Drawing on hundreds of primary and secondary sources, Walker has compiled the first and only comprehensive survey of Black business development to date.

Chapter by chapter, Walker discusses the remarkable continuity and diversity of black business. Some of the featured enterprises include commercial real estate speculation, rural and urban land development, and construction. African-American involvement in finance and investment activities, corporate and municipal bonds, international trade, and hair care product manufacturing is also examined. Most importantly, this study puts a face on the individuals involved.

Walker moves beyond vague depersonalized accounts of groups of nameless blacks, and tells the triumphant and moving stories of people like Madame C. J. Walker, the first female African-American millionaire, and Frederick Douglas Patterson, the first African-American automaker.

The History of Black Business in America will prove an invaluable resource for both teachers and students of American history, business and African-American studies and is an essential addition to any library with holdings in these areas.