The SABR Bookshelf
The SABR Bookshelf is a listing of books received at the SABR office. 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 — 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.
Spring 2025
Click here for more detailed information on each of these books:
- Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts, edited by Eric Poulin
- The 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox: Grinders and Gamers, edited by Eric Conrad, Mark Morowczynski, Bill Nowlin, and Don Zminda
- From Bytown to the Big Leagues: 150 Years of America’s Pastime in Canada’s Capital, Ottawa Baseball from 1865 to 2025, edited by Steve Rennie and Bill Nowlin
- When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963, edited by George Pawlush
- 72 Stories: From the Baseball Collection of Geddy Lee, by Geddy Lee
- Justice Batted Last: Ernie Banks, Minnie Miñoso, and the Unheralded Players Who Integrated Chicago’s Major League Teams, by Don Zminda
- The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker
- Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America, by Will Bardenwerper
- Movies and the Church of Baseball, by Jonathan Plummer
- The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 4th Edition (two volumes) , by Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff
- Brooklyn Dodgers Transactions, 1890-1957: A History and Analysis, by Lyle Spatz
- Cooperstown’s Back Door: A History of Negro Leaguers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, by Paul D. White
- The Caribbean Series: Latin America’s Annual Baseball Tournament, 1949-2024, by Thomas E. Van Hyning
- A Baseball Book of Days: Thirty-One Moments that Transformed the Game, by Phil Coffin
- Baseball’s Two-Way Greats: Pitching/Batting Stars from Ruth and Rogan to Ohtani, by Chris Jensen
- 3,000: Baseball’s Elite Clubs for Hits and Strikeouts, by Douglas J. Jordan
- Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups, by John Nogowski
- Get Your Tokens Ready: The Late 1990s Road to the Subway Series, by Chris Donnelly
- A Giant Among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey, by Chris Haft
- 1978: Baseball & America in the Disco Era, by David Krell
- One More for the White Rat: The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Chase the Pennant, by Doug Feldmann
- Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of the Game, Twentieth Anniversary Edition, by David Block
- Baseball’s First Superstar: The Lost Life of Christy Mathewson, by Alan D. Gaff
- A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams, by Jason Cannon
- Talking Baseball with Major League Stars, by Wayne Stewart
- All the Way: The Life of Baseball Trailblazer Maybelle Blair, by Kat D. Williams
- Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America, by Jeffrey Orens
- The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978, by Matt Sieger
- Leveling the Playing Field: Women Breaking Barriers in Major League Baseball Coaching and Leadership, by Al Lautenslager
- Don Drysdale: Up and In: The Life of a Dodgers Legend, by Mark Whicker
- Out of the Mouth of Babe: Babe Ruth on Life: Pitching, Hitting, Striking Out, and Coming Back Swinging, by Kelly Bennett
- From St. Louis To Cooperstown: Baseball Legends Born and Made In the Gateway City, by Ed Wheatley
- I Was Born Poor, I Was Born Black, and I Was Born in Mississippi: When You’ve Been Through That You Can Deal with Anything, by Ron Anderson
- Baseball Like It Oughta Be: How a Shoe Salesman’s Madison Mallards and His Renegade Staff Ignited the Summer-Collegiate Baseball Revolution, by Tom Alesia
- Death of a Childhood: A Memoir of 1989 and the “Why Not?” Baltimore Orioles, by Ryan Basen
- Cape Dreams: A Season With the Brewster Whitecaps, by Mark Epstein
- Baseball Card Heroes: Stories from the Dugout and Beyond, by K.P. Wee
- A Brooklyn Guy: The Greatest Brooklyn Dodger You’ve Never Heard Of, by Noel Hynd
- Baseball’s Unlikely: A Constant, by Scott S. Parker and Rusty Austin
- From Randy Johnson to Dallas Braden: No-Hitters Beyond the Box Score, by Kevin Hurd
- Old Ontario at Bat: An Unheralded Ancestry, by Bill Humber
- El Grandes Ligas de la Patria Grande (The Major Leaguer of the Big Country), by Edwin R. Pérez
- Dangerous Danny Gardella: Baseball’s Neglected Trailblazer for Today’s Millionaire Athletes, by Robert Elias
