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Mary Jo Arnoldi and Christine Mullen Kreamer.  Crowning Achievements: African Arts of Dressing the Head.  Los Angeles, CA: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles, 1995.  (192 pp.)

Crowning Achievements studies the design and aesthetics of African headwear and their broader societal and cultural roles.  Dr. Mary Jo Arnoldi is a faculty member at the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History; Dr. Christin Mullen Kreamer is a faculty member of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute.  Crowning Achievements is an exhibit from the Fowler Museum of Cultural History that explores the history and manufacturing technology of African headwear.  

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Ingrid Banks.  Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciousness.  New York, NY: New York University Press, 2000.  (197 pp.)

Hair Matters is a theoretical study of Black women and the cultural, political and social meanings of their hair.  Ingrid Banks is an Associate Professor of Black Studies at Virginia Tech whose research covers racism, Black popular culture, and Black feminist theory.  The theory put forward in Hair Matters is based on interviews and focus group sessions with 61 Black females.

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Lonnice Brittenum Bonner.  Good Hair: For Colored Girls Who've Considered Weaves When the Chemicals Became too Ruff.  New York, NY: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1990. (122 pp.)

Good Hair is a 'how-to' book that helps the reader understand different processes of Afro hair care.  Lonnice Bonner has written three instructional books on hair care for Black women, including Plaited Glory and The Kitchen Beautician.  Good Hair is helpful because it looks at what hair is and anwers questions about why Black hair does what it does.

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Lonnice Brittenum Bonner.  Plaited Glory: For Colored Girls Who've Considered Braids, Locks, and Twists.  New York, NY: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1996. (122 pp.)

Plaited Glory is a 'how-to' book that helps the reader understand different methods and processes of care for braiding, locking, and twisting.  Lonnice Bonner has written three instructional books on hair care for Black women, including Good Hair and The Kitchen Beautician.  Plaited Glory is helpful because it provides step-by-step drawings and pictures of the braiding, locking, and twisting processes.

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Sylvia Ardyn Boone.  Radiance From the Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art.  New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1986.  (281 pp.)

Radiance From the Waters studies the cultural aesthetics and symbols of the Mende people of Sierra Leone.  Sylvia Boone has been a professor of Afro-American Studies, African Studies, art history, and also authored West African Travels: A Guide to People and Places.  This book provides insight into gender relations and cultural messages of a West African people.

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Ayana D Byrd and Lori L. Tharps.  Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America.  New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 2001.  (198 pp.)

Hair Story presents a social, political, and cultural chronology of the African-American experience through the lens of hair.  Ayana Byrd is a freelance writer for various major magazines and Lori Tharps is a correspondent at Entertainment Weekly magazine.  Hair Story locates the reflection of African Americans' political status in our hair.

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 Juliette Harris and Pamela Johnson, eds.  Tenderheaded: A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories.  New York, NY: Pocket Books, 2001.  (302 pp.)

Tenderheaded is a collection of essays about Black people's hair from 50 different authors.  Editors Juliette Harris is the editor of International Review of African-American Art and Pamela Johnson is a former senior editor and current columnist at Essence magazine.  Worth noting is the calendar marking on the cover illustration.

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Thomas Hayden and James Williams.  Milady's Black Cosmetology.  New York, NY: Milady Publishing Company, 1990.  (184 pp.)

Black Cosmetology is an instructional 'how-to' reference for all stages of hair styling and make up.  Milady Publishing was founded in 1927 when the owner traveled barbershop door to barber shop door in New York City selling his barbering book.  Black Cosmetology provides many pictures and drawings to support the instructions.

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Willie L Morrow.  400 Years Without a Comb: The Untold Story.  San Diego, CA: California Curl, 1973.  (220 pp.)

400 Years Without a Comb studies the effect the denial of sufficient hair care tools had on African slaves in America.  Willie Morrow has written more than 5 books and created more than 20 videos on barbering, styling, and the history of Black hair.  400 Years Without a Comb locates the origin of the good hair/bad hair argument in the days of and following slavery.

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