Blackball Tales

“Blackball Stars [winner of the Casey Award as best baseball book of 1989] is a wonderful collection of profiles of the great stars of the black leagues, an indispensable addition to the history of baseball.” — Washington Post “An historically important, well-researched study.” —Publishers Weekly “First rate. An important contribution to the literature of baseball.” —Christian Science Monitor. “I read with wonder and anger the things lost: Cool Papa Bell going from first base to home on a bunt; Josh Gibson at but… Holway has edited lngthy interviews into small storytelling go he must. The game begins to be played in the reader’s mind. It is the closest we can come to seeing them.” —New York Times on Voices From the Great Black Baseball Leagues. “It is more than a collection of baseball biographies. Its strength is Holway’s ability to recreate the aura of this time through colorful anecdotes and player reminiscences.” —San Francisco Chronicle “In The Complete Book of the Negro Leagues Holway, one of the deans of black baseball history, provides the most complete statistical study yet of the game’s segregated half, the obvious by-product of painstaking research.” —Library Journal “John Holway’s statistics prove the greatness of the Negro League players. Now, we can truly call baseball the National Pastime.” —Ken Burns “A compelling story and a must-read for all baseball fans.” —Allan ‘Bud’ Selig, Commissioner of baseball. “Holway is the granddaddy of researchers on black baseball. Even other authorities will learn something on each page, A must-read for every student and historian.” —Robert Peterson, author of Only the Ball Was White. “The Complete Book is a culmination of three decades of dedicated research by the man who knows more about Negro baseball history than any writer ever.” — Royce “Crash” Parr, author of Glory Days of Summer. “Mr Holway has woven these stories into an important and inspirational work. He wisely allows the veterans ample room to tell their tales in their own words, and they provide keen insights into both social and aviation history.” —Publishers Weekly on Red Tails, Black Wings “The author’s prior experience at collecting oral history and bringing to life the past shines through in this 340-page collection of recollections, many of them vivid and personal. An engaging collection. Essential American history.” —The Book Reader on Red Tails, Black Wings “An absorbing account of living American history. A highly recommended addition to Black Studies and Military Studies reading lists and history collections.” —The Bookwatch