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Posted By: Max Weder

For those of you who may be tempted to dabble in the book world, you should be aware that Mastronet's offering http://mastronet.com/index.cfm?action=DisplayContent&ContentName=Lot%20Information&LotIndex=41616&CurrentRow=1 --while a gorgeous book--is the A.L. Burt reprint edition. The first edition of this book was published by Putnam, and is a larger size book, with the dust jacket being a lighter shade of blue. Mastronet has modified its description of the auction, but has not made it clear that the Burt offering is a reprint, published shortly after the Putnam printings.

The original description begins: "First published by the A. L. Burt Company in 1928, Babe Ruth's Own Book of Baseball has been reprinted countless times and is recognized as a classic among sports volumes." The modification simply adds: "Please note: The offered book was published by A.L. Burt Company of New York ("by arrangement with G.P. Putnam's Sons") and copyrighted 1928."

Any advanced book collector knows that A.L. Burt is a reprint house, and the vast majority of its editions are reprints (Burt was later purchased by Grosset & Dunlap, and most G&D printings are also reprint editions). However, I assume this is not widely known in the baseball memorabilia world. Hope this helps.

Here's my Burt copy (NOT Mastro's, which is much nicer) and my Putnam copy, for comparison:






Max