The SABR Bookshelf: Fall 2013
Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Fall 2013.
To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, make sure a review copy is sent to: The SABR Bookshelf, Society for American Baseball Research, 4455 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018. An e-book file will also suffice; please send the e-book in PDF, EPUB or Kindle/MOBI format to jpomrenke@sabr.org.
To ensure a listing in The Baseball Index — SABR’s online catalog of baseball research materials at www.baseballindex.org — make sure a review copy is sent to The Baseball Index, 4025 Beechwood Pl., Riverside, CA 92506.
Bolded names indicates that the author(s) is a SABR member. Click here for a list of publishers found in the SABR Bookshelf, along with their contact information.
All new SABR Bookshelf listings can be purchased at the SABR Bookstore, powered by Amazon.com. In addition, check out new books published by SABR at SABR.org/ebooks.
The Fenway Project
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Cecilia Tan
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| SABR | $6.99 (ebook) | 978-1-93359-950-2 | SABR.org |
- Summary: A collection of essays from SABR members at the 2002 SABR convention in Boston detailing one game at Fenway Park — from 64 different perspectives. Originally published in 2004, republished as an ebook in 2013.
Dollar Sign on the Muscle
By Kevin Kerrane
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| CreateSpace | $18.97 (sftcvr) | 978-1-4927-6507-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Long out of print, this classic book on the history, economics and habits of baseball scouting returns in 2013 as a paperback and e-book, with a new chapter on the state of scouting in the 21st century.
The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams
By Ben Bradlee Jr.
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little, Brown and Co. | $35.00 (hdcvr) | 978-0-3166-1435-1 | Amazon |
- Summary: An epic 864-page biography of the “Splendid Splinter,” written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor for the Boston Globe.
Bushers: Ballplayers Drawn from Left Field
By Ed Attanasio and Eric Gouldsberry
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $16.99 (sftcvr) | 978-0-7864-7900-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: A graphic novel with illustrated biographies of 50 fictional players from the Deadball Era. A funny look at baseball’s early years and the wild characters it produced.
New York Yankees Home Runs: A Comprehensive Factbook, 1903–2012
By Mitchell S. Soivenski
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $19.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-124-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: Starting with SABR’s Tattersall-McConnell Home Run Log, Soivenski created a book that is both a list and an analysis of when, where and how the Bronx Bombers hit their homers.
The Stars Are Back: The St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox, and Player Unrest in 1946
By Jerome M. Mileur
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University Press | $25.99 (hdcvr) | 978-0-8093-3271-7 | Amazon |
- Summary: In 1946, as the aftershocks of World War II still trembled across the globe, America returned to its favorite pastime: baseball. In The Stars Are Back, Jerome M. Mileur offers a fascinating account of this storied season and of the backstage battle that would forever transform the game of professional baseball.
The 50 Greatest Players in St. Louis Cardinals History
By Robert W. Cohen
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarecrow Press | $40.50 (hdcvr) | 978-0-8108-9215-6 | Amazon |
- Summary: Examining every player who has donned the Redbird uniform since 1892, Robert W. Cohen ranks the best of the best in “The 50 Greatest Players in St. Louis Cardinals History.”
Baseball Beyond Borders: From Distant Lands to the Major Leagues
By Frank P. Jozsa Jr.
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarecrow Press | $58.50 (hdcvr) | 978-0-8108-9245-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Examines the careers of foreign-born and Puerto Rican baseball players, but also goes beyond the players to look at managers, executives, coaches, and officials of Major League Baseball, as well. This book explores the impact and performances of these individuals on MLB and the minor leagues, and their contributions to the expansion and popularity of American baseball in the U.S. and around the world.
Before Jackie: The Negro Leagues, Civil Rights and the American Dream
By Mary E. Corey and Mark Harnischfeger
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramount Books | $34.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-9851-7954-0 | Amazon |
- Summary: A resource for teachers at all levels covering a social, political and economic history of the Negro Leagues era between the end of Reconstruction in the 1880s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
The Groundbreakers! There Is a First Time for Everything: 1,804 Answers to First Time Happenings in Major League Baseball That You Were Curious to Know
By Richard L. Chilton
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| MindStir Media | $16.54 (sftcvr) | 978-0-9889-5953-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: The answers to many questions on baseball “firsts,” such as who was the first player, manager, umpire or executive to have accomplished a particular feat in the long history of Major League Baseball.
