Herb Boyd is an acclaimed American author and journalist whose work delves deeply into African American history and culture. His writing often unearths the complex journeys and experiences of Black men in America, highlighting their odyssey and contributions. A respected voice in literary circles, Boyd has explored the lives of influential figures, meticulously documenting their impact within broader societal and historical narratives. Through his journalism, editing, and teaching, Boyd consistently illuminates and celebrates the African diaspora's heritage and its integral place in the American story.
Chronicles three centuries of African American history with first-person narratives by Phyllis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and other important figures.
Fifty years after its first publication, Robin Boyd’s bestselling The Australian Ugliness remains the definitive statement on how we live and think in the environments we create for ourselves. In it Boyd railed against Australia’s promotion of ornament, decorative approach to design and slavish imitation of all things American. ‘The basis of the Australian ugliness,’ he wrote, ‘is an unwillingness to be committed on the level of ideas. In all the arts of living, in the shaping of all her artefacts, as in politics, Australia shuffles about vigorously in the middle—as she estimates the middle—of the road, picking up disconnected ideas wherever she finds them.’ Boyd was a fierce critic, and an advocate of good design. He understood the significance of the connection between people and their dwellings, and argued passionately for a national architecture forged from a genuine Australian identity. His concerns are as important now, in an era of sustainability, suburban sprawl and inner-city redevelopment, as they were half a century ago. Caustic and brilliant, The Australian Ugliness is a masterpiece that enables us to see our surroundings with fresh eyes.