Baseball Books

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Posted By: Robert Dixon

I'm sort of new to collecting old cardboard, and I was hoping you guys could recommend some more good reading material that would help me learn about the players that I am collecting.

Right now I am reading a book called "the Glory of Their Times...The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It." I'm finding myself putting the book down after every couple of pages because it is so good that I don't want it to end.

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Posted By: Brian

The updated edition (around 2001 or so) of Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.

It give a very detailed account of each decade in baseball. Decade's best lists, the top 100 players of all time, and the top 100 by each position all time.

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Posted By: Rob D.

http://www.amazon.com/Deadball-Stars-American-League-Baseball/dp/1574889826?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204338450&sr=1-1




http://www.amazon.com/Deadball-Stars-National-League-Photographic/dp/1574888609?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204338564&sr=1-1

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Posted By: dennis

here is an earlier thread on this same subject
http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/message/1172334911/Must+Have+Books-

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Posted By: Cy

Robert,

When you are finished with the book, go and buy the 4-CD set of the Glory of Their Times. You get to hear the actual interviews of the players that you read. It is the best thing about baseball in print or media that I have seen to date. You will love listening to the interviews.

Sincerely,

Cy

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Posted By: Fred C

Robert,

You're probably going to get a huge list to choose from. The books mentioned so far are great. If you like 19th century baseball and you'd like to learn about the American Association then "The Beer and Whisky League" is a great book. You can find many of the players represented in the Old Judge (N172) offering mentioned throughout the book. A definite must read for 19th century baseball fans. You'll learn a lot about the different rules used in the early stages of the evolution of the game. Fifty foot pitching distance (from pitchers mound to home), 4 strikes to whiff a batter, batters calling for high and low pitches, etc.

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Posted By: Paul Carek

Recently read "The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World." Can't recommend it highly enough.

http://www.amazon.com/Echoing-Green-Untold-Thomson-Branca/dp/0375421548

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

I definitely think that the original Historical Baseball Abstract is the better of the two. Affordable copies at ABEbooks and Alibris.

Baseball When the Grass was Real.

Ditto about getting the 4cd audio Glory of Their Times.

The Ballplayers.

The Unforgettable Season. (About the 1908 pennant race.)


That would be a good non-fiction start.

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Posted By: Don

The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modern Baseball


Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History

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Posted By: Len

Growing up in the '50's,I thought the Fireside Books of Baseball(set of 3)were great.I still have that set and continue to read them from time to time.

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Posted By: Steven Finley

Absolutely "Crazy 08". If you are a T206 collector it gives a great insight to most of the players you'll collect.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Mr. Fleming's book, The Unforgettable Season, is a great book, my impression was that he'd written it to convey what happened in that 1908 season.

As for Defford's book and the other 'new' book about that time, my feeling was they threw their books together to make some money. Nice fluffy books...

Charles Alexander wrote a great book about Mr. McGraw. It is insightful as to how baseball was the way it was at the turn of the century.

Mike Sowel's July 2, 1903, is about so much more than just the death of Ed Delahanty. It really explains the rivalry between the NL and the upstart AL, contract jumping, the National Agreement. A really good book to understand what was happening in baseball at the turn of the century.

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Posted By: Daryle

Speaking of "The Glory of Their Times", I collect LPs and I recently ran across the "soundtrack" LP. I have it on video too. One of my favorite baseball books is "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball" by Harvey Frommer. Has the complete Grand Jury Testimony of Shoeless Joe. Great material concerning the Black Sox.


Edited for my early morning misspellings....