Upon completion, Afro-Americana Imprints, 1535-1922: From the Library Company of Philadelphia will provide researchers with more than 12,000 printed works on diverse aspects of African American history, literature and culture. Among the more than 1,300 items in the April 2013 release are these six:

• Hotel keepers, head waiters, and housekeepers' guide. By Tunis G. Campbell. Published in 1848 (Imprint #1992)

[Campbell, a freeborn African-American, and later an important figure in Reconstruction, wrote this guide while he was a hotel steward. His system for running a high-class dining room calls for military-style drills, but also insists that employers treat waitstaff with dignity. Nearly half the book is devoted to recipes, including eel soup, stewed hare and orange puffs.]

• The life of Africaner, a Namacqua chief, of South Africa. By the Rev. J. Campbell. Published in 1825 (Imprint #1974)

• What have we, as individuals, to do with slavery? By Susan C. Cabot. Published in 1855 (Imprint #1921)

• Record of the services of the Seventh Regiment, U.S. colored troops from September, 1863, to November, 1866 by an officer of the regiment. Published 1878 (Imprint #1945)

• Thoughts on the original unity of the human race ... By Charles Caldwell, M.D. Published in 1852 (Imprint #1935)

• The rights of the slave states. By a citizen of Alabama. Published in 1850 (Imprint #1980).

For more information about Afro-Americana Imprints, please write to readexmarketing@readex.com. To request a product trial for your academic institution, please use this simple form.