I am getting ready to do a research paper on the history of yoyoing, and I was wondering if there was any books out there that could help me.
Try yoyo wiki
That depends. What grade level are you, exactly? If this is a high school research paper, I’d try to look at some academic databases if you can find them (can’t guarantee if they’d have anything, though). Ask your teacher what kinds of sources he/she is looking for. You might be able to get away with YoyoWiki, or even Wikipedia. Also, look at the citations in the history section of yoyoing, that might forward you to some good places.
I’m in high school and I know I need at least 2 book sources, I can only have one online source and I need a couple articles. I am most concerned about the books, if I can’t find any I will have to change topics:(
Hmm, really not sure if there are any books on that, or at least any that are accessible. The history of yoyoing is a pretty obscure topic.
Check the references at the end of the Wikipedia article. Write to the national yoyo museum. A little googling found me this: Lucky's Collectors Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos: History & Values: Meisenheimer, Lucky J.: 9780966761207: Amazon.com: Books
Just type in yoyoing into your local county library database you should be able to find a book that has minor historic details and then you could get most of the subject matter from online sources
I am pretty sure you are not allowed to cite from any wiki source. But you can check and see where wiki has cited from and cite from them instead. Teachers normally do not allow wiki. At least in high school and college. Some trick books have history of each trick if you can find any.
I hate to say it, but good luck finding anything. Not much has been written about yoyoing at all so you’re going to have a really hard time writing your paper. 
Lucky’s Collector’s Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos: History & Values
The Klutz Yo-Yo Book
Also has a web version of the Klutz book:
http://www.yo-yos.net/Yo-yo%20history.htm
Both are good resources for yoyos, and both have a section on the history of yoyos. Nothing too extensive (only 5 pages in the Klutz book), but at least you can use them for your bibliography.
Good luck!
You might have trouble finding much in print. Since yoyoing is fairly young, however, you still have potential access to some of the key people in the history of yoyo. Will your teacher allow you to do interviews and use them as sources? The yoyo wiki has a list of some of the key “old school” yoyo pros, who might be willing to give you an interview. In the era of the internet, it is much easier to do than in the past.
Also, an older book from the 1990’s is Mark McBride’s Yonomicon. If I remember correctly it has a little yoyo history, as well as an interesting theoretical approach to yoing. It might be available in few libraries, which means your school library can request it for you through interlibrary loan.
Who knows, maybe you can write the book on yoyo history!
Thanks everybody you guys I have been a big help I am going to look in to a couple of the things y’all mentioned and check with my teacher, thanks:)
This might help supplement your more in depth sources:
https://www.yo-yo.com/index.php/site/history
Here’s some info and a documentary about Nemo Concepcion, and yoyo demonstrator working for Duncan prior to world war 2. Lots of good stuff in there.
???
It dates back to 450 BC. How much older does it have to be?
Lucky’s Guide has some good history, also try hunting down a copy of Helene Zeiger’s World On A String and George Malko’s The One and Only YoYo Book.
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Thanks to everyone who gave me a suggestion!!! I talked to my teacher today and she said I could do it:) I was able to order a copy of most of the books y’all mentioned so thank you!!!
You’re right that yoyos are old. I was thinking more about the yoyo craze that led to the modern popularity of the yoyo, which is more recent (post-WWII).
Since the online yoyo community is fairly young… You’ve also got the opportunity to interview via PM a lot of people who have been around from he start of modern competitive yoyoing.
Great post for future reference.
Adding:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0380019000
The one and only yoyo book by malko