Back in the 90's, my aim was to build a baseball library. I figured someone out on the web must have cobbled a list together of good baseball reads and I found a few lists. The list from SABR is much cleaner looking then it was back then but this list is a good place to start.
https://sabr.org/journal/article/the...eball-library/
The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter -it has been mentioned more than once on this thread for a reason. The cds of the actual interviews are great as well.
Dollar Sign on the Muscle - by Kevin Kerrane - a great read about baseball scouts. Another book on scouting is Prophet of the Sandlots by Mark Winegardner about scout Tony Lucadello. The ending was a shocker.
The Politics of Glory by Bill James - interesting read about making the hall.
Men at Work by George Will - the chapter on Henderson alone is worth the price.
The Fireside book of baseball (three volumes).
Nine Innings by Dan Okrent - anatomy of a baseball game.