The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2024
Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Spring 2024.
To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, send an e-book file in PDF, EPUB or 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, please 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.
In addition, check out new books published by SABR at SABR.org/ebooks.
One-Win Wonders
Edited by Bill Nowlin
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-9608-1912-3
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: SABR Digital Library book focusing on 78 players whose time in the major leagues included only a single pitching win. A companion book to 2021’s One-Hit Wonders.
Sox Bid Curse Farewell: The 2004 Boston Red Sox
Edited by Bill Nowlin
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-9608-1918-5
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: SABR Digital Library book celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 World Series champs with biographies all of the players on the roster alongside essays about that unprecedented postseason run and its ripples throughout New England.
Roy White: From Compton to the Bronx
By Roy White with Paul Semendinger
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing
Retail Price: $29.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9511-2257-7
Buy It: APBooks.net
Summary: Biography of a homegrown Yankees all-star and the changing of the times during his career.
The One Hundred Most Important Players in Baseball History
By Lincoln Mitchell
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing
Retail Price: $17.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9511-2266-9
Buy It: APBooks.net
Summary: The baseball history and lore behind the game’s most impactful ballplayers.
The Batboy and the Unbreakable Record
By Robert Skead
Publisher: Kinkajou Press
Retail Price: $14.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9511-2270-6
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: The story of 12-year-old Richie Goodwin and his up-and-down journey as a batboy for the Cincinnati Reds.
The Baseball Mysteries: Challenging Puzzles for Logical Detectives
By Jerry Butters and Jim Henle
Publisher: CRC Press
Retail Price: $31.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-0323-6548-0
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A book full of baseball puzzles and logical challenges based on America’s pastime.
Searchin’ for Toothpick Sam: A Baseball Card Odyssey
By Jamie Selko
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9249-4
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: A memoir on the author’s love affair with Topps’ 1961 baseball card set and his quest to acquire a complete autographed collection.
Runnin’ Redbirds: The World Champion 1982 St. Louis Cardinals
By Eric Vickrey
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9364-4
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: An exhaustive account chronicling the 1982 Cardinals from Whitey Herzog’s rebuild to the final out of the Fall Classic.
Hoyt Wilhelm: Life of a Knuckleballer
By Lew Freedman
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9206-7
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: Biography of the eight-time all-star whose predominant weapon of choice on the mound was the knuckleball.
Yankee Stories Untold: An Insider’s Memoir from Ruth to Jeter
By Rich Marazzi
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9380-4
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: The author’s commentary on his first-hand experience inside the history and culture of New York Yankees, uncovering untold stories of MLB’s most successful franchise.
Save Baseball: A Prescription for the Major Leagues
By Larry Hausner
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-8992-0
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: A book exploring the critical challenges facing MLB, detailing their ramifications and providing potential solutions.
Baseball Heaven Up Close and Personal: What It Was Really Like in the Major Leagues
By Peter Golenbock
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $28.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8182-9
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: A collection of interviews with some of baseball’s most fascinating figures, pulling back the curtain on baseball history.
Cardinal Dreams: The Legacy of Charlie Peete and a Life Cut Short
By Danny Spewak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $34.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-7992-5
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: The untold story of one of the first Black players for the St. Louis Cardinals, who dreamed of leaving a lasting impact on Major League Baseball.
Roberto Alomar: The Complicated Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hall of Famer
By David Ostrowsky
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $36.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-5802-9
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: Biography looking into the remarkable career and controversial life of a baseball Hall of Famer.
Team of Destiny: Walter Johnson, Clark Griffith, Bucky Harris, and the 1924 Washington Senators
By Gary Sarnoff
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $38.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8234-5
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: An account of the underdog story of the 1924 Washington Senators.
Work, Fight, or Play Ball: How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball’s Stars Avoid World War I
By William Ecenbarger
Publisher: Temple University Press
Retail Price: $25.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4399-2517-1
Buy It: Temple University Press
Summary: The story of how dozens of athletes faced professional conflicts and a difficult choice in light of public perceptions and war propaganda during World War I.
Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize
By Jerry Grillo
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3544-2
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: Biography of one of the greatest hitters in baseball’s golden age of great hitters.
The Fenway Effect: A Cultural History of the Boston Red Sox
By David Krell
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3233-5
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: A collection of stories and accounts depicting the history and culture of the Boston Red Sox.
Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero
By Waite Hoyt with Tim Manners
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3679-1
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: The story of the best pitcher for the New York Yankees in the 1920s, told in his own words.
Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans
By David Bockino
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3317-2
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: An exploration of the evolution of sports media, investigating how sports media both affects and reflects our society.
Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully
Edited by Tom Hoffarth
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3878-8
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: More than 60 players, writers, broadcasters, celebrities, and fans pen essays on how the beloved Dodgers broadcaster affected their personal and professional lives.
Lion of the League: Bob Emslie and the Evolution of the Baseball Umpire
By Larry R. Gerlach
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3765-1
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: The biography of an umpire and former pitcher whose career spanned the formative years of modern baseball from the late 19th century to the 1920s.
Where The Seams Meet
By Patrick Holcomb
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Retail Price: $17.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-8852-8089-1
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A novel following the lives of a father and son, one who is balancing his life as a father and a firefighter while the son is quickly becoming a baseball star.
Chicago Cubs Firsts: The Players, Moments, and Records That Were First In Team History
By Al Yellon
Publisher: Lyons Press
Retail Price: $22.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4930-7451-8
Buy It: LyonsPress.com
Summary: A collection of stories of all the firsts in the history of the Chicago Cubs. Each of the stories are presented in question and answer format.
