Book

The Negro Leagues Book

by Dick Clark, Larry Lester

📖 Overview

The Negro Leagues Book provides comprehensive statistics and records from Negro League baseball during the segregation era of 1920-1960. The volume contains game-by-game data, player statistics, and team records that were previously scattered or lost to history. The book includes biographical information on hundreds of players, managers, and executives who shaped Negro League baseball. Photographs, newspaper clippings, and firsthand accounts help document this significant period in baseball and American history. The research draws from primary sources including scorebooks, newspaper archives, and interviews with former players and their families. Special attention is paid to documenting league structures, ballparks, championships, and the business operations of teams. This statistical compilation serves as both a historical record and a statement on racial segregation in American sports. The data and stories preserved in these pages help restore Negro League achievements to their rightful place in baseball's narrative.

👀 Reviews

Not enough public reader reviews exist to create a comprehensive summary of reader opinions for The Negro Leagues Book by Dick Clark and Larry Lester. While the book is referenced in academic works and baseball research, it has minimal presence on consumer review sites like Goodreads and Amazon. What limited reviews exist note: Positives: - Detailed statistical records and player data - Historical team photos and documentation - Year-by-year standings for Negro League teams - Player biographies Critiques: - Out of print and difficult to find - High resale prices ($200+ for used copies) The book has no ratings on Goodreads and is not currently listed on Amazon. Baseball historians and researchers cite it as a reference source in academic papers and baseball research articles, but public reader feedback is scarce online.

📚 Similar books

Only the Ball Was White by David Margolick A comprehensive history of Black baseball in America from the 1920s through integration, with statistics, player profiles, and team records.

Shades of Glory by Lawrence D. Hogan The story of the Negro Leagues from their formation through their decline includes player accounts, newspaper coverage, and previously unpublished photographs.

We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson A collection of Negro League history told through art and narratives captures the experiences of players, owners, and fans during segregated baseball.

The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski Buck O'Neil's firsthand account provides insight into the Negro Leagues through stories of players, games, and life on the road.

The Negro Baseball Leagues by Phil Dixon and Patrick J. Hannigan A reference guide presents team histories, player biographies, statistics, and photographs from the Negro League era.

🤔 Interesting facts

🏆 The Negro Leagues Book is considered the most comprehensive statistical record ever published about African American baseball leagues from 1862 through 1960. ⚾ Many of the statistics in the book were reconstructed through painstaking research of old newspapers, as official records were often not kept or were lost to time. 👥 Dick Clark and Larry Lester founded the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's Hall of Fame Committee and spent decades gathering the data presented in their book. 📊 The book includes details of more than 400 players' careers, documenting previously unknown achievements of legends like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Cool Papa Bell. 🗞️ Several statistics in the book challenged long-held baseball myths, including proving that some Negro League teams had better winning percentages against Major League teams than previously believed when they played exhibition games against each other.