Phil Rosenzweig wins 2026 SABR Larry Ritter Book Award
Phil Rosenzweig is the winner of the 2026 Larry Ritter Book Award for One Splendid Season: Baseball and America in 1912, Told with the Words and Images of the Hassan Triplefolder Set, published by Cragmont Books.
The award honors Larry Ritter, author of The Glory of Their Times. In the 1960s. Ritter interviewed a number of Deadball Era players about their experiences and memories, and the resulting book launched the field of Deadball Era research.
One Splendid Season movingly conveys an eventful and memorable baseball season through the prism of an overshadowed but visually pleasing and historically important baseball card set. Rosenzweig provides meticulously researched details about the players and events that deepen the reader’s knowledge and understanding of the 1912 season. One Splendid Season features images of each of the 144 different player portraits and 76 iconic action photos that make up the Hassan Triplefolder set, complemented by colorful postcards showing the quaint ballparks of the Deadball Era and by crisp and incisive comments that reference and provide contextual information about the text printed on the reverse of each card.
The Ritter Award is granted annually by SABR’s Deadball Era Committee to the author of the best book about baseball between 1901 and 1919 published during the previous calendar year. The winner’s work must demonstrate original research or analysis, a fresh perspective, compelling thesis, impressive insight, accuracy, and clear, graceful prose.
Through his portrayal of the 1912 Hassan Triplefolder set, Rosenzweig sheds light on the Deadball Era much as Ritter did through his extensive player interviews for his landmark book, The Glory of Their Times.
“It’s a great honor to receive the Larry Ritter award for best Deadball book of 2026,” Rosenzweig said. “Writing and producing the book has been a labor of love, a very enjoyable project that let me immerse myself in the events and images of the Deadball Era and present the 1912 season for all those who love baseball and America.”
Three other books were finalists for the 2026 Larry Ritter Award:
- Martin H. Bush, Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves (Kent State University Press)
- J.B. Manheim, The House Divided, The Story of the First Congressional Baseball Game (Sunbury Press)
- Mark Peavey, A History of Baseball in the Deadball Era: Volume Two, 1906 to 1910 (Self-published)
Three other books received honorable mentions for the 2026 award:
- Alan Gaff, Baseball’s First Superstar: The Lost Life Story of Christy Mathewson (University of Nebraska Press)
- Ronald Waldo, Deadball Mayhem: Scoundrels, Scandalous Behavior, and Tragic Events (Sunbury Press)
- John Wickline, The (West) Virginia Valley League: The 1910 Baseball Season in the Ohio and Kanawha River Valleys (48 Hour Books)
Conferred annually since 2002, the Ritter Award is presented at the DEC meeting at SABR’s annual convention each summer.
The award winner is selected by the Larry Ritter Book Award Committee, chaired by Doug Skipper, with members Samantha Boelter, Don Jensen, Ben Klein, Craig Lammers, Andrew Milner, Art Mugalian, Tom Simon, and DEC Chairman John McMurray.
For more information on the Larry Ritter Award, including a list of previous winners, click here.
Originally published: May 27, 2026. Last Updated: May 27, 2026.