What began as The Black Book (1972–1978), a Baltimore-based bookstore founded by W. Paul Coates, soon evolved into Black Classic Press (BCP). Established in 1978, BCP specializes in republishing obscure and significant works by and about people of African descent. BCP Digital Printing was founded in 1995 as a parallel entity of the Press, producing books and documents on demand, and placing Black Classic Press on the forefront of 21st-century print and publishing technology.
As a former African American Studies Manuscript and Reference Librarian at Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, W. Paul Coates was responsible for the collection and acquisition of African American books and related materials, including the selection and purchase of rare and non-rare items. A former member of the Black Panther Party, he led the effort to establish the Black Panther Archives at Howard.
Mr. Coates is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University’s School of Library and Information Studies and Sojourner-Douglass College (SDC), from which he received an honorary PhD in 2015. He is an active Black bibliophile and collector of cultural artifacts. In 2025, The Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard University acquired a collection from him and his wife, Rosalyn, of over 1,000 volumes focused on African American, African diaspora, and African cookbooks. He was a founding member and chair of the National Association of Black Book Publishers. In addition, he served as an adjunct instructor of African American Studies at SDC. He formerly owned and operated The Black Book from 1972–1978, a Baltimore-based bookstore. His experience with the purchase, sale, and collection of books by and about Blacks is a love affair that has continued over six decades.