Julius Anderson

Julius Anderson, the first African-American salesman in the trade book industry, died May 1. He was 85. Anderson—whose particular interest was promoting books by African American writers—worked for 40 years in the book trade, mostly for Lyle Stuart; its successor, Carol Publishing; and ultimately for Barricade Books. Anderson traveled the country without benefit of a car and made his way through cities like Los Angeles using public transportation. He began promoting titles by African Americans long before imprints devoted to African-American writers became a common occurrence.