By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

Not only will new-school audiences get a chance to see 'Roots,' Alex Haley's seminal TV mini-series -- at their leisure -- when a repackaged DVD set arrives at retail May 22, they will also get to experience it in its true literary form also.

Vanguard Press is publishing a special 30th anniversary commemorative edition of the real life epic, considered one of the most groundbreaking and important books ever written on race in America.

Renowned author and scholar Michael Eric Dyson provides the introduction for the 'Roots: The 30th Anniversary Edition,' which will also contain a special eight-page insert on the struggles Haley faced in his ten-year journey to get his book published, in the author's own words.

The eight-page insert is a transcription of an October 1991 talk to the employees of 'Reader's Digest,' where he was a contributor for more than 40 years and where the first excerpts from 'Roots' appeared two years before the book's publication, as part of the company's Distinguished Speakers Series.

Haley's ties with 'Reader's Digest' were deep: In 1966, Haley was having lunch with several editors of the publication, including co-founder Lila Achenson Wallace, when he told them about his dream to trace his family's lineage back to Africa; he left that lunch with a contract to help fund his research and writing.

First published in 1976, 'Roots' won the 1977 National Book award and a special Pulitzer Prize, going on to sell more than 10 million copies. In 1977, 'ROOTS: The Miniseries' made television history as it was watched, remarkably, by 130 million people.

Thirty years later, many young people have no knowledge of the impact of this monumental effort and how it changed the course of how slavery was depicted in mainstream America.
That's why efforts by Warner Books and Vanguard Press should be championed in the media.
But they're not the only ones doing their part in spreading the history.

The Cathy Hughes-founded TV One network re-aired the miniseries during Easter week.'Reader's Digest' is publishing a print-on-demand book of Haley's articles previously printed in their publication called 'Alex Haley: The Man Who Traced America's ROOTS,' with an accompanying DVD with audio from famous figures on what 'Roots' meant to them. Sony Reader will issue the title as an e-book, while BBC Audio will issue the first-ever audio book of 'Roots.'

Even major book sellers, including Borders and Wal-Mart, are treating the launch as they do bestsellers with robust promotion initiatives.

"These companies are coming together to give 'Roots' the reintroduction it deserves because the drama that unfolds in 'Roots' is the very drama of America's past," said Vanguard Press Vice President and Publisher Roger Cooper. "'Roots' has shed light on one of the darkest eras of our nation's past, all while touching the hearts of Americans of every stripe and providing a collective understanding of that history."

Though the current re-issue in trade paperback format, Vanguard is considering a new hardcover edition for fall 2007 that would include essays by prominent thinkers on 'Roots' and America 30 years later.

A smaller paperback edition is also a part of these discussions.

BV Extras:

FEEL THE ROOTS: Black Voices celebrates 'Roots.' See our gallery here.