Black Literature Criticism: Classic and Emerging Black Writers builds on the tradition established by the RUSA Award-Winning Black Literature Criticism (BLC), 1st Edition, published in 1992, and its Supplement, published in 1998. The new set is designed to stand alone or, for libraries that own the previous releases of BLC, to complement them with a wealth of new materials. BLC: Classic and Emerging Black Writers introduces students and other researchers to Black Literature's leading figures. Approximately one third of the set updates classic black authors originally covered in BLC, 1st Edition; the other two thirds of the set treat new and emerging authors not covered before. Overlap between this set and the original BLC is minimal, and all critical essays are new. Readers will find a wealth of background information as well as robust full-text criticism for each author, including biographical sketches, critical reception of works, explanatory notes and further readings. With approximately 75 entries, averaging 12,000 words in length, this set is designed to meet the needs of university students, upper high school students, general readers, and teachers.