Black Ball: New Research in African American Baseball History

For More Information: Reviews Back Issues Submissions Style Guide Editorial Board & Staff

Under the guidance of Leslie Heaphy and an editorial board of leading historians, this peer-reviewed, annual book series offers new, authoritative research on all subjects related to black baseball, including the Negro major and minor leagues, teams, and players; pre–Negro League organization and play; barnstorming; segregation and integration; class, gender, and ethnicity; the business of black baseball; and the arts.

Prior to Volume 9,  Black Ball was published as Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal.

Reviews

“The editorial board is impressive…should appeal to a large audience” – Serials Solutions

“Great articles…excellent book reviews” – The Courier

Back Issues 

Back issues are available to order from our online catalog, or by phone at 800-253-2187.

Volume 1, Number 1
Volume 1, Number 2
Volume 2, Number 1
Volume 2, Number 2
Volume 3, Number 1
Volume 3, Number 2
Volume 4, Number 1
Volume 4, Number 2
Volume 5, Number 1
Volume 5, Number 2
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9

Submissions

The editor invites articles on all subjects related to black baseball, including but not limited to Negro major and minor leagues, teams, and players; pre-Negro League organization and play; barnstorming; segregation and integration; class, gender, and ethnicity; the business of black baseball; and the arts. A wide range of disciplinary perspectives and methodologies are welcome. Articles should generally run between 2,000 and 7,000 words, exclusive of the required endnotes and abstract, and should be submitted to the editor as either double-spaced hard copy and disk or as an email attachment in Microsoft Word. Be sure to include a 100 to 150-word abstract and a 75-word biographical statement with any article submission. Editorial decisions will be sent out within 60 days of manuscript receipt.

Submit all manuscripts and editorial inquiries about Black Ball to:
Leslie Heaphy
Editor, Black Ball
Kent State University, Stark
6000 Frank Road
North Canton OH 44720
lheaphy@kent.edu

Send books for review to:
Thomas Aiello
Department of History
1500 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta, GA 31698
taiello@valdosta.edu

Style Guide

Style
Articles should be prepared according to The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition. Avoid contractions, first- or second-person pronouns, one- and two-sentence paragraphs, repetition, and jargon. Italicize as needed but refrain from using headline-style all-caps and reserve bolding for headings and subheadings. Except in quotations, render special terms according to modern convention (e.g., “World Series” instead of “world’s series”). All articles accepted for publication are subject to editorial changes.

Reference Citations
As a research journal, Black Ball places great importance on documentation. Source citations, in the form of endnotes, and a bibliography are required, and each should be saved in a file separate from the text. While many primary sources appropriate for quotation in Black Ball lie in the public domain, written permissions may be required for materials either unpublished or published after 1922.

Illustrations
Illustrations related in some meaningful way to the article topic are considered. Good-quality prints or scans (300 dpi or greater, at full size) and all necessary permissions must be provided to the editor at the time of article delivery. All illustrations will be reproduced in black and white. Black Ball does not include sidebars.

Editorial Board & Staff

About the Editor
Leslie A. Heaphy is an associate professor of history and an award-winning author and editor of numerous books about baseball.