Jackie Robinson.

"with best wishes and appreciation to a real American": Jackie Robinson; Inscribed by Robinson to New York City Mayor William O'Dwyer

Jackie Robinson.

ROEDER, Bill (Jackie Robinson).

Item Number: 70002

New York: A.S. Barnes & Co, 1950.

First edition of this early biography on Jackie Robinson. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Mayor William O’Dwyer with best wishes and appreciation to a real American, Jackie Robinson.” The recipient William O’Dwyer was a lawyer who became a national celebrity for his prosecution of the organized crime syndicate known as Murder, Inc., who acted as the enforcement for New York area mafia groups. He also investigated the beaning of Joe Medwick of the Brooklyn Dodgers by former St. Louis Cardinals teammate Bob Bowman. He became the 100th mayor of New York City in 1946 and participated in opening day ceremonies at Yankee Stadium. He was serving in that position when this book was inscribed by Robinson. A nice association and inscription by the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.

“Probably no other athlete has had a greater sociological impact on American sport than did Robinson. His success on the baseball field opened the door to black baseball players and thereby transformed the game. He also helped to facilitate the acceptance of black athletes in other professional sports, particularly basketball and football. His influence spread beyond the realm of sport, as he emerged in the late 1940s and 1950s as an important national symbol of the virtue of racial integration in all aspects of American life” (ANB).

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