Heroes of the Negro Leagues

by Jack Morelli, Mark Chiarello (Illustrator), Monte Irvin (Introduction)

First published as trading cards in 1990, these out-of-print watercolor images by award-winning artist Mark Chiarello are now collected for the first time in book form, along with incisive text by Jack Morelli and 39 brand-new images created especially for this book, including portraits of Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson. The legendary Negro Leagues are regarded with reverence and awe, and play a vital role in black history. The publication of these cards marked the first time most of these players ever appeared on baseball cards.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, if bare-bones, history of the Negro Leagues, via one page thumbnails with accompanying drawings of sixty-odd of the greatest personalities and players in the game. Some you know-- whether Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays or Negro League greats like Josh Gibson or Cool Papa Bell-- but others are a little more obscure. A good book, but again, fairly simple, and marred by some amazingly common math mistakes-- a guy's bio will say 1911-1952, and they say he died at only 39 years old, for instance. Worthwhile, but mostly for people newer to the subject or a good way for young readers to get a little background on a too-often-forgotten chapter of baseball history.

[Brooklyn Sr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book like this about our forgotten heroes, 5 stars

[Tom Roby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful watercolors evoke a nostalgic feel, which really works with this book. Each biography includes interesting anecdotes and is peppered with statistics in the narrative. I might have liked to have seen a statistic line with each player here, and some references, but those are minor points. This goes well in any baseball library and is a book to turn back to for a quick read on a player. The book includes a DVD (30 minutes) based on another book, "Only the Ball Was White."

[Greg L Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, well-written book with beautiful paintings by Mark Chiarello as the highlight. (Not sure why he isn't given the same co-author credit here as he has on the book.)
Book appears to be (inexplicably) out of print, representing an opportunity for an updated edition.

[April Helms · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 1990s, watercolor artist Mark Chiarelli made a series of baseball cards dedicated to the players who played in the Negro Leagues. The images of these cards have been compiled into a book, along with brief profiles of the players who played the sport during a time when the Major Leagues did not accept black players (indeed, one of the profiles includes Frank Grant, who was was named the Best Player in Buffalo History for his Major League playing - before being shown the door). There are 60 profiles in all, ranging from well-known greats such as Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige to those who might not be as well known. This is a good book for reluctant readers; the bios are short, barely a page, and the watercolor renderings of the players are gorgeous. This book also includes a DVD, Only The Ball Was White, which I plan to check out in the future.

[Cormacjosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of nice watercolour paintings of Negro League players with mini biographies on the facing page. The book comes with an interesting half hour DVD that contains a 1970’s era program of interviews with players. It is insightful. I think the book itself would have been improved by an appendix of statistics so that such assertions as “Josh Gibson was the black Ted Williams” could be backed up by numbers. But, its about baseball, and the pictures are beautifully done.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful watercolor portraits of Negro League (Any League)greats including early Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and not to forget Double Duty Radcliffe. A smallish book that qualifies as a great coffee table keeper. Hard to put down until you see every page. Short bios accompany the images. A favorite in my (huge) baseball book collection.

[Sidik Fofana · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Six Word Review) Talk about forgotten legends revived.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about players in the Negro Leagues. The book contains beautiful watercolor photos of each player. The book reads as a decl of playing cards.