Books about early baseball

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Posted By: Ray

Hi all,

I'm about one year and 60+ cards into my T206 set. As my collection grows, I'm noticing myself wanting to learn more and more about the players on the cards. As a 28 year old, I know who Matthewson, Cobb, and Young are... but I am really interested in learning about what baseball was all about pre-Babe Ruth! Anyways, I've purchased and read "Hal Chase: The Black Prince of Baseball" and SABR's "Deadball Stars of the National League". Searching Amazon tonight, I've discovered a whole bunch of books I never knew existed and I was wondering if anyone could tell me which are worth reading, and which aren't. Thanks for all your help!!!

Here's a list of the books I found:

1. Eight Men Out (by Asinof)
2. Ed Delehanty in the Emerald Age of Baseball (by Casway)
3. "Commy" (by Axelson)
4. Henry Chadwick: Father of Base Ball (by Nash)
5. Rothstein: The Life, Times... (by Pietrusza)
6. Harry Wright:The Father of Professional Base Ball (by Devine)
7. Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime During the Civil War (by Kirsch)
8. Autumn Glory (by Masur)
9. The First World Series and the Baseball Fanatics of 1903 (by Abrams)

Plus biographies on Cobb, Matthewson, Big Train, and Young... any others I should check out??? Any must reads or must avoids?