In 1948, fresh off of his rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson collaborated with the legendary sportswriter Wendell Smith to pen “My Own Story”, a biography of his life leading up to his Major League Baseball career. Smith and Robinson worked together, across many platforms, to ease Robinson and other black players transition to the Major Leagues. Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson based on the recommendation of Smith, who was searching the Negro Leagues for a player with the right temperament and mentality to withstand the inevitable rancor that would follow the debut of a black player in the Majors. During Robinson’s first few years in the Majors, Smith ghostwrote a column in the Pittsburgh Courier for the 1949 National League MVP. Smith’s efforts worked, and helped Robinson become one of the most beloved ballplayers of his era.

     This book is from the first printing, and features a picture of Robinson in his Dodgers uniform on the orange front cover. He signed the first page, adding the inscription “Al, it has been so nice knowing you over the years and I want to thank you for all you have done for the success of my career”. The "Al" in the inscription was to Al Campanis, the former longtime Dodgers general manager and teammate of Robinson on the 1946 Montreal Royals. Campanis was credited for teaching Robinson how to be a great second baseman. It is also ironic that Campanis will be best remembered for his controversial remarks he made during an appearance on ABC's Nightline regarding African-Americans and why there had been so few black managers in the game. This was leading up to the 40th Anniversary of Robinson's debut that ultimately forced him to resign as Dodgers general manager in disgrace. The book shows some signs of age, but the signature is strong and presents clearly. This item comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (Y03088).

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