CHRISTMAS GIFT

Thirty years after its original publication, this landmark anthology of poems, songs, stories, and recipes, by and about African-Americans, is welcomed back in handsome new dress, with a new introduction by Augusta Baker describing her part in the first compilation, an intelligent note from Rollins's son explaining the decision to retain the original language ("While some...may seem outdated, to make any changes would certainly alter the artistic intent...[The] language does not obscure the messages of peace, unity, and goodwill that still ring true..."), and splendid new linoleum-block illustrations—at once decorative, lively, expressive, and dignified. Among the 35 entries, the poems (some of Langston Hughes's were first published here) are a particularly rich resource. A book that belongs in every library. (Anthology. 4+)