- Baseball’s Best (and Worst) Teams: The Top (and Bottom) Clubs Since 1903, by G. Scott Thomas
Fall 2024
Click here for more detailed information on each of these books:
- The 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants, edited by Frederick C. Bush, Thomas Kern, and Bill Nowlin
- Dodger Stadium: Blue Heaven on Earth, edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks
- Sandy Koufax, edited by Marc Z. Aaron, Bill Nowlin, and Glen Sparks
- Dazzling Debuts: First At-Bat Home Runs, edited by Giselle Stancic, Bill Nowlin, and Jacob Pomrenke
- The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness, by Andy McCullough
- Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman, by Scott Longert
- Cookie Rojas: A Baseball Life, by Lou Hernández
- Baseball’s Shooting Stars: Improbable Ascents and Burnouts in the National Pastime, by David J. Gordon
- The Louisville Grays and the Myth of Baseball’s First Great Scandal, by Wendell Lloyd Jones
- Pitching to the Corners: My Post-MLB Career Abroad, by Don August with Mark Knudson
- World Series ’64: The Cardinals, the Yankees and the End of a Dynasty, by John G. Robertson and Carl T. Madden
- Foxy Ned Hanlon: The Baseball Life of a Hall of Fame Manager, by Tom DeLise and Jay Seaborg
- Roger Bresnahan: A Baseball Life, by John R. Husman
- The Memphis Red Sox: A Negro Leagues History, by Keith B. Wood
- Sudden Deaths in Sports: 75 Athletes Lost Without Warning, by Douglas Putnam
- The Lineup Card: An Illustrated History of the Baseball Collectible, by Tom O’Reilly
- Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports, by Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob
- Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, The Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash that Changed Everything, by Eric Vickrey
- It’s a Beautiful Day for Baseball: The National Pastime in the 1960s, by Doug Kurkul
- A Baseball Gaijin: Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back, by Aaron Fischman
- Larry Doby in Black and White: The Story of a Baseball Pioneer, by Jerry Izenberg
- Home Run King: The Remarkable Record of Hank Aaron, by Dan Schlossberg
- Remembering Torn-Down Ballparks Over a Cold Beer, by Ken Finnigan
- The Obscure History of Baseball in San Diego: Before the Padres Came to Town, 1870-1936, by Carlos Bauer
- Game Changers: Sports Photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, edited by Michèle Gates Moresi and Laura Coyle
- Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger, by Stephen W. Dittmore
- Bitten by the Red Sox Baseball Bug: A Fan’s Lifelong Passion, by Bill Nowlin
- Ivan the Terrible Goes on a Family Picnic, by Charles Holdefer
- The Original Louisville Slugger: The Life and Times of Forgotten Baseball Legend Pete Browning, by Tim Newby
- The Wizard of College Baseball: How Ron Fraser Elevated Miami and an Entire Sport to National Prominence, by David Brauer
- Leave While the Party’s Good: The Life and Legacy of Baseball Executive Harry Dalton, by Lee C. Kluck
- Bad Penny: How a Maverick Owner Helped Break Baseball’s Color Barrier, by Tom Gantert
- The History of Fantasy Sports: And the Stories of the People Who Made It Happen, by Larry Schechter
- re:Leaf: The Story of a Collector, a Candy Company, a Stack of Baseball Cards, and a Quest for Answers, by Brian Kappel
- Hardball Retro’s Compendium of Baseball Video Games and Electronic Handhelds, by Derek Bain and John Racanelli
- WAR in Pieces: A Guide to Baseball’s Superstat Wins Above Replacement, by Sean Smith
- Ten Cent Beer Night: The Complete Guide to the Riot That Helped Save Baseball in Cleveland, by Scott Jarrett
- Joe and Mike Cantillon: Firebrands of Baseball, by Michael Bosanko
Spring 2024
Click here for more detailed information on each of these books:
- One-Win Wonders, edited by Bill Nowlin
- Sox Bid Curse Farewell: The 2004 Boston Red Sox, edited by Bill Nowlin
- Roy White: From Compton to the Bronx, by Roy White with Paul Semendinger
- The One Hundred Most Important Players in Baseball History, by Lincoln Mitchell
- The Batboy and the Unbreakable Record, by Robert Skead
- The Baseball Mysteries: Challenging Puzzles for Logical Detectives, by Jerry Butters and Jim Henle
- Searchin’ for Toothpick Sam: A Baseball Card Odyssey, by Jamie Selko
- Runnin’ Redbirds: The World Champion 1982 St. Louis Cardinals, by Eric Vickrey
- Hoyt Wilhelm: Life of a Knuckleballer, by Lew Freedman
