ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 24, 2005 - ProQuest Information and Learning has released the African Writers Series, a digital resource providing single-point access to the premier texts for research on 20th Century African Literature. African Writers Series is published by ProQuest's Chadwyck-Healey unit. The collection includes a variety of frequently studied texts as well as important lesser-known, works of African literature, together with specially commissioned biographies. ProQuest Information and Learning is an electronic publisher of content for libraries and educational institutions worldwide.

African Writers Series is based upon the collection begun by the Heinemann African Writers Series.  Founded in 1962 with the aim of publishing writing by black African writers for an African readership, the Heinemann series grew as African nations won independence and leading writers began to forge distinctive national literatures throughout the continent. The series includes published work by major authors from this period as well as classic earlier texts and new writing, creating a unique literature resource for African cultural history.

“We’re very proud to continue and expand upon the legacy built by the Heinemann African Writers Series,” said Mary Sauer-Games, ProQuest’s vice-president of publishing for Chadwyck-Healey.  “African Writers Series revives these works through digital access for a new generation of students and researchers.

Because of its unique contribution to African cultural scholarship, African Writers Series will be provided free of charge or at reduced prices to higher education institutions throughout Africa.  The product offers digital access to a core collection of definitive works -- two thirds of which has been out-of-print and unavailable to researchers until now.  Biographies have been specially commissioned for each author in the series.  Among the key authors and works are:

• Mongo Beti (Missionto Kala, The Poor Christ of Bomba)
• Ama Ata Aidoo (The Girl Who Can)
• Steve Biko (I Write What I Like)
• Dennis Brutus (Letters to Martha, A Simple Lust)
• Buchi Emecheta (The Joys of Motherhood, Bride Price)
• W.P.B. Botha (A Duty of Memory, Wantok)

Most of the works from this collection are still in copyright.  Each text is double re-keyed to insure more than 99.97% accuracy.   Original pagination is preserved, and the page layout of poems is reproduced as accurately as possible. Scanned images have also been used as a supplement to the keyed text for illustrations, figures and unusual page layouts. 

African Writers Series’ sophisticated search capabilities allow text analyses of key African novels together with selected poems, plays, and nonfiction, supporting both teaching and research. All authors in the collection are indexed by gender, nationality and dates of birth/death. All texts are indexed by details of first publication (date, place, publisher and language) and details of first publication in the Heinemann African Writers Series .

African Writers Series is one of series of recent products from Chadwyck-Healey that provide digital access to great literature collections.  Others include Twentieth Century Drama, American Drama, Canadian Poetry, and Early American Fiction.  All are available as standalone databases or fully integrated with Literature Online™. As an integrated collection with Literature Online, each product allows faculty and researchers to cross-search with 350,000 works from Literature Online and to access relevant reference works, literary criticism, related texts and current works from literary journals.

For More Information about African Writers Series or any ProQuest product, visit on the Web at www.proquest.com or call 800-521-0600.

About ProQuest
ProQuest creates specialized information resources and technologies that propel successful research, discovery, and lifelong learning. A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the expertise of such respected brands as Chadwyck-Healey™, UMI®, SIRS®, and eLibrary®. With Serials Solutions®, Ulrich's™, RefWorks®, COS™, Dialog® and now Bowker® part of the ProQuest brand family, the company supports the breadth of the information community with innovative discovery solutions that power the business of books and the best in research experience.

More than a content provider or aggregator, ProQuest is an information partner, creating indispensable research solutions that connect people and information. Through innovative, user-centered discovery technology, ProQuest offers billions of pages of global content that includes historical newspapers, dissertations, and uniquely relevant resources for researchers of any age and sophistication—including content not likely to be digitized by others. Inspired by its customers and their end users, ProQuest is working toward a future that blends information accessibility with community to further enhance learning and encourage lifelong enrichment.

For more information, visit www.proquest.com or the ProQuest parent company website, www.cambridgeinformationgroup.com.