The most teachable, trusted, and exciting collection of African American literature.

The Norton Anthology of African American Literature brings together an extraordinary array vast in scope and deep in cultural and historical significance. Preeminent scholar and public intellectual Henry Louis Gates Jr., who presided over the book’s creation in the 1990s, continues as general editor, working with a team of highly respected and creative period editors to keep the anthology teachable, up to date, and authoritative.

This long-anticipated Fourth Edition, available in both print and ebook formats, introduces new works in every period, in particular a generous selection of the brilliant writing by African Americans in the twenty-first century.

[P]  W. W. Norton  /  July 01, 2025