- Yankee Stories Untold: An Insider’s Memoir from Ruth to Jeter, by Rich Marazzi
- Save Baseball: A Prescription for the Major Leagues, by Larry Hausner
- Baseball Heaven Up Close and Personal, What It Was Really Like in the Major Leagues, by Peter Golenbock
- Cardinal Dreams: The Legacy of Charlie Peete and a Life Cut Short, by Danny Spewak
- Roberto Alomar: The Complicated Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hall of Famer, by David Ostrowsky
- Team of Destiny: Walter Johnson, Clark Griffith, Bucky Harris, and the 1924 Washington Senators, by Gary Sarnoff
- Work, Fight, or Play Ball: How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball’s Stars Avoid World War I, by William Ecenbarger
- Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize, by Jerry Grillo
- The Fenway Effect: A Cultural History of the Boston Red Sox, by David Krell
- Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero, by Waite Hoyt with Tim Manners
- Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, and Got Personal with Billions of Fans, by David Bockino
- Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully, edited by Tom Hoffarth
- Lion of the League: Bob Emslie and the Evolution of the Baseball Umpire, by Larry R. Gerlach
- Where the Seams Meet, by Patrick Holcomb
- Chicago Cubs Firsts, by Al Yellon
- Trash Talk: The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn’t Total Garbage, by Rafi Kohan
- The Mountain Empire League, by Marshall Adesman
- Baseball Confidential, by Al Lautenslager
- Baseball Stats and Stories: Confessions of a Tabletop Simulation Gamer, by J. Thomas Hetrick
- Beisbol on the Air: Essays on Major League Spanish-Language Broadcasters, edited by Jorge Iber and Anthony R. Salazar
- The Wright Side of History: The Life and Career of Johnny Wright, Co-Pioneer in Breaking Baseball’s Color Barrier, by Carlis Wright Robinson
- Pug Fireball and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa, by Steve Dunn
- Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien
- Frank Chance’s Diamond: The Baseball Journalism of Ring Lardner, by Ron Rapoport
- Knuckleballs: 162 Great Knuckleballing Wins—Plus Playoffs, by K.P. Wee
- Baseball’s Great Expectations Candid Stories of Ballplayers Who Didn’t Live Up to the Hype, by Patrick Montgomery
- When Baseball Was Still Topps: Portraits of the Game in 1959, Card by Card, by Phil Coffin
- The Gas and Flame Men: Baseball and the Chemical Warfare Service During World War I, by Jim Leeke
- The House That Ruth Built, by Kelly Bennett
- 715 at 50: The Night Henry Aaron Changed Baseball and the World Forever, by Randy Louis Cox
- Wingo: The Remarkable Life of an Unremarkable Man, by Mike Vance
- Mike Donlin: A Rough and Rowdy Life from New York Baseball Idol to Stage and Screen, by Steve Steinberg and Lyle Spatz
- Under Jackie’s Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind, by Mitchell Nathanson
- Parisian Bob Caruthers: Baseball’s First Two-Way Star, by Dave Heller
- Last Comiskey, by Ken Smoller
- Shadows of Glory: Memorable and Offbeat World Series Stories, by Dave Brown and Jeff Rodimer
Fall 2023
Click here for more detailed information on each of these books:
- Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America’s First Modern Ballpark, edited by Tara Krieger and Bill Nowlin
- Willie Mays: Five Tools, edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks
- The Stars Shone on Philadelphia: The 1934 Negro National League Champions, edited by Frederick C. Bush and Bill Nowlin
- Ebbets Field: Great, Historic, and Memorable Games in Brooklyn’s Lost Ballpark, edited by Gregory H. Wolf
- Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, 1960-2019 (Volume 2), edited by Robert K. Fitts, Bill Nowlin, and James Forr
- Bill Clinton and the Church of Baseball: The Presidency, Civil Religion, and the National Pastime in the 1990s, by Chris Birkett
- Joe Cambria: International Super Scout of the Washington Senators, by Paul Scimonelli
- Schnozz: The Baseball Life of Ernie Lombardi, by David L. Fleitz
- Opening Day in Milwaukee: The Brewers’ Season Starters, 1970-2022, by Matthew J. Prigge
- Hardscrabble Diamonds: Postwar Baseball in New England and the Maritimes, 1945-1960, by Colin Howell
- Play-by-Play from the Minors: Profiles of Baseball Broadcasters from Scranton to Yakima, by John Kocsis Jr.
