Do biographies or historical books enhance your card collecting enjoyment?

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

I recently finished reading "Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend" by James Hirsch. And while I wasn't surprised that I liked the book, I WAS surprised how it made me enjoy thumbing through my 1952 Bowman collection even more. It seemed like flipping through my card album, many of the cards I own had a new meaning to me. Obviously my Mays card takes a new meaning as I learned about some of the hardships he had to overcome, but learning more about Monte Irvin, Leo Durocher, Al Dark, Don Newcombe, etc., etc. It's almost like my baseball card album was an illustrated companion to the biography. Pretty cool.

Obviously, Willie's bio is a post-war book, but my guess is that when I read "The First World Series and the Fanatics of 1903" by Roger Abrams, I would have found an ever deeper enjoyment of the book (and my cards) if I could review a bunch of pre-war cards of players in that game (Wagner, Cy Young, Patsy Dougherty, Bill DeNeen, etc.). I don't really have many pre-war cards (and certainly no Wagners or Youngs)...but should I ever decide to wade deeper into that side of the hobby, I'll be sure to grab some biographies to go with it.

Next on my list is likely a bio of Mantle or Clemente.

Has anyone else experienced the enhanced enjoyment of our hobby due to good biography?

[luciobar1980]

Definitely! Read a DiMaggio bio which made me want to start collecting him, although I only have a 39 Play Ball so far.

[Writehooks]

Absolutely. I'm primarily a boxing collector, so reading biographies of fighters ranging from world champions and contenders to "forgotten" pugs definitely enhances the experience. I particularly enjoy regional releases by university presses, which are usually very well researched and contain cross references to sources such as local newspapers.

[Fred]

Read Ball Four, then try to not buy a Jim Bouton baseball card.

[ramram]

Yes, I enjoy learning more about whatever I collect. Researching and digging into a good book only enhances that joy. However, until I hit the lotto, I avoid reading about Babe Ruth for that reason.

Rob M

[nat]

This question deserves an emphatic "yes". Learning about the players, the teams, the pennant races, etc., is half the fun of collecting. For the past six months or so I've been collecting Japanese baseball cards and reading enough about the players to write (very) short biographies of them. (The bios are on the post-war side of this site.) I've had a great time with it, and it's learning about the players (and etc.) that's made it so much fun.

[bgar3]

Yes, but not as a card collector, but as a memorabilia collector. The early history books are amazing, and while many have been reprinted, I still prefer the originals. The earlier, the better. Great starter books are Spalding’s, America’s National Game, Richter’s, History of Base Ball, Spink’s, National Game and Ellard’s, Baseball in Cincinnati, all of which have been reprinted, but are are available in original edition for a price.
A great basic early book is Chadwick’s, Game of Baseball (1868), available in a reprint also.

[philliesphan]

is absolutely supplemented by such amazing tomes such as Dick Beverage's Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League, etc.

It absolutely brings players alive from PCL - many players whom otherwise not much is known or there's not much recorded. It brings a narrative to the baseball cards that I love to pursue

m

[commishbob]

Yes, without a doubt. I was given a copy of Tom Swift's Chief Bender's Burden and it was an eye-opening look at a player who I had never given a lot of thought to. I haven't stopped building my Bender collection since.

[drcy]

Learning about the people is great and influential.

I once sold autograph by autograph a large multi-genre collection (Hollywood, politics, military, sport, etc) and I had to do a little bio of the person for each sale. Was great learning about each person.

[Sean]

I'm surprised that I'm the first to mention "The Glory of Their Times." I loved it, and I recommend it for anyone collecting (or considering collecting) the T206 set.

[Bicem]

A Terrible Beauty made me want to collect only Ty Cobb!

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

Thanks for the replies, there are some books listed in your comments that I'm going to check out.

I just got back from the library with a copy of "The Only Game in Town" by Fay Vincent....looks like it's about baseball in the 30's and 40's.

And for post war, I picked up the Mantle bio "The Last Boy"...looking forward to that one.

[commishbob]

Thanks for the replies, there are some books listed in your comments that I'm going to check out.

I just got back from the library with a copy of "The Only Game in Town" by Fay Vincent....looks like it's about baseball in the 30's and 40's.

And for post war, I picked up the Mantle bio "The Last Boy"...looking forward to that one.


Your mention of Jane Leavy's Mantle book reminded me that my interest in Sandy Koufax was given a boost when I read her book, A Lefty's Legacy.

[irv]

Being as I mainly collect 52 Topps cards, I enjoy reading about the players either through various sites and other articles I come across.

