Black Baseball in New York City ─ An Illustrated History, 1885-1959

Focusing on the post–Civil War period through the 1950s, this richly illustrated history of New York's prominent black baseball clubs—some covered in detail for the first time—examines their social and economic impact on the national pastime. The author documents teams like the Cuban Giants, the Lincoln Stars/Giants and Brooklyn's original Bums, the Royal Giants, the Brown Dodgers, the Eagles and Manhattan's Black Yankees, as well as early integration Major League teams like the Dodgers, Yankees and Giants. Roughly 300 photos include rare images of players like Minnie Minoso, Ray Dandridge, Martin Dihigo, Satchel Paige, Willie Wells, Smokey Joe Williams, John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, Pete Hill, Spots Poles, Cannonball “Dick” Redding, Rap Dixon, George “Mule” Suttles, John Beckwith and Jose Mendez, along with such New York legends as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Don Newcombe, Joe Black, Monte Irvin and Elston Howard.

Noted Negro League historian and author of eight books, Larry Lester has contributed to more than 175 books, dissertations, and theses on black sports history. Based in Kansas City, he was co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and currently chairman of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, and the 2016 recipient of SABR’s Henry Chadwick Award, to honor baseball’s greatest researchers. Since 1998, Lester has hosted the annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, the only academic symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination and promotion of black baseball history. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.