Black Springs Press

Black Springs Press is a small but important (fictional) book publishing company established in 1920 in New York City. Robert J. Lamont of New Orleans, Louisiana, and William H. Carver of Boston, Massachusetts, founded it.

Robert J. Lamont
1895-1970

William H. Carver
1896-1986

Authors, First Wave (1920-1945)

Henry V. Mathews
1890-1975

Miller Harris
1896-1988

Henry Young Sr.

1897-1944

Zelmer Hoffman
1898-1978

Josephine Carter

1907-1993

The first wave, called "the Founding Five," of authors at Black Springs Press were Henry V. Mathews, Henry Young Sr., Miller Harris, Zelmer Hoffman, and Josephine Carter. It was because of them that Black Springs Press grew from only publishing one book in 1920 (Henry V. Mathews' third novel) to fifty books in 1945. Four of them were close friends (Miller Harris, Zelmer Hoffman, Henry Young Sr., & Josephine Carter). They were members of the famous "Paris Six" (the French cabaret singer Renee Lambert & the Dominican dancer Bella Cuevas were the two other members).

Authors, Second Wave (1946-1970)

Heinrich Zimmerman
1893-1975

Rachel J. Bell
1913-1993

Richard J. Mathews
1914-1999

Neva Reinhart
1919-2002

In September 1945, the four remaining authors of "The Founding Five" (Henry Young Sr. was killed on June 12, 1944, in Northern France) retired from writing, with Josephine devoting her free time to raising her son, Miller became a high school English teacher in Haleyville, Alabama, Henry Mathews became a journalist, and Zelmer remaining in the U.S. Army. The second wave started the following year when Heinrich Zimmerman, the former professor of literature at the University of Munich, became an author. He was only the first of four authors to take up the mantle of "The Founding Five." The other three authors who made up the second wave (nicknamed "The Trailblazers") were Rachel J. Bell (Henry Young's widow), Richard J. Mathews (Henry Mathews' only son), and Neva Reinhart (Heinrich's stepdaughter). They were able to keep Black Springs Press growing, making it one of America's most important book publishers.

Authors, Third Wave (1970-1995)

Joseph C. Daniels
1933-2014

Millie Harlow
1945-2020

Isabel B. Mathews
1938-2018

Zadie Hoffman
1946-2024

Henry Young Jr.
1944-2017

Frida Kirsch
1951-

The third wave of authors earned the nickname "the Rebels." Henry Young Jr ( Henry Young Sr's & Rachel Bell's only son) and Joseph C. Daniels (Henry's old high school English teacher) were two of the best-selling authors in America during the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. Isabel Mathews (Henry V. Mathews' daughter) and Frida Kirsch (Neva Reinhart's daughter), both literature professors, became two of the best-selling nonfiction authors in America in the 1970s and the 1980s (including the 1990s). Zadie Hoffman (Zelmer Hoffman's niece) became one of the best-selling German authors in the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. Millie Harlow became one of the best-selling authors in the U.K. and the USA in the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s.

Authors, Fourth Wave (1995-2020)

Jasper Raymond Walker
1953-1999

Michelle Connor
1972-

Henry Ray Daniels
1975-

Billie Carver
1968-2001

Bobbie Lamont
1968-

Miller Hoffman
1973-

Rachel Young
1974-

The fourth wave of authors (who were called "the Misfits") began in 1995 when Jasper Walker's (former editor) and Billie Carver's (award-winning short story writer) debut novels were published. Two years later, in 1997, Rachel Young (Henry Young Jr's daughter) surprised the literary world when her memoir (about her father and grandfather) became a best-seller only a year after graduating from the University of Arkansas. The future seemed bright for Black Springs Press, and then, in less than two years, the literary world lost Jasper Walker (brain tumor, August 1999) and Billie Carver (killed on September 11, 2001). Four years later, two authors joined the Black Springs Press family. They were Michelle Connor in 2002 (journalism professor) and Bobbie Lamont in 2005 (former editor). Five years later, Miller Hoffman became an author when his debut novel was published (which would reunite him with Bobbie). The last author to join the fourth wave was Henry Ray Daniels. His memoir Heritage Road was published in August 2017 and became a best-seller (beating out Miller's second memoir, Next Best Thing).