Neil Lanctot, historian and writer
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Biography
Neil Lanctot, Ph.D. (pronounced "Lank-toe") is a historian who has written four books, each of which has combined meticulous research with compelling story-telling.
His first, Fair Dealing and Clean Playing: The Hilldale Club and The Development of Black Professional Baseball, 1910-1932, was published in 1994 by McFarland and Company. The book has since emerged as a classic in the genre and was later reprinted by Syracuse University Press.
In 2004, his second book, Negro League Baseball - The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. The book received almost universal rave reviews from the popular and scholarly press, including front cover treatment by the New York Times Book Review.
His third book, Campy - The Two Lives of Roy Campanella, was released in March 2011 by Simon & Schuster to critical acclaim from the Los Angeles Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Philadelphia Daily News, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and numerous other publications. Campy was also named an alternate selection for the Book of The Month Club.
His latest book, The Approaching Storm, was published by Penguin/Random House in October 2021.
Lanctot's writing has appeared in the Smithsonian, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun, and several other journals and anthologies.