Interesting Book Pickup

[Jason19th]

I just picked up a book that I would guess that even Max doesn't know about. Published in 1950, Behold Thy Brother is a novella that tells a Jackie Robinson type story but sets it in 1945 and tells the tale of young black pitcher Washington Hurt. I update in a couple of days how good of a read it is.

[baseballart]

Jason

You would be incorrect

[baseballart]

From Behold Thy Brother to The Plated City, 1896, New York Times review

"Skill with a Difficult Theme.; THE PLATED CITY. By Bliss Perry. New-York: Charles Scribner's Sons. $1.25.


The color line always is a distressing topic, never to be dismissed, always dramatic, often coarsened by overvehemence. Mr. Bliss Perry, in "The Plated City," has shown marked powers of discernment and has treated a difficult subject with uncommon skill. It is the doubt about Esther Beaulieu, whether or not black blood runs in her veins, which makes her life so pathetic."

[Jason19th]

Max I will never doubt you again. Is that your copy of Plated City. I have only seen one copy for sale (at a ridiculous price from an online bookseller). "Plated" is another book that really should get a lot more attention as important early baseball fiction

Also to take the baseball and race theme back a bit further I have attached a picture from the serialized version of "The Fair Port Nine" published in 1880 in St. Nicholas Magazine. In this version one of the characters is black- I am not sure if this survived the later editions of the story

[baseballart]

Jason

Yes, it's my copy of The Plated City. I don't think the book is that rare, but I imagine many copies lie in the dusty shelves of booksellers who haven't yet listed their copies on-line. It's baseball motif on the cover is understated, so perhaps that's the reason.

I know of a few collectors who have a copy.

As for the illustration in The Fairport Nine, I believe it is in later editions, although I'll have to check to confirm. There were at least a few editions published, including one renamed as The Boys of Fairport.

Max