Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 312
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-1-5381-3984-4 • Hardback • April 2020 • $37.00 • (£28.00)
978-1-5381-3985-1 • eBook • April 2020 • $35.00 • (£27.00)
James Overmyer writes and lectures on baseball history, primarily on black baseball. He is a member of the Negro Leagues Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research and was a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame special committee that elected Manley and other black baseball figures to the Hall. Overmyer is the author of the first edition of Queen of the Negro Leagues (1998), Black Ball and the Boardwalk: The Bacharach Giants of Atlantic City (2014) and Cum Posey of the Homestead Grays: A Biography of the Negro Leagues Owner and Hall of Famer (2020).
Foreword
Introduction
1: Introducing Effa
2: Opening (and Closing) in Brooklyn
3: The Team and the Town
4: Getting to Be at Home
5: The Business of Black Baseball
6: The Manleys for Reform
7: World War II, and Other Battles
8: The Championship Season
9: Good-bye to the Queen
10: Still Fighting
Appendix A: Effa’s Competition—The Other Owners of Black Teams
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
An inspiring story of a figure who triumphed over both gender and racial discrimination to become a baseball legend. (Previous Edition Praise)— USA Today Baseball Weekly
A brilliant book on a surprisingly overlooked moment in baseball history. (Previous Edition Praise)— Vintage and Classic Baseball Collector
For far too long, the stories of many of black baseball’s players, managers, and executives have gone untold, including Effa Manley’s story…. In Queen of the Negro Leagues, Overmyer composes a commendable and well researched account of Manley’s extraordinary life…. The dual-faceted portrayal of Manley as a tough-as-nails businesswoman, as well as a tireless advocate for the oppressed and downtrodden, is one of the most fascinating aspects of Overmyer’s work…. All in all, Overmyer hits a grand slam with Queen of the Negro Leagues. Its celebration of the life of Manley appeals to anyone interested not just in the history of baseball, but in black history, women’s history, and American history as well. (Previous Edition Praise)— Black Ball: A Journal of the Negro Leagues
Overmyer’s narrative reveals the essence of the blackest white woman in a league the color of midnight. Discover this Queen’s hidden truths in this scintillating read about her journey as a team owner.— Larry Lester, chairman of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee and co-author of The Negro Leagues Book, Volume 2: The Players
Overmyer depicts the life of a unique woman who played a significant role in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s and 40s. This updated edition includes new details about the baseball executive who broke barriers throughout her life.— Amy Essington, author, The Integration of the Pacific Coast League: Race and Baseball in the West
This book recounts the full life of Hall of Fame owner Effa Manley, a story most are unfamiliar with. This new edition provides details about her early life that had previously not been known, talks about her election to the Hall in 2006, and updates information about the Negro Leagues themselves. This is a must-have book for any baseball fan.— Leslie Heaphy, vice president, Society for American Baseball Research, associate professor, Kent State University at Stark, and author of The Negro Leagues, 1869-1960
Queen of the Negro Leagues presents the reader with a lively account of a central figure in the history of black baseball. It brings to life, both for scholars and the general reading public, a story that is well worth telling—needs to be told—and is told so well. Overmyer sheds a brilliant light on where this remarkable woman fits into the history of our national pastime, and in his telling of Effa Manley's story gives us an enduring contribution to American culture, memory, and to the history of our nation's premier sport.— Lawrence Hogan, author of The Forgotten History of African American Baseball and producer of the documentary Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson: Black Baseball in America in the Era of the Color Line
• Winner, Named a Best Baseball Book of 2020 (Sports Collectors Digest, 2020)