Ed Bolden and Black Baseball in Philadelphia

A native of the Philadelphia area and an avid Philadelphia sports fan, Courtney Michelle Smith is an associate professor of history and political science at Cabrini University in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

• Table of ContentsIntroductionOne. A Team in Darby, 1911–1919Two. The Rise, 1920–1925Three. The Fall, 1925–1930Four. Wilderness and Return, 1931–1933Five. At the Summit, 1934Six. Conflict All Around, 1935–1939Seven. The War, 1940–1945Eight. Twilight Time, 1946–1953ConclusionChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

“Smith has written the go-to book on Bolden”—NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture; “Remarkably well researched, written, organization and presented...impressive...unreservedly recommended”—Midwest Book Review; “Smith contributes to our knowledge of the history of black baseball with this examination of the Negro Leagues in Philadelphia, tracing the rise and fall of teams and leagues through the life of Ed Bolden, a manager, owner and league executive whose career spanned baseball’s transition from segregation to integration.”—Amy Essington, California State University, Fullerton; “A story worth reading, and one that will introduce readers to a significant but lesser-known figure in Negro League history, Ed Bolden. Smith weaves Bolden’s baseball story both through Philadelphia’s African American history and through Negro Leagues history stretching far beyond Philadelphia.”—Leslie Heaphy, editor, Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal; “Author Courtney Michelle Smith has written a short but important text to fill a gap in the literature related to black baseball.”—The Inside Game (SABR Deadball Era Committee Newsletter).