Sol White's History of Colored Baseball with Other Documents on the Early Black Game, 1886–1936

by Sol White, Jerry Malloy (Introduction)

America and baseball are rediscovering the game played by African Americans before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. We now know a great deal about the Negro Leagues of 1920 on, and their great stars—Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and their contemporaries. But what of the pre-1920 black game? From the onset in the 1880s of the “gentleman’s agreement” that barred blacks from playing in white leagues, that game is nearly invisible. Financially shaky, with sporadic media coverage even in black newspapers and completely overlooked by the mainstream, Negro teams of this era played on for love of the game and in hopes that their skills would receive their due. In 1907, Sol White, a remarkable African-American ballplayer, successful manager, and baseball loyalist, wrote a small volume on the history of the black game. Part fund-raising effort, advertising brochure, team hype, celebration of black baseball, and throughout an implicit and explicit challenge to racism, Sol White’s History of Colored Base Ball is the source of much of what we know of the events in the organized black game of that time. The original was poorly printed, and copies are exceedingly rare (known and rumored copies number only four). This edition republishes the full 1907 edition (with the even rarer supplement), completely reset for legibility, and reproduces all the original’s illustrations, including the advertisements that speak volumes on the social world of the day. Fifteen additional documents from 1886 to 1936 augment the picture of the black game and our record of Sol White himself.

Genres: Baseball, History, Sports

190 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1995

Reviews

[RA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fabulous find - Sol White's 1907 book about the history of "Colored" baseball, in the 19th century is a revelation, showing the early history of integration, and then the banishment of black ballplayers from organized baseball.

Sol White was a storied player (1887- 1909) on many of the early iconic teams: the Pittsburgh Keystones, Washington Caps, Philadelphia New York Gorhams, York Cuban Giants, New York Big Gorhams, Cuban Giants, Cuban X-Giants . . .

But most of all, White was a historian. He presents a detailed account & evaluations of many of the early players and teams, and offers written accounts of the extreme hardships some players faced when playing with prejudiced white players.

This highly recommended for baseball fans, especially those who have read some of the Negro League history, and for historians in general to broaden their scope of knowledge about racial history.

[Rod Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt that this was a good compilation of documents that could serve as a good introduction for people wishing to learn more about the Negro Leagues and the history of African American baseball. As someone who played and managed teams, Sol White offers a unique perspective and is effective in recounting the earliest events in the history of African American baseball, especially prior to World War I.

[Carl Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! Sol White is a national treasure

[J atPeace-inthestorm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Sol White until an acquaintance loaned me this book knowing my favorite sport is baseball. Though the book is only part narrative and a lot of stats (it's baseball after all), I think anyone who enjoys baseball will take an interest in this book and some of the great baseball players that the mainstream never had the privilege to know.

[Daryl Grigsby]

this book is a fascinating look at black baseball written by Sol White, an African-American who played with the Philadephia Giants in the early 1900s - information on the early black teams, players; along with excellent photos, box scores and articles from those times. great info