Reading Material for the Holidays

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

I am putting together my Christmas list for my wife and parents. Of course I would like to put some books on the list. What are your favorite books relating to prewar baseball? If you have any special books about the game generally, I'd like to hear about those as well.

Leon, I hope this isn't too far off topic, being that we need to concentrate on cards for the next couple of days.

Jeff Mohler

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Posted By: leon

All is good. I think talking about what pre-war baseball books to get for Christmas/Hanukah is a good thing. It's all the talk about the current baseball and steriod use and so forth....that was being targeted.....thanks for understanding....BTW, if you don't have Lew Lipset's encycolpedia volumes 1-3, and the 2007 Krause (it should be out by then) Baseball SCD then those 2 might be on your list...concerning cards anyway....and I know you probably are asking for a broader idea of vintage baseball books...

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Posted By: Jim Manos

The gift that keeps on given...

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

I've gone through a couple of books this summer that have made for great reading:

"Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig" by Jonathan Eig is a great window into Gehrig's life, with lots of great information presented in a way that's a quick and informative read. I found the book to be a great look into Gehrig's personality.

As a companion, I read "A Legend in the Making: The New York Yankees in 1939" by Richard J. Tofel. This is a blow-by-blow account of the 1939 Yankees' season, one of the greatest teams ever assembled despite Gehrig's illness taking him out of the game during the early part of the year.

Right now I'm in the middle of "The Black Prince of Baseball" by Don Dewey, which is a book about Hal Chase. I'm finding it fascinating reading, very well-written and informative. I'm only about a third of the way in, though.

And of course, no prewar baseball book list would be complete without the two books that I think are the best baseball books ever (and two of the best history books ever as well), in "The Glory of their Times" and "Baseball When the Grass was Real." I can't recommend either one of those books enough.

-Al

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Posted By: Joe Jones

I enjoyed the "Big Bam", a recent book from this year that gives you a good feel for what the Babe went through as a child and throughout his career.

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Posted By: T206Collector

http://www.amazon.com/Prince-1st-Fictional-Autobiography-Baseballs/dp/0786413301/sr=8-7/qid=1159809313/ref=sr_1_7/104-3467459-6117550?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Cobb-Biography-Al-Stump/dp/1565121449/sr=1-1/qid=1159809390/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-3467459-6117550?ie=UTF8&s=books

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Posted By: John S

Charles C. Alexander's "Ty Cobb"

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Posted By: Bob Pomilla

The Catcher Was a Spy.
Bio of Moe Berg. Weird, fascinating individual.

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Posted By: steve f

BASEBALL, an illustrated history.

G. Ward (Companion book to Ken Burns 1994 PBS documentary)

12x10" and kinda heavy. Terrific, clear and large old pictures. Covers a little of everything.

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Posted By: Andy

This isn't prewar baseball, but you asked for baseball books in general as well. Please don't overlook this area of baseball history. This is a great book to get started if you haven't already gotten into the Negro Leagues.

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Posted By: dennis

"they also served" baseball & the home front,1941-1945 bill gilbert
baseball in the 30's" donald honig
"sleeper cars & flannel uniforms" elden auker

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Posted By: Cobby33

Manos- Does the SABR membership come with penicillin?

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Posted By: dethan33

"Ghosts in the Gallery at Cooperstown" was a good read. It is based on pre-war players who were later inducted into the Hall by the Veteran's Commitee.

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Posted By: Rich Klein

The Glory of their times -- make sure if you get it as a holiday present to get the CD that goes with the book. Some of the interviews are priceless