Quote:
Originally Posted by jerseygary
Speaking not only as a Babe Ruth fan, but someone who took a traveling exhibit from the Babe Ruth Museum around the country for a year back in '02, I put Creamer's book above all the one's I've read. Sure, it's from 1974, but as someone already wrote in this thread, Creamer got to interview the people who knew him and played with and against him. I think the book's subtitle, "The Legend Comes to Life" speaks for itself when comparing this against other biographies.
That said, Big Bam is quite good and I recommend that as well. I really thought the author did a spectacular job describing the last year of Babe's career and how he dealt with retirement better than anything else I've read. Also, his description of the pain and suffering he went through from the cancer was harrowing for me. But to really get the essence of the man, Creamer's book is for me the best.
I suggest reading the others after Creamer's book.
In addition to "Big Bam", check out Keene's "The Babe in Red Stockings" for a comprehensive telling of his time in Boston, "Young Babe Ruth" by Brother Gilbert who knew Ruth in St. Mary's, Kelley's "In the Shadow of the Babe" to hear actual players who faced the Babe tell their story and Barthel's "Babe Ruth is Coming to Your Town!: Post Season Barnstorming Games, 1914-1935" for his famous tours. There's more, but those are the one's that come to mind first.
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Gary brings up a succinct point in quoting Mr. Creamer's subtitle, "The Legend Comes to Life". That's precisely what Robert Creamer accomplishes; he allows us to go back in time and re-live Babe's life. Again, it's enthralling, and timeless with his use of the many key people he interviewed to bring fans a well-chronicled flashback of The Babe.
---Brian Powell