really helps the reader watch the development of the main character. The book is structured in letters, which Celie, the main character, first writes to God, and later to her sister Nettie.
Inspite of the English being very different to the English we learn at school, I finished the book in less than two days, and re-read it several times since. My favorite part is when Celie talks to Shug about God (page 199ff, see also the Norton Anthology).
$ 6.99 (DM 14,-)
Wright, Richard - Native Son
Harper & Row, New York, Perennial Library Edition 1989 (1966, 1940)
ISBN 0-06-080977-9
398pages
Wright´s classic novel about Bigger Thomas. Divided into the three parts "Fear", "Flight" and "Fate". Including the introduction "How Bigger was born" by Richard Wright and a short afterword by John Reilly as well as a short selected biography.
$4.95 (DM 14,05)

Music   TOP

Berendt, J.E. - Das Jazzbuch
Fischer, Frankfurt/Main, 1953
No ISBN
239pages, German Paperback Edition
With diagrams on the development of Jazz and certain instruments in Jazz, also including a 20 page discography and an index. The author was born in Germany in 1922 and worked at a regional radio station (SWF). One of the better books on Jazz.
(DM 2,-)
Haskins, Jim - Ella Fitzgerald - First Lady des Jazz
Heyne Taschenbücher, München 1992 (1991)
ISBN 3-453-07545-5
German edition, found in the cut out bin, not read yet
330pages, incl. huge discography and lots of black & white pictures
DM 16,90 (DM 2,95)
Hündgen, Gerald - Chasin' A Dream
Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln, 1989
ISBN 3-462-01951-1
278pages, in German
Essays by Gerald Hündgen and others on modern African-American music. Chapters on "R&B", "Memphis and Muscle Shoals", "James Brown", "Tamla Motown and Detroit", "Soul aus den Metropolen", "Mardi Gras Mambo - New Orleans", "Von "Higher and Higher" zum "Innercity Blues"", "The Sound of Philadelphia", "Up for the downstroke", "Disco Inferno", "Northern Soul", "Rap und HipHop", "Die erste Geschichte von House", "Soul in the 80ern", "Black Superstars - Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston".
My "bible on music" when I was young; the included discographies helped me a lot in my search for new music. Especially the chapters on Motown, Soul and Pfunk are recommended (as well as the rest of the book).
DM 16,80
Rapneck Ossi, Ziggie Moondust - HIPHOP - Rap, Graffiti, Scratching, Breakdance
Bastei Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 1984
ISBN 3-404-60 123-8
175pages, in German
Probably the best book on the hiphop-culture of the early 80s.
Included are interviews with Jalal (Last Poets), the Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmixer D.ST., Afrika Bambaataa, Melle Mel, Prince Charles, Run DMC and Russell Simmons, Mr. Robot, Kangol, Whodini, and many more.
With reports on Scratching, Breakdancing (incl. explanation and names of some moves, introduction of the important crews of that time), all deeply influenced by the movie "Wildstyle". It's not always clear if the authors made the interviews themselves, though. Most of the quotes from lyrics are translated, but often the English quote is also included.
With lots of b/w pictures and 8 pages of color pictures, including several from wildstyle and some of "That's Breaking" and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which seem to be taken from a German TV show called "Formel 1" (some of them can also be found in a "Formel 1"-book...)
Including a 15 page commented discography on the most important 12"s and Lps from around 1982-1984.
Really Recommended! But probably nearly impossible to get.
DM 7,80 (DM 1,00 !!! found this one on the cut out bin, it's the only book I actually bought twice, since the first one was so worn out)
Shaw, Arnold - Soul
RoRoRo, Reinbeck bei Hamburg, 1980
("The World Of Soul. Black America's Contribution to the Pop Music Scene", 1970)
ISBN 3-499-17199-6
315pages, German edition
Few b/w pictures. 3 main chapters: "Blues", "Rhythm and Blues", "Soul". Chapter two includes sub-chapters on Motown, Stax and Atlantic, chapter three mostly short biographies on Nina Simone, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Otis, Aretha, and Ray.
Short discography, not very good.
DM 7,80
Toop, David - Rap Attack - African Jive bis Global HipHop
Heyne, München, 1994 (1991)
ISBN 3-453-08210-9
351pages, German edition, many b/w pictures, List of 200 Rap Records
The best book I've read so far on Rap music. Starts with Doo-wop and Jimmy Castor, comes to Afrika Bambaataa on page 85, and ends with Hammer and Vanilla Ice, covering nearly every major rap artists up until 1990 or so, with pictures on every forth page!
If you want a book on Rap, it's history and origins, buy this one.
Note: this looks like a revised edition to me, it may be that it was released as "Rap Attack 2".
DM 14,90