I read this one back some time ago on PSA's site about George Shuba, and since I am a Jackie Robinson fan, it has always stuck with me.

I knew very little about some of the players on the cards my Father gave me over 30 yrs ago, so it is great getting to know them better.

After reading this about George, and if I didn't already have his 52 Topps card, I most certainly would have tried hard to obtain one.

"George Thomas “Shotgun” Shuba (December 13, 1924-) is often remembered for his show of solidarity with Jackie Robinson when the Hall of Fame second baseman of the Montreal Royals hit a home run against the Jersey City Giants. A photo was taken, capturing the moment when Robinson crossed the plate to the welcoming handshake of teammate Shuba. It was referred to as “the first interracial handshake” in professional baseball history. After ten years in the Brooklyn Dodgers system, George made his Major League debut in 1948 playing 63 games and batting .267 with 32 RBI. Shuba spent seven seasons in left and as a pinch hitter with the Dodgers (1948-1950, 1952-1955) and helped the Bums win three National League pennants (1952, 1953, 1955). In 1953, George hit a pinch-hit home run during the Fall Classic against Allie Reynolds and the New York Yankees. H was also a member of the 1955 World Series champion Dodgers – the first MLB title in franchise history. George ”Shotgun” Shuba finished his career with a .259 batting average, 211 hits, 106 runs and 125 RBI in 355 games. Some of Shuba’s exploits as a Major Leaguer can be found in Roger Kahn’s 1972 The Boys of Summer chronicling the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s. He also highlighted his career in the 2007 autobiography My Memories as a Brooklyn Dodger."

[Copa7]

This question deserves an emphatic "yes". Learning about the players, the teams, the pennant races, etc., is half the fun of collecting. For the past six months or so I've been collecting Japanese baseball cards and reading enough about the players to write (very) short biographies of them. (The bios are on the post-war side of this site.) I've had a great time with it, and it's learning about the players (and etc.) that's made it so much fun.

If you have not read it, I recommend "The Chrisathimum at the Bat" - life in Japanese baseball.

[h2oya311]

I'm surprised that I'm the first to mention "The Glory of Their Times." I loved it, and I recommend it for anyone collecting (or considering collecting) the T206 set.

+1 on "The Glory of Their Times."

Here's a Cabinet Photo (mounted) of Harry Hooper that was used in that book:

https://photos.imageevent.com/derekgranger/hofrookies1/websize/c1910%20Hooper.jpg

[paulcarek]

It's been recommended by many on Net54 many times before, but here's another plug for "Crazy '08" by Cait Murphy. Fun account of the 1908 season.

[CobbSpikedMe]

Loved Crazy '08! Great book about the pennant race. Definitely recommend.

[Sean]

Loved Crazy '08! Great book about the pennant race. Definitely recommend.

+++++1 I read this one the year before the Cubs won the Series. The picture of Mordecai Brown's hand alone is worth the price of the book. :)

[clydepepper]

My Baseball library is vast and mostly unread...keep looking for that 'round-2-it'.

I have a tendency to purchase books with the plan to read them as soon as they arrive...the last one I jumped on was Net54 Member Hank Thomas's masterful biography of his grandfather, Walter Johnson.

I've read about twenty of my two hundred and fifty or so baseball books -but, if I cold ever learn to use my time better, I'll get 'around-2-them'.

I have purchased lots of books simply because I had a card or cards of the player profiled and, just as frequently, collected cards to match a book.

Next month, I will use my EBucks to expand both my Baseball Card collection and my Baseball Library by purchasing a card of a player from my home state and his biography...I look forward to putting both in a safe place...only one of which will collect dust.

[WillowGrove]

Next on my list is likely a bio of Mantle or Clemente.

Has anyone else experienced the enhanced enjoyment of our hobby due to good biography?



Absolutely! I read all the popular bb books as a kid in the late 70s early 80s; Glory of Their Times, Baseball When The Grass Was Real, Ball Four, Eight Men Out, Baseball As I Have Known It, and others. These books fueled my overall passion to start collecting vintage cards.

But the first book I remember devouring and then going out and buying cards based on it was: The Great American Baseball Flipping Trading and Bubble Gum Book. If you don't know this book and like collecting old cards, please find it. You will love it. Written by 2 dudes who grew up in the late 50s - they show many cards and write their memories about them, make fun of the players, etc etc. My friend and I became hooked on picking up cards that were "in the book". 58T Whammy Douglas anybody?


CobbSpiked, I'm reading Crazy '08 now and I absolutely love it.


OP for your Clemente book I would very strongly recommend this:

https://books.google.com/books/about/Clemente.html?id=KZWnaNwKen0C&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false


Thanks for asking!

