Biography

Lanctot was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....

. He attended the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

, graduating in 1987 with a B.A. in English. He subsequently earned an M.A. in American History from Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

 in 1992 and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware

University of Delaware

The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

 in 2002.

Lanctot's first book, Fair Dealing and Clean Playing: The Hilldale Club and the Development of Black Professional Baseball, 1910-1932, was published by McFarland and Company in 1994. In 2007, Syracuse University Press released a paperback edition.

His second book, Negro League Baseball - The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution, appeared in 2004 and received critical acclaim from numerous publications, including the front cover of the Sunday New York Times Book Review.

In March 2011, his third book, Campy - The Two Lives of Roy Campanella, was published by Simon & Schuster. The book was the first to uncover the true story behind Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella , nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily at the position of catcher, in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball...

's near fatal car accident in 1958 and his rocky relationship with Brooklyn Dodger great Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...

. Campy received positive reviews from the Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Baseball America, and several other publications upon its release. It was also named an alternate Book of the Month Club selection.

Published works

• Fair Dealing and Clean Playing - The Hilldale Club and the Development of Black Professional Baseball, 1910-1932 (1994)
• Negro League Baseball - The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution (2004)
• Campy - The Two Lives of Roy Campanella (2011)

Awards

• 2005: Seymour Medal (Society for American Baseball Research) for best baseball book, Negro League Baseball

External links

• http://books.simonandschuster.com/Campy/Neil-Lanctot/9781416547044/ Simon & Schuster website
• http://www.neillanctot.com official website
• http://newyork.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.podtrac.com%2Fpts%2Fredirect.mp3%2Fnyc.podcast.play.it%2Fmedia%2Fd0%2Fd0%2Fd0%2FdX%2Fd0%2FdJ%2FdZ%2FX0JZ_3.MP3%3Fauthtok%3D5561401412763938365_BAWdAsXg663UgnOYJiWK9GA7b1A&podcast_name=Ed+Randall+with+Neil+Lanctot&podcast_artist=WFAN&station_id=62&tag=pages&dcid=CBS.NY Interview with Ed Randall on WFAN