Do biographies or historical books enhance your card collecting enjoyment?

clydepepper · #1 09-27-2018, 08:28 PM

My Baseball library is vast and mostly unread...keep looking for that 'round-2-it'.

I have a tendency to purchase books with the plan to read them as soon as they arrive...the last one I jumped on was Net54 Member Hank Thomas's masterful biography of his grandfather, Walter Johnson.

I've read about twenty of my two hundred and fifty or so baseball books -but, if I cold ever learn to use my time better, I'll get 'around-2-them'.

I have purchased lots of books simply because I had a card or cards of the player profiled and, just as frequently, collected cards to match a book.

Next month, I will use my EBucks to expand both my Baseball Card collection and my Baseball Library by purchasing a card of a player from my home state and his biography...I look forward to putting both in a safe place...only one of which will collect dust.

samosa4u · #2 09-28-2018, 11:06 AM

I buy the cards first and then read the books after. I've read so many interesting books over the past few years, such as:

- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel)
- The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (Jane Leavy)
- The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game (Oscar Robertson)
- Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty (Charles Leerhsen)
- The Devil and Bobby Hull (Gare Joyce)
- Orr: My Story (Bobby Orr)
- Pele: The Autobiography (Pele)

Currently reading: Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins (Eric Zweig)

JollyElm · #3 09-28-2018, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samosa4u

I buy the cards first and then read the books after. I've read so many interesting books over the past few years, such as:
- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel)

I went to Pistol Pete's basketball camp in upstate NY (at an old resort that looked like it was out of the movie 'Dirty Dancing') twice in my youth, and he was one of the most ridiculously charismatic people I have ever met in my life. What a positively uplifting and optimistic person he was.

samosa4u · #4 09-29-2018, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I went to Pistol Pete's basketball camp in upstate NY (at an old resort that looked like it was out of the movie 'Dirty Dancing') twice in my youth, and he was one of the most ridiculously charismatic people I have ever met in my life. What a positively uplifting and optimistic person he was.

That's awesome! Do you have his rookie card? Also, do you have any pictures from the camp? If so, can you upload them? Thanks for sharing.

JollyElm · #5 09-29-2018, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samosa4u

That's awesome! Do you have his rookie card? Also, do you have any pictures from the camp? If so, can you upload them? Thanks for sharing.

No, I don't have his RC, just a '72/73 and a couple of others. Unfortunately, if any Kodak Instamatic pictures from Kutsher's (I think that was the name of the borscht belt resort) exist, they're squirreled away somewhere in an attic on Long Island...but the images in my head remain high-res shots!! Bob Cousy and Lou Carnesecca also left quite an impression on me there. Two people who are polar opposites in terms of temperament.

Tabe · #6 09-29-2018, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samosa4u

I buy the cards first and then read the books after. I've read so many interesting books over the past few years, such as:

- Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel)
- The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood (Jane Leavy)
- The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game (Oscar Robertson)
- Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty (Charles Leerhsen)
- The Devil and Bobby Hull (Gare Joyce)
- Orr: My Story (Bobby Orr)
- Pele: The Autobiography (Pele)

Currently reading: Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins (Eric Zweig)

If you like reading about Cobb, I suggest "War on the Basepaths", one of the best baseball biographies I've ever read.

sphere and ash · #7 09-29-2018, 06:56 PM

The Glory of Their Times is undoubtedly the best baseball book ever, but if you’re reading it, the printed version should be supplemented with the audio version, which contains Ritter’s actual taped interviews with his subjects. It’s incredible to hear Crawford describe a young Cobb and to hear Chief Meyers sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

familytoad · #8 09-29-2018, 07:25 PM

https://www.amazon.com/Classic-baseb.../dp/044651392X

If you read the book linked above (Slocum�s Classic Baseball Cards) you�ll be inspired to collect more sets/singles than you can imagine

Hankphenom · #9 09-30-2018, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sphere and ash

The Glory of Their Times is undoubtedly the best baseball book ever, but if you�re reading it, the printed version should be supplemented with the audio version, which contains Ritter�s actual taped interviews with his subjects. It�s incredible to hear Crawford describe a young Cobb and to hear Chief Meyers sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Agree that every fan of "Glory" and vintage baseball should hear the audio set. A correction, though: the Chief does an amazing recitation of "Casey At the Bat," which is far more enjoyable than hearing him sing, I suspect.

sphere and ash · #10 09-30-2018, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

Agree that every fan of "Glory" and vintage baseball should hear the audio set. A correction, though: the Chief does an amazing recitation of "Casey At the Bat," which is far more enjoyable than hearing him sing, I suspect.

Happy to be corrected, especially by the co-editor of the tapes. What a treasure they are.

thatkidfromjerrymaguire · #11 10-29-2018, 05:18 PM

Well, as a direct result of this thread, I did pick up "The Glory of Their Times" by Lawrence Ritter, and as noted it is phenomenal. Not quite finished yet, but it certainly is an enlightening, entertaining, and thoughtful book.

As far as leading to card enjoyment, it checked that off the list too. I don't have many pre-war cards, and in fact I only own ONE t206...of Germany Schaefer....

germany.JPG

....so it was with great pleasure when Davy Jones was recounting the story behind Germany stealing FIRST base in a game. Kind of makes me want to pick up some more Schaefer cards, as well as cards of the other players featured in that book.

Thanks for the recommendation!

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