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Aaron M.Hey, Barry. Daniel actually answered your question in a much more succinct manner than I would have but I can add some more specific detail. I think what was so exciting about this book (I pre-ordered it off Amazon as soon as someone posted here about its existence) was the promise of going inside some of the world's best collections.
Because the book bore the Smithsonian name, I sort of assumed that the book would resemble their magazine's article back in 1987 on Barry Halper and his collection. That is that, yes, there were some beautifully laid out, carefully staged memorabilia photos, but we also saw multiple photos of Halper and his stunning display floor. The article was as much about Barry and his collecting experiences (if not more so) than the history of baseball.
I was hoping the book would be more of the same, only with more collectors featured.
Basically auction catalogs present a great opportunity to see particular memorabilia beautifully photographed in color with their history and specs detailed in the item description. Yet, there is a natural curiosity on the part of memorabilia collectors who can't afford to spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars (or even those who can) to see where these great items end up--with whom and how does the item fit into the buyer's collection. (I've often thought MastroNet or Lelands or REA could drive interest in the hobby and increase sales and consignments if they would simply add some creative content to their websites in between auctions--basically profile the collections of their top buyers with a ton of digital photos--to drive traffic even in down time.)
Meanwhile, the Baseball Hall of Fame has published a few books in the exact style of Stephen's book that almost exclusively discussed the memorabilia items as an afterthought to the historical event or player they were tied to. While these books have some nice photos, they are rather generic and sterile.
IMO, what fellow memorabilia collectors really wanted and what the marketplace lacks right now is a book that harkens back to the Smithsonian/Halper article, only with the knowledge, organization and production values that Stephen poured into his book. That is to take us inside these twenty or so collections--show us the display rooms and cases, show us the walls filled with framed advertising pieces and pennants, show us the closets overflowing with game used jerseys, show us the basements filled with stadium artifacts, etc.
And let us get to know these collectors. Who they are. What drew them to collecting and to their respective niches in particular. What their best purchases and experiences have been. Describe the joy that these relics bring them and why they continue in the hobby.
Last night I made more headway with the book and actually found three very well written chapters focusing on Rob Lifson's pin collection, Penny Marshall's kitche and folk art collection, and the gentleman (can't remember his name off the top of my head) who collects stadium artifacts. Those were great stories and we really got a terrific sense of the collectors, their collections and that important link as to why their collections were personally meaningful to them.
Still, I'm reading through the stadium collector's chapter and it says he's converted his basement into a museum complete with a faux Ebbets Field rotunda he had built at its entrance. And there wasn't one photo! (Not of the entrance or the basement/museum.) That was extremely frustrating.
I've seen Bill Mastro's display room on a TV show--it's staggering, awe-inspiring. So it's sad to know that Stephen's chapter on his collection included only a single photo of Mastro's room, and just a small section of a single display case at that. That was extremely frustrating.
The trophy collection, Cory's collection, Marshall Fogel's collection. The list goes on. Yes we saw bits and pieces, but without seeing the whole, we miss the awe--and that's what would have made this book great.
I mean Stephen is a memorabilia collector so he doesn't need me telling him this, but part of what drives us in this hobby is the purely visual, aesthetic apperception. It's the priority of displaying and immersing ourselves with the unique object(s) vs. the pleasure and challenge of completing a card set or collection that is then usually tucked away. That voyeuristic sense of awe at seeing a prominent collector’s personal collection in its proper context is missing from this book. I hope that someone takes another stab at this niche (in whatever media). I for one would be first in line to buy.
Anyway, it's just sad because obviously Stephen had the right idea and the perfect opportunity to really deliver to memorabilia collectors what we've been looking for. He had the publisher, the resources and the cooperative collector/owners of these great collections. It's like all these elements were in place to deliver the seminal book on baseball memorabilia collecting and instead of hitting the ball out of the park, it landed five feet from the warning track for a long fly ball out. It's definitely the best memoribilia book out there (which really isn't saying alot), but it's still more of the same.