Busby, Margaret

BIOGHIST REQUIRED Margaret Busby (Nana Akua Ackon I) was born in Ghana and educated in Britain where she earned a degree in English from London University. Shortly after graduating, Busby, along with Clive Allison, co-founded the publishing house Allison & Busby making Busby the first black female publisher in the United Kingdom.

Allison & Busby began as a small publishing house dedicated to producing affordable poetry books, but soon branched out into novels and political writing as well as poetry. Included in their catalog were several books by the Trinidadian scholar, Marxist, social critic, and cricket enthusiast C.L.R. James, including The Black Jacobins, C.L. R. James: His Life and Work edited by Paul Buhle, Cricket, and three volumes of James's selected writings.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED Busby remained the Editorial Director of Allison & Busby for 20 years, leaving to take the position of Editorial Director with Earthscan in 1987 when she and Allison sold Allison & Busby to a larger house. Busby stayed until 1990, and since then has focused on her career as a journalist, critic, and broadcaster.

From the guide to the Margaret Busby papers, 1978-1989, (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library)