Double Play
By Art Voellinger
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| iUniverse | $23.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-4917-0084-6 | Amazon |
- Summary: A novel about an aging amateur baseball player in Ashville, Illinois, with big-league dreams set in 1958.
Expanding the Strike Zone: Baseball in the Age of Free Agency
By Daniel A. Gilbert
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts Press | $17.83 (sftcvr) | 978-1-55849-997-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: In “Expanding the Strike Zone,” Daniel A. Gilbert examines the history and meaning of the sport’s tumultuous changes since the mid-twentieth century, amid Major League Baseball’s growing global influence.
Keepers of the Game: When the Baseball Beat was the Best Job on the Paper
By Dennis D’Agostino
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac Books | $19.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-59797-691-6 | Amazon |
- Summary: Twenty-three baseball beat writers tell their own stories in this engaging oral history. Includes interviews with nine J.G. Taylor Spink Award winners, including Peter Gammons, Ross Newhan, Hal McCoy, Murray Chass, Rick Hummel, Bob Elliott, Tracy Ringolsby, Nick Peters and Bill Madden.
Wrigley Field: The Centennial: 100 Years at the Friendly Confines
By Les Krantz
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Books | $19.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-6007-8834-5 | Amazon |
- Summary: The story of Wrigley’s first 100 years — from the origins of the ivy on the outfield walls and ballpark traditions. Featuring numerous photographs, Wrigley’s first century is beautifully documented and an originally produced DVD narrated by Lou Boudreau Jr. and Ron Santo Jr. features footage from throughout the stadium’s history and interviews with Jack Brickhouse, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, and others.
Baseball: A Casual Fan’s Guide
By John Yates Britt
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xulon Press | $14.99 (sftcvr) | 978-1-62509-618-0 | Amazon |
- Summary: A plain, simple, and straightforward explanation of the game of professional baseball, so that the people who know little or nothing can understand the game, and maybe even come to like it.
I Love The Work, But I Hate the Business
By Mel Proctor
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Press | $16.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-9356-2827-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: Longtime play-by-play voice for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Bullets writes a memoir of his career in broadcasting and offers a cautionary tale for anyone aspiring to do the same.
Spitballing: The Baseball Days of Long Bob Ewing
By Mike Lackey
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Frazer Press | $18.44 (sftcvr) | 978-1-93971-005-5 | Amazon |
- Summary: A colorful time in baseball and American history comes alive in this multi-layered biography of an Ohio farm boy who employed a combination of spit and savvy to earn a place in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Barnstormin’ Across America: The Bustin’ Babes and Larrupin’ Lous
By Rick Cabral
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-published | $2.99 (Kindle) | n/a | Amazon |
- Summary: A history of the 1927 postseason barnstorming tour featuring Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Hub Perdue: Clown Prince of the Mound
By John A. Simpson
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $35.00 (sftcvr) | 978-0-7864-7225-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: A one-time 16-game winner, Perdue’s rebellious streak probably shortened his playing career, but the humorous tales he left behind stayed in baseball legend.
George Altman: My Baseball Journey from the Negro Leagues to the Majors and Beyond
By George Altman with Lew Freedman
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-7864-7103-4 | Amazon |
- Summary: From the Kansas City Monarchs to the Hanshin Tigers, with the Cubs, Cardinals and Mets in between, George Altman had a wide range of experiences in several National Pastimes. Don’t forget Cuba, Panama or college ball.
Baseball GPA: A New Statistical Approach to Performance and Strategy
By David P. Gerard
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-7864-7256-7 | Amazon |
- Summary: GPA is a system that compares the results of each at-bat, or batter-faced, to historical norms and produces a number that measures a batter’s run production or pitcher’s run prevention.
.721: A History of the 1954 Cleveland Indians
By Gary Webster
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-7864-7655-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: A day-by-day recounting of that record season, with descriptions of both the games on the field, the players, manager and coaches, the fans’ response to the team and the ensuing attendance records.
Big Dan Brouthers: Baseball’s First Great Slugger
By Roy Kerr
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-7864-7560-5 | Amazon |
- Summary: A premier slugger of the late 19th century, Brouthers led the National League in multiple statistical categories across the 1880s and into the Players League in 1890.
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