[Topnotchsy]

For sure. One major area of my collection is Jackie Robinson and Integration and I have quite a few books on the topic. Items I come across often inspire me to do research, which in turn opens my eyes to new areas of collecting.

[bgar3]

Peter, totally agree on Great American book, one of the funniest I ever read, also.

[samosa4u]

I buy the cards first and then read the books after. I've read so many interesting books over the past few years, such as:

- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel)
- The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (Jane Leavy)
- The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game (Oscar Robertson)
- Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty (Charles Leerhsen)
- The Devil and Bobby Hull (Gare Joyce)
- Orr: My Story (Bobby Orr)
- Pele: The Autobiography (Pele)

Currently reading: Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins (Eric Zweig)

[JollyElm]

I buy the cards first and then read the books after. I've read so many interesting books over the past few years, such as:
- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel)


I went to Pistol Pete's basketball camp in upstate NY (at an old resort that looked like it was out of the movie 'Dirty Dancing') twice in my youth, and he was one of the most ridiculously charismatic people I have ever met in my life. What a positively uplifting and optimistic person he was.

[samosa4u]

I went to Pistol Pete's basketball camp in upstate NY (at an old resort that looked like it was out of the movie 'Dirty Dancing') twice in my youth, and he was one of the most ridiculously charismatic people I have ever met in my life. What a positively uplifting and optimistic person he was.

That's awesome! Do you have his rookie card? Also, do you have any pictures from the camp? If so, can you upload them? Thanks for sharing.

[BruceinGa]

I'm surprised that I'm the first to mention "The Glory of Their Times." I loved it, and I recommend it for anyone collecting (or considering collecting) the T206 set.

Today, my birthday, I asked my daughter to buy me this book. I don't read many books but think I'll probably enjoy this one. thanks!

[JollyElm]

That's awesome! Do you have his rookie card? Also, do you have any pictures from the camp? If so, can you upload them? Thanks for sharing.

No, I don't have his RC, just a '72/73 and a couple of others. Unfortunately, if any Kodak Instamatic pictures from Kutsher's (I think that was the name of the borscht belt resort) exist, they're squirreled away somewhere in an attic on Long Island...but the images in my head remain high-res shots!! Bob Cousy and Lou Carnesecca also left quite an impression on me there. Two people who are polar opposites in terms of temperament.

[CobbSpikedMe]

Today, my birthday, I asked my daughter to buy me this book. I don't read many books but think I'll probably enjoy this one. thanks!

Bruce, you're going to love this book. It transports you right into the prewar baseball world reading the stories in the words of the actual players of the time. I loved it and it made me appreciate the cards way more.

Oh, and happy birthday too.

[BruceinGa]

Thanks Andy!!

[Tabe]

I buy the cards first and then read the books after. I've read so many interesting books over the past few years, such as:

- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel)
- The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (Jane Leavy)
- The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game (Oscar Robertson)
- Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty (Charles Leerhsen)
- The Devil and Bobby Hull (Gare Joyce)
- Orr: My Story (Bobby Orr)
- Pele: The Autobiography (Pele)

Currently reading: Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins (Eric Zweig)

If you like reading about Cobb, I suggest "War on the Basepaths", one of the best baseball biographies I've ever read.

[sphere and ash]

The Glory of Their Times is undoubtedly the best baseball book ever, but if you’re reading it, the printed version should be supplemented with the audio version, which contains Ritter’s actual taped interviews with his subjects. It’s incredible to hear Crawford describe a young Cobb and to hear Chief Meyers sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

[familytoad]

https://www.amazon.com/Classic-baseball-cards-golden-1886-1956/dp/044651392X

If you read the book linked above (Slocum’s Classic Baseball Cards) you’ll be inspired to collect more sets/singles than you can imagine :eek::eek:

[ls7plus]

I recently finished reading "Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend" by James Hirsch. And while I wasn't surprised that I liked the book, I WAS surprised how it made me enjoy thumbing through my 1952 Bowman collection even more. It seemed like flipping through my card album, many of the cards I own had a new meaning to me. Obviously my Mays card takes a new meaning as I learned about some of the hardships he had to overcome, but learning more about Monte Irvin, Leo Durocher, Al Dark, Don Newcombe, etc., etc. It's almost like my baseball card album was an illustrated companion to the biography. Pretty cool.

