McFarland Seeks Proposals For Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium Books
McFarland is seeking proposals by May 1, 2011, for the next topics in its series on historic ballparks, the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium.
McFarland, a leading publisher of books on baseball history, is pleased to announce the next topics in its series on historic ballparks: Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium.
A prospective volume editor or team of editors is required to submit a proposal packet by May 1, 2011, that includes the following materials:
- A cover letter of not more than 500 words describing the editor’s or team of editors’ interest in the volume subject and background in baseball history research.
- An annotated table of contents which addresses the established guidelines for individual volumes in the series (see Guidelines below).
- A resume or curriculum vitae for each editor.
- A sample of published writing on baseball history.
Forbes Field: Essays and Memories of the Pirates’ Historic Ballpark, 1909-1971, edited by David Cicotello and Angelo J. Louisa and published in 2007, has been designated as Volume 1 in the series. Currently, volumes on Ebbets Field (edited by John Zinn and Paul Zinn), Comiskey Park (edited by Floyd Sullivan), and Tiger Stadium (edited by Frank Rashid, Michael Betzold, John Pastier, and William Dow) are under way.
Guidelines:
An individual volume in the series should reflect the current state of scholarship on lost ballparks: i.e., be a multicontributor work consisting of secondary writings about the ballpark and firsthand accounts of experiences at the ballpark. While Forbes Field is one example of achieving that objective, an editor or team of editors must present in the proposal a vision for the designated volume and describe a plan to execute that vision through the annotated table of contents.
Topics for consideration in the table of contents may include, but are not limited to, a profile of the franchise and its ownership; the construction of the ballpark; highlights of the major tenant of the park; the final game of the major tenant; black baseball (if relevant); prominent nonbaseball sports; the historical dimensions and configurations of the park; and a numerical review. Though recollections of primary sources (players, fans, and media, for example) are expected, the material may be collected and presented in various ways. Other noteworthy subjects are welcome, such as if a team of the AAGPBL played its schedule in the park.
Also, an editor or team of editors is advised to select and organize a range of images related to the ballpark’s history and to anticipate that the published product will be similar in length and format to Forbes Field.
Contact Information:
Materials are to be submitted in hard copy to:
David Cicotello and Angelo J. Louisa
MTSU Box 118
1301 East Main St.
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
E-mail can be sent to the series editors at historicballparks@cox.net.
Originally published: March 9, 2011. Last Updated: March 9, 2011.