What are some of your favorite baseball related books?

[onlychild]

Well, Mint Condition is my favorite by far...with a strong emphasis on chapter 11.

[FrankWakefield]

Jeff is right about October 1964. It is an eyeopening book. I love the comment that I think Curt Flood made to team-mates as they watched the Yankees take the field for game 1 of the WS in St. Louis. Halberstam wrote well.

Tony mentions Boys of Summer, it is a good read.

And may I add July 2, 1903: The Mysterious Death of Big Ed Delahanty, by Mike Sowell. THIS is the book to read about Delahanty. Sowell writes well, and the book explains the formation of the American League and the contract jumping of the day, something about which many baseball fans know nothing. A great book. His other book, The Pitch that Killed, about Chapman and Mays, is good, too.

And the Alexander books are good, especially the one about Mr. McGraw. And below me Bosox mentions the Thomas book about Walter Johnson, a respectful book by his grand son. A well written book. It was a joy to read, well researched, with quotes for baseball news writers (back when those guys were worthy of casting HOF ballots, today's writers are part of what's wrong with the HOF) of the day.

[Bosox Blair]

In addition to the other ones mentioned in this thread (many of which I have read and enjoyed) I can recommend the following books...


Just finished:

Mint Condition (Jamieson) - good for a book about cards...bit of a light treatment
Tris Speaker (Tim Gay)
Autumn Glory (Masur) - 1903 World Series

Now reading:

The First Fall Classic (Vaccaro) - 1912 World Series
Just a Big Kid (Proia) - Rube Waddell Bio
Walter Johnson (Thomas)
The Teammates (Halberstam) - short read following lives of Doerr, Pesky, Dom Dimaggio and Williams

Cheers,
Blair

[deadballera]

I am enjoying this one right now. Great pictures from Conlon and some information too !! Gets you right in the card buying mode !

I picked mine up pretty cheap on half.com, but ebay also has some available too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Baseballs-Golden...item483a9b6611

[AndyG09]

I am really surprised nobody has yet to mention "Baseball As I've Known It" which is an outstanding book. Fred Lieb's book is a fabulous read and I give it 5 stars!

[J.McMurry]

Deadballera,

I've got that book too, I agree it's excellent. There is also another book that's similar called The game that was, which contains the photos of George Brace,also excellent.


Frank W.,

You mentioned Bill James' book earlier, have you read Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?, also a good read if you're into stats and theories.

[Buythatcard]

I don't know where to start. They all sound like great books. I think I am going to start with Ball Four followed by either Cobb or Operation Bullpen.

Does anyone remember "The curious case of Sidd Finch" by George Plimpton? I remember enjoying that one.

I will use this post as a reference for books to read.

Thanks to all for your great suggestions.

Where would I be without NEt54?

[ethicsprof]

I just this week received the new books: Mint Condition
and The T206 Collection, so right now they're my favs!!!

best,
barry

[David Atkatz]

"Murderers' Row The 1927 New York Yankees," by G.H. Fleming.
--actual NY newspaper stories (by some of the greatest sportswriters), recreating day by day the Yankees' 1927 season.

"The Year They Called Off the World Series," by Benton Stark.
--Well-written account of the 1904 season in NY. Covers quite well the birth of the AL, and the Yankees.

[FrankWakefield]

Yes, Baseball's Golden Age is good, a reverent work. Baseball as I have Known It is good.

J. McMurry, I have the first version of that HOF book, I think it was called Politics of Glory. It was renamed to something more in line with what it's about. A thought-provoking book. A good read.

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday... it was something about how a person should not form strong opinions about things when they don't have much information. It was worded better than that. Mr. James' fine book on the HOF reminds me of that... folks have opinions about who should be in, who shouldn't, and in my estimation some folks would have different opinions if they just were a little bit better informed. But they keep their eyes closed, their fingers in their ears, and they hold onto their ideas.