Obviously, Willie's bio is a post-war book, but my guess is that when I read "The First World Series and the Fanatics of 1903" by Roger Abrams, I would have found an ever deeper enjoyment of the book (and my cards) if I could review a bunch of pre-war cards of players in that game (Wagner, Cy Young, Patsy Dougherty, Bill DeNeen, etc.). I don't really have many pre-war cards (and certainly no Wagners or Youngs)...but should I ever decide to wade deeper into that side of the hobby, I'll be sure to grab some biographies to go with it.

Next on my list is likely a bio of Mantle or Clemente.

Has anyone else experienced the enhanced enjoyment of our hobby due to good biography?

With vintage card collecting, you literally have the history of the game right there in your hands. As one of my collecting friends and I agreed in the early '90's, "the card connects you to the player, and takes you back to the time!" IMHO, the reason that is true is that while non-collectors may scoff, the vintage card (at least one with a photo-derived image) is essentially a two-dimensional slice of a 3 dimensional moment in the player's life and career, taken and preserved virtually contemporaneously with the time. Reading about significant times in the game's history serves to enhance both the reading of the book and your appreciation of the cards from the time. You literally have a "piece of the action!"

May your collecting continue to bring you joy,

Larry

[BosseFieldBoy]

I would say that reading biographies has been the biggest influence on my card collecting. About 12 years ago I read Stump's hatchet job on Cobb and I was obsessed. I've read about every Cobb biography out there and my collections has grown over time.

I've noticed that my collecting preferences only really change when the book has a huge influence on my opinion (one way or the other) about the player. For example, I read biographies on Walter Johnson, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams and I've been obsessed ever since. The Glory of Their Times was an enormous influence - read the sections about Sam Crawford, Hans Lobert, Specs Toporcer and Chief Meyers and try pass over a good deal on one of their cards.

On the hand, I've read biographies about Joe Jackson and Babe Ruth and really wasn't that influenced. Both were well-written; I just didn't find myself intrigued by the players. More than anything, they just confirmed things I always suspected.

[Hankphenom]

The Glory of Their Times is undoubtedly the best baseball book ever, but if you’re reading it, the printed version should be supplemented with the audio version, which contains Ritter’s actual taped interviews with his subjects. It’s incredible to hear Crawford describe a young Cobb and to hear Chief Meyers sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Agree that every fan of "Glory" and vintage baseball should hear the audio set. A correction, though: the Chief does an amazing recitation of "Casey At the Bat," which is far more enjoyable than hearing him sing, I suspect.

[sphere and ash]

Agree that every fan of "Glory" and vintage baseball should hear the audio set. A correction, though: the Chief does an amazing recitation of "Casey At the Bat," which is far more enjoyable than hearing him sing, I suspect.

Happy to be corrected, especially by the co-editor of the tapes. What a treasure they are.

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

Well, as a direct result of this thread, I did pick up "The Glory of Their Times" by Lawrence Ritter, and as noted it is phenomenal. Not quite finished yet, but it certainly is an enlightening, entertaining, and thoughtful book.

As far as leading to card enjoyment, it checked that off the list too. I don't have many pre-war cards, and in fact I only own ONE t206...of Germany Schaefer....

332651


....so it was with great pleasure when Davy Jones was recounting the story behind Germany stealing FIRST base in a game. Kind of makes me want to pick up some more Schaefer cards, as well as cards of the other players featured in that book.

Thanks for the recommendation!

[Leon]

Looks like I am going to have to get Glory of their Times though I really don't read books that much. I do like to read some of the obscure messages on the back of the cards though.

[Georj]

Just got done reading "Fifty-nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had"
by Edward Achorn. It's the story of the HOF pitcher who pitched every game for his National League team from mid July till the end of the 1884 season and then pitched and won all three games of the championship series. It gives alot of insight into 1800's baseball and society at that time. Boy, were those players tough back then. It's a very entertaining read.

[Dpoolem3]

I collect pre war...then I started collecting Sporting Life's because I loved reading about these guys week to week and the stories that unfold...where else are you gonna read that Ed Killan got drunk one afternoon and went into the Tiger's offices and destroyed an office and had beensuspended...little blurbs like that

In an august 1905 issue in the SALLY league section is 1 little blurb about an outfielder for the Augusta Ga team that had reached 100 hits faster than anyone in the league, a Cyrus R. Cobb from Royston Ga.(Above it Bob Spade, pitcher for Macon, got $50 in gold from the citizens of macon for pitching so well. I have Nap Lajoie's first game, "he performed exceptionally", etc....fun to read about these guys in the media of the time)

[tonyo]

I read "the celebrant" by Eric Rolfe Greenberg... shortly after I started collecting pre-war. It really catapulted my interest in the cards I was collecting.

[oldjudge]

Just finished a biography of Pud Galvin