In 1962, the Heritage Series of Black Poetry, founded and edited by Paul Breman, published Robert Hayden's A Ballad of Remembrance. By 1975 the series had published 27 volumes by some of the 20th-century's most important and influential poets. As elaborated in Lauri Ramey's extensive scholarly introduction, this innovative volume has dual purposes: to provide primary sources that recover the history and legacy of this groundbreaking publishing venture, and to serve as a research companion for scholars working on the series and on 20th-century black poetry.
Never-before-published primary materials include Paul Breman's memoir, retrospectives by several of the poets published in the series, a photo-documentary of W. E. B. Du Bois's 1958 visit to the Netherlands, poems by poets represented in the series, and scholarly essays. Also included are bibliographies of the Heritage poets and of the Heritage Press Archives at the Chicago Public Library. This reference work is an essential resource for scholars working in the fields of black poetry, transatlantic studies, and 20th-century book history.