Black Majesty: The Life of Christophe, King of Haiti

Vandercook's biography of Henri Christophe, Black Majesty: The Life of Christophe, King of Haiti is an outdated text ruined by the author's racial biases. Although very readable and beautifully illustrated, the 1928 publication is weakened by a lack of detail, racial stereotypes of blacks in the tropics as lazy, and false statements (Dessalines was not born in Africa, but Vandercook believes that to be the case). One gets the impression from reading Vandercook that blacks wanted an out from Christophe's rule because of their innate idleness.