- Tony Gwynn: The Baseball Life of Mr. Padre, by Scott Kingdon
- Miracle on the Eastern Shore: The 1937 Salisbury Indians and Baseball’s Greatest Comeback, by David A. Ranzan
- Baseball on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, 1866-1950, by Marty Payne
- The Year Without a World Series: Major League Baseball and the Road to the 1994 Players’ Strike, by Robert C. Cottrell
- Let There Be Baseball: The 60-Year Battle to Legitimize Sunday Baseball, by Arthur G. Sharp
- Called Up: Ballplayers Remember Becoming Major Leaguers, by Zak Ford
- Cramer’s Choice: Memoir of a Baseball Card Collector Turned Manufacturer, by Mike Cramer
- Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years, by Steven P. Gietschier
- Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust, and A Sports Town’s Fight for Survival, by Andy Dolich and Dave Newhouse
- Pinstripes by the Tale: Half a Century In and Around Yankees Baseball, by Marty Appel
- Ron Cey: Penguin Power, by Ron Cey with Ken Gurnick
- Smart, Wrong, and Lucky: The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars, by Jonathan Mayo
- The New Ball Game: The Not-so-Hidden Forces Shaping Modern Baseball, by Russell A. Carleton
- 1934: The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier Breaking Year, by Heidi L.M. Jacobs
- The Ballplayer’s Son: Following the Footsteps and Escaping the Shadow of Big Moe Franklin, by Dell Franklin
- Vintage Base Ball’s Enduring Legacy, by Jack Pelikan
- Baseball West of Eden, by John Wells
- The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams, by Adam Lazarus
- Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series, by Traci Sorell; illustrations by Arigon Starr
- The Greatest Summer in Baseball History: How the ‘73 Season Changed US Forever, by John Rosengren
- Can We Play Baseball, Mr. DeMille?, by Mark Angelo
- Hidden History of Twin Cities Sports, by Joel Rippel
- Sunny Jim Bottomley: A Biography of a Hall of Fame First Baseman, by Kent Krause
- Sit Behind The Nets! A Memoir of a Mother Killed by a Foul Ball at an MLB Game, by Jana Goldbloom Brody
- Gentleman Jake: The Success and Tragedy of the Deadball Era’s Greatest First Baseman, by Harry J. Deitz Jr.
- Baseball Puzzles, by Stephen Bratkovich
- “Cy” Williams: Baseball’s Most Unique Star Slugger, by Gary Williams
- Burial at Home Plate: An Oddball History of the Pittsburgh Pirates, by Bob Fulton
- Baseball From 3,000 Miles Away: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Being an East Coast San Francisco Giants Fan, by Gary Mintz
Spring 2023
Click here for more detailed information on each of these books:
- Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, 1907-1958 (Volume 1), edited by Robert K. Fitts, Bill Nowlin, and James Forr
- When the Babe Went Back to Boston: Babe Ruth, Judge Fuchs and the Hapless Braves of 1935, by Bob LeMoine
- