Baseball Card Books
 

SCD has an article in the latest issue ( 8-7-15) by a guy named Mike Shannon ( do not think it is the ex ballplayer but do not know) covering what the author believes to be the 13 best books to date about baseball cards

Here is the list. The first group are books I currently have

1 -The Great American Baseball Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book
2-Topps Baseball Cards: The Complete Picture Collection, 1951 to 1985 ( I also have supplements for 86 and 87).
3-Classic Baseball Cards:The Golden Years 1886-1956
4-Card Sharks: How Upper deck Turned A Child's Hobby Into A High Stakes,
Billion Dollar Business
5--The Card: Collectors, Con Men and the True Story of History's Most Desired baseball card
6- The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories
7-Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became An American Obsession
8-The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955
9- Cardboard God's: An all American Tale Told Through Baseball cards

And books I do not have

10-The Cracker Jack Collection: Baseball's Prized Players
11-Sayonara Home Run ! The Art of The Japanese Baseball Card
12- The Flavor of the Game; Celebrating the Sports Collectibles of Helmar Brewing Company
13- Base Ball Cartes: The First Baseball Cards

Any recommendations from this list? I've got a vacation coming up and would love some reading for the beach.

Beach
 

Of the ones I have, 1,
4, 5, 7, 8 & 9 for beach reads. The others are more like reference books, big, heavy and full of pictures/ illustrations

1 and 9 are light hearted. 4,5,7 and 8 are more serious reads

It is the former ballplayer.

Really? That does not sound like the Mike Shannon I have been listening to for the last 40 years.

you are correct, it is not the former player, which is, unfortunately, what I meant to say. He is an editor of basball related material, (Spitball), etc. Sorry for the screw up.

This Mike Shannon has also written a wonderful though out-of-print book on collecting baseball books. McFarland Press may still have some?

His list of baseball card books is dead on! I would throw in Lew Lipset's 3 volume set of encyclopedias!

Thanks for the recommendations! I picked one of them up.

I'd add the Old Judge book as well as the Smithsonian book to the list - Two of my favorites.

The Smithsonian book is my all-time favorite collecting book. I have more than one copy and one of them is always on my nightstand for viewing!

This confirms it is not the former ballplayer and long time Cardinal broadcaster:

http://themoonman.blogspot.com/

While I am a huge Cardinal fan and love listening to Shannon (still miss Jack though) I don't think the Cardinals Mike Shannon has ever read a book much less written one! I still like him though!

Sadly my book "Buying Back Dad's Cards" didn't make the list. I am sure it was just outside the list haha

List
 

Chris-- for the record it was not my list, just some guy posing as an ex baseball player :)

Shannonisms
 

For you Shannon the ballplayer fans

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTc...SRGaJBgA0msm4-

Have no fear my friend. Your book is tops on my list. The heartfelt story of a dad and son connecting over card collecting. Just beautiful in my opinion. It's chock full of great stories of amazing people that have impacted your collecting life.... Oh wait a minute.... Is that the book with the chapter on me? Never mind. Now it sounds like a shameless plug:D

Drew

another book