Karen E. Hudson

Karen Grigsby Bates

A newly revised modern manual of manners and etiquette that has become an African American classic. Unlike the more traditional etiquette books that many African Americans may find stodgy, off-putting, and culturally alien, The New Basic Black is for real people who live real lives—and it addresses many of the issues of a growing black middle class. Straightforward, user-friendly, and illustrated with line drawings, The New Basic Black includes all the information any well-mannered person would want to know about the social rites of passage (marriage, birth, christening, death), the corporate workplace (standard work issues and the more delicate issue of race and its impact on a work environment), various occasions (having guests or being a guest at a summer home, etc.), and everyday rules and rituals that make living in hectic times a little easier. The revised edition of The New Basic Black also contains the intricacies of Internet etiquette, tips for travel in the post-9/11 age, and a wealth of other invaluable information that will make life more comfortable. For singles and families alike, The New Basic Black takes the mystery out of conventional etiquette and will arm the reader with confidence in any situation.

Home Training for Modern Times

The New Basic Black

Paul R. Williams

One of the most important Los Angeles architects, Paul R. Williams' prolific career extended from the 1920s to the 1970s. His vast body of built work stretches across the world from Paris and Colombia to Washington, D.C., New York, and Memphis. However, the Los Angeles area was his personal and professional focus. Overcoming incredible prejudice in an all-white field, Williams became the first African American admitted to the A.I.A and designed over 3,000 projects, including the Jetsons-like theme building at Los Angeles International Airport, Saks Fifth Avenue and W. & J. Sloane's department stores in Beverly Hills, the famous Beverly Hills and Ambassador hotels, and renowned celebrity haunts, such as Chasen's and Perino's restaurants. He also designed mansions for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Tyrone Power, William "Bojangles" Robinson, Lon Chaney, and other entertainers. While Williams had extraordinary facility with the historical styles popular in southern California at the time, he was equally adept at modern design, as seen in his work for Fisk and Howard universities, Saint Jude Hospital in Memphis, and several banks, churches, and country clubs. Karen E. Hudson, a third-generation Angeleno, is the granddaughter of Paul R. Williams and director of his archives. She chronicles the African-American experience in Los Angeles in writings and photographs. David Gebhard, the renowned historian, was a professor of architectural history and Curator of the Architectural Drawing Collection of the Art Museum at the University of Santa Barbara. Call-out: The first architectural monograph of Williams' extraordinary and inspiring achievements.

A Legacy of Style

Paul R. Williams, Architect

The first architectural monograph covering the first African-American member and Fellow of the A.I.A. who designed over 3,000 projects from the 1920s to the 1970s. 200 illustrations, 100 in color.

Karen E. Hudson

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