Trash Talk: The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn’t Total Garbage
By Rafi Kohan
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Retail Price: $30.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5417-8891-6
Buy It: PublicAffairs
Summary: A collection of interviews in which the art of trash talk is discussed with athletes across sports.
The Mountain Empire League
By Marshall Adesman
Publisher: Arkettype
Retail Price: $28.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-8689-0725-8
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A novel set in the 1950s focusing on the hardships faced by Black playes as they try to break into the world of professional baseball.
Baseball Confidential: A Revealing Look at Behind the Scenes Communication Between Players, Coaches and Managers
By Al Lautenslager
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Retail Price: $15.75 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-8891-0563-3
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A collection of stories and interviews of players, coaches, and managers in MLB and the communication challenges they face on and off the field.
Baseball Stats and Stories: Confessions of a Tabletop Simulation Gamer
By J. Thomas Hetrick
Publisher: Pocol Press
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-9852-8205-4
Buy It: PocolPress.com
Summary: The author discusses his 50-year history of playing tabletop baseball simulation games. This book includes statistics and narratives, and it encourages others to document their experiences with tabletop baseball simulation as well.
Beisbol on the Air: Essays on Major Spanish-League Broadcasters
Edited by Jorge Iber and Anthony R. Salazar
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-8767-4
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: A collection of essays that follows the history of the Spanish broadcast from its beginnings to the present day.
The Wright Side of History: The Life and Career of Johnny Wright, Co-Pioneer in Breaking Baseball’s Color Barrier, as Told by His Daughter
By Carlis Wright Robinson
Publisher: In Due Season Publishing
Retail Price: $19.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9700-5732-4
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: The daughter of a Negro Leagues pioneer and one-time Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher tells his life story.
‘Pug,”Fireball,’ and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa
By Steve Dunn
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $17.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-8722-6598-6
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: The 100-year history of professional baseball in Des Moines, covering the teams, players, managers, owners, ballparks, and events from 1887 until today.
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
By Keith O’Brien
Publisher: Pantheon
Retail Price: $35.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-5933-1737-2
Buy It: Pantheon
Summary: A biography on the rise and fall of Pete Rose, with interviews of Rose and his associates and investigators’ reports, FBI records, and court records.
Frank Chance’s Diamond: The Baseball Journalism of Ring Lardner
Edited by Ron Rapoport
Publisher: Lyons Press
Retail Price: $24.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4930-8099-1
Buy It: LyonsPress.com
Summary: A curated collection of columns on baseball written by the humorist Ring Lardner in the early 20th century.
Knuckleballs: 162 Great Knuckleballing Wins-Plus Playoffs
By K.P. Wee
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $19.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-8630-9811-1
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A collection of memorable wins by knuckleball pitchers, plus other notable forgotten stories and events.
Baseball’s Greatest Expectations: Candid Stories of Ballplayers Who Didn’t Live Up to the Hype
By Patrick Montgomery
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $35.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8180-5
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: Detailing the careers of nine players who were thought to be destined for greatness, along with interviews from players, family members, general managers, executives, and scouts.
When Baseball Was Still Topps: Portraits of the Game in 1959, Card by Card
By Phil Coffin
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9394-1
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: Using Topps cards from the 1959 season to tell the stories of those players and games.
The Gas and Flame Men: Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service During World War I
By Jim Leeke
Publisher: Potomac Books
Retail Price: $32.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6401-2605-3
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: An account of players who served in the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I and the long-term effects on their physical and mental health.
The House That Ruth Built
By Kelly Bennett
Publisher: Familius
Retail Price: $17.59 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6417-0754-1
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A picture book for children on the first game at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and the Red Sox in 1923.
715 at 50: The Night Henry Aaron Changed Baseball and the World Forever
By Randy Louis Cox
Publisher: Summer Game Books
Retail Price: $17.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9553-9828-2
Buy It: Summer Game Books
Summary: A photographer who was there provides a minute-by-minute recap and photos of the game in 1974 when Henry Aaron hit his 715th career home run.
Wingo: The Remarkable Life of an Unremarkable Man
By Mike Vance
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $18.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-9879-4323-6
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A novel of a poor Southern boy who is tasked with keeping baseball star Babe Ruth on the straight and narrow in New York.
Mike Donlin: A Rough and Rowdy Life from New York Baseball Idol to Stage and Screen
By Steve Steinberg and Lyle Spatz
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $39.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3896-2
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: A biography of the controversial New York Giants star, exploring his early childhood tragedies to his life in film and on stage.
Under Jackie’s Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind
By Mitchell Nathanson
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $39.95 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3717-0
Buy It: Nebraska Press
Summary: Exploring Black and Latino players’ experience in the minor leagues of the 1950s and 1960s, following Jackie Robinson’s debut.
Parisian Bob Caruthers: Baseball’s First Two-Way Star
By Dave Heller
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9180-0
Buy It: McFarlandBooks.com
Summary: Biography of a 19th-century pitcher and outfielder who helped lead his teams to five league championships.
Last Comiskey
By Ken Smoller
Publisher: Eckhartz Press
Retail Price: $39.90 (sftcvr)
ISBN: n/a
Buy It: EckhartzPress.com
Summary: Pictorial book about the White Sox’s final season at Old Comiskey Park, a companion volume to Matt Flesch’s 2023 documentary film by the same name.
Shadows of Glory: Memorable and Offbeat World Series Stories
By Dave Brown and Jeff Rodimer
Publisher: Lyons Press
Retail Price: $26.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4930-8129-5
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: Featuring unusual stories about World Series moments spanning from 1918 to 2016.
Compiled by Sebastian Kirkpatrick and Daulton Zeaman.