Harold Patton maintains the largest
private collection of
black literature in
the nation - some 20,000
books at last count.
His
Studio City home contains works ranging from
17th century
poetry by former
slave Phillis Wheatley to late
20th century novels by
Terry McMillan.
He owns rare
first editions by
authors such as
Zora Neale Hurston,
Jean Toomer,
James Baldwin and poet
Langston Hughes.
The oldest book in the collection was Wheatley's ``Poems on
Various Subjects,'' published in
1773.
Patton began collecting books as a child, starting with the
``Little Big Books'' series. He started focusing on black
literature during the
1950s, when he spent a few months living in
Paris and met Baldwin.
As one-time
stage manager for singer
Ray Charles, Patton traveled the globe collecting books. One of Patton's most treasured possessions is his
leather-bound
journal that held 200 authors'
signatures, including those of Baldwin,
McMillan,
Alex Haley and
Maya Angelou.