SABR Digital Library: Jackie Robinson: Perspectives on 42
Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library:
Jackie: Perspectives on 42
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks
Associate editors: Carl Riechers and Len Levin
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-9701-5950-9, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9701-5951-6, $29.95
8.5″ x 11″, 324 pages
No one can doubt the immense courage shown by Jackie Robinson when he took his position at Ebbets Field on Tuesday afternoon, April 15, 1947. The first play of the game was a ground ball to third base, and Robinson, playing first, took the throw to make the first putout.
It wasn’t just the one moment that was important, of course, but the ongoing significance of his presence on the field. Robinson was the first Black American to play what was then defined as major-league baseball at a time when baseball was dominant in American culture — truly the National Pastime — but an institution which had been segregated by race.
After Robinson completed his 10-year Hall of Fame playing career, the six-time All-Star with a lifetime on-base percentage of .409 took his rightful place in Cooperstown.
Perhaps it is true that celebrating Jackie Robinson’s courageous role in integration can sometimes reduce him to a symbol, over-simplify his complex grappling with the racial issues of his day, and turn him into a convenient and self-congratulatory icon celebrated by Major League Baseball today. But, in fact, he was — and remains — a meaningful and inspirational symbol. The articles in this book look beyond the oft-told tale of April 15, 1947, and examine many facets of Robinson’s life and career, including his military service, role in the civil rights movement, and his post-baseball career moves.
Almost all of the articles in Jackie were written specifically for this book. Some 54 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) contributed their work as authors and editors to bring together a book that offers a variety of perspectives on “42.”
Contributors include: Jack Anderson, Gary Belleville, Nathan Bierma, Dave Bohmer, César Brioso, Thomas J. Brown Jr., John Burbridge Jr., Frederick C. Bush, Ralph Carhart, Joshua M. Casper, Alan Cohen, Warren Corbett, Mary E. Corey, Joe Cox, Richard Cuicchi, Paul E. Doutrich, Peter Dreier, Eric Enders, Jeff English, Rob Fitts, Brian Frank, Vince Guerrieri, Mark Harnischfeger, Leslie Heaphy, Paul Hofmann, Mike Huber, David Krell, Steven Kuehl, Chris Lamb, Kevin Larkin, Bob LeMoine, Larry Lester, Len Levin, Andy McCue, Robert Nash, Bill Nowlin, Richard J. Puerzer, Carl Riechers, C. Paul Rogers III, Blake W. Sherry, Mark Simon, Wayne Soini, Glen Sparks, Lyle Spatz, Marc Steiner, Mark S. Sternman, Bryan Steverson, Rick Swaine, Bob Webster, Steven C. Weiner, Steven K. Wisensale, Gregory H. Wolf, Brian Wright, and William A. Young.
SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!
- E-book: Click here to download the e-book version of Jackie: Perspectives on 42 for FREE from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, Kindle/MOBI and EPUB formats.
- Paperback: Get a 50% discount on the Jackie: Perspectives on 42 paperback edition from the SABR Store ($17.95 includes shipping/tax; delivery via Kindle Direct Publishing can take up to 4-6 weeks.)
Buy the book
- E-book: Click here to download the e-book version of Jackie: Perspectives on 42 for $9.99 from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, Kindle/MOBI and EPUB formats.
- Paperback: Get the paperback edition of Jackie: Perspectives on 42 from the SABR Store ($34.95 includes shipping/tax; delivery via Kindle Direct Publishing can take up to 4-6 weeks.)
About the SABR Digital Library
For more than 40 years, SABR and its members have led the way in publishing the best baseball historical and statistical research. Our publications program is shifting to take advantage of new methods of publishing. Not only will we continue to publish new books like Can He Play? A Look At Baseball Scouts and Their Profession (2011); Sweet ’60: The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates (2013); Inventing Baseball: The 100 Greatest Games of the 19th Century (2013); Scandal on the South Side: The 1919 Chicago White Sox (2015); Nuclear Powered Baseball/The Simpsons (2016), Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos (2016); Cuban Baseball Legends (2016); No-Hitters (2017); Major League Baseball A Mile High: The First Quarter Century of the Colorado Rockies (2018), The Pride of Smoketown: The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords (2020), and From Rube to Robinson (2021), which showcase the best efforts of SABR’s members, chapters and committees, but new technology makes it possible for us to bring out-of-print titles like Nineteenth Century Stars (2012); The Fenway Project (2013); The 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox: Pandemonium on the Field (2017); Go-Go to Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox (2019); and Green Cathedrals (2020) back again.
Books will be available in digital formats as well as paperbacks produced by “print on demand” (POD).
SABR members can download all Digital Library e-book editions for free and save 50% on purchase of the paperback editions. If you’re not a member, click here to join SABR.
Stay tuned throughout the year for new (and old!) titles that we’ll be adding to the SABR Digital Library. To learn more about SABR Publications, contact Publications Editor Cecilia Tan at ctan@sabr.org.
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Originally published: April 15, 2021. Last Updated: April 14, 2021.