Anna Julia Cooper’s A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South (1892) is widely considered one of the first book-length statements of Black feminist thought. A precursor to such seminal formulations as intersectionality, A Voice from the South centers the unique challenges and contributions of Black women in the ongoing struggles for Black equality, freedom, and civil rights. Upon its publication in 1892, A Voice from the South was widely reviewed in both the Black and white press. Though reviewers were generally favorable, few were unequivocal in their praise. Collated here, for the first time, are over 30 reviews that provide insight into the social, political, and cultural content out of which Cooper was writing and that offers a glimpse into a dynamic and engaged African American reading public. This collection of reviews offers us another starting point for understanding networked nature of Black intellectual thought and the circulation of African American texts at the end of the nineteenth century.
This collection of reviews builds on the work of Monroe Majors (Noted Negro Women: Their Triumphs and Activities. Donohue & Henneberry, 1893) and Louise Hutchinson (Anna Julia Cooper: A Voice from the South, Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981) and provides a valuable resources to teachers, researchers, and students alike.
*Primary research locating extant reviews of A Voice from the South conducted by Katie Warczak between 2018-2021.
Reviews and Mentions in Published Texts
- Majors, Monroe. “Mrs. A. J. Cooper.” Noted Negro Women Their Triumphs and Activities. Donohue and Henneberry, 1893, pp. 284-87.
- Scruggs, Lawrence Andrew. Women of Distinction Remarkable in Works and Indivisible in Character. L. A. Scruggs, 1893, p. 209.
- Mossell, N. F. The Work of the Afro-American Woman. 2nd edition, Geo S. Ferguson Company, 1908, pp. 3, 14,60-61.
- Jackson, Giles B., and D. Webster Davis. The Industrial History of the Negro Race of the United States. Negro Educational Association, 1911, p. 116.
Reviews and Mentions in Newspapers and Magazines
- Cooper, Anna Julia. “The Races Will Not Mix.” The Freeman [Indianapolis, IN], 7 Jan. 1893, pp. 2, 4. Review of A Voice From the South. Xenia Daily Gazette [Xenia, OH], 10 Jan. 1893, p. 2.
- “Current Literature.” The Daily Inter Ocean [Chicago, IL], 21 Jan. 1893, p. 10.
- Mention of A Voice From the South in “The Colored People’s Column.” Earlington Bee [Earlington, KY], 26 Jan. 1893, p. 3.
- “Women’s Work and Ways.” The Plaindealer [Detroit, MI], vol. 10, no. 38, 27 Jan. 1893, p. 8.
- Review And Excerpt of A Voice From the South. Baltimore Church Advocate, 28 Jan. 1893, pp. 1-2.
- “Late Publications, Books, Magazines, Etc.” The Freeman, An Illustrated Colored Newspaper [Indianapolis, IN], 4 Mar. 1893, p. 3.
- Tourgée, Albion. “A Bystander’s Notes.” The Daily Inter Ocean [Chicago, IL], 8 Apr. 1893, p. 4.
- “Negro Literature An Epoch the Development of the Race.” The Weekly Call [Topeka, KS], vol. 3, no. 3, 15 Apr. 1893, p. 1.
- “Literary Notices.” Sterling Standard [Sterling, IL], 20 Apr. 1893, p. 4
- “A Bystander’s Notes.” The Plaindealer [Detroit, MI], vol. 10, no. 49, 21 Apr. 1893, pp. 1, 7.
- Payne, D. A. “A Voice From the South By a Black Woman of the South – The Venerable and Learned Bishop Rt. Rev. D. A. Payne, D. D., L. L. D., Speaks.” The Cleveland Gazette, 6 May 1893, p. 2.
- Review of A Voice From the South. Southern Workman, vol. 22, no. 5, May 1893, pp. 72-73.
- Review of A Voice From the South, by Anna Julia Cooper. The Southern Workman, vol. 22, no. 8, Aug. 1893, pp. 126-27.
- F. F. E. “From British Columbia.” The Freeman [Indianapolis, IN], 20 Jan. 1894, p. 2.
- Monk, Chas. V. “What of Our Mothers?” The Freeman [Indianapolis, IN], 20 Jan. 1894, p. 3.
- Monk, C. V. “Where to Obtain Race Literature.” The Freeman [Indianapolis, IN], 17 Mar. 1894, p. 2.
- Mention of A Voice From the South. Southern Workman, April 1894, pp. 54-55.
- Cooper, Anna Julia. “Do Two and Two Make Four.” The Independent [New York, NY], 26 July 1894, p.7.
- “In Interest of Freedmen.Address by Mrs. E. E. Swift in Second Presbyterian Church.” Altoona Tribune [Altoona, PA], 23 Oct. 1894, p. 4
- “Colored People’s Skill.” Washington Times [Washington, D. C.], 13 Aug. 1895, p. 5
- “For Colored Women.” The Evening Star [Washington, D. C.], 4 July 1896, p. 1.
- “Light of Letters.” The Inter-Ocean [Chicago, IL], 16 Jan. 1898, p. 13.
- “Alphabetical List of Afro-American Authors and Their Works.” Iowa State Bystander [Des Moines, IA], 6 Apr. 1900, p. 9.
- Also printed in the 30 Mar. 1900 issues of the Iowa State Bystander.
- “The Book World.” The Appeal: A National Afro-American Newspaper [St. Paul, MN], 7 Apr. 1900, p. 2.
- Also printed in the 10 Feb. 1900, 17 Feb. 1900, 24 Feb. 1900, 3 Mar. 1900, 24 Mar. 1900, 21 Apr. 1900, 28 Apr. 1900, and 5 May 1900 issues of The Appeal
- “Arts and Letters.” Hartford Daily Courant [Hartford, CT], 24 May 1900, p. 10
- “Negroes in Literature.” New Haven Morning Journal and Courier [New Haven, CT], 24 May 1900, p. 4.
- “Colored Women in Literature.” The Broad Ax [Salt Lake City, UT], 11 May 1912, p. 2.
- Also printed in the 18 May 1912 issue of The Broad Ax
- “The Colored Women in Good Literature.” The Pittsburgh Courier, 11 May 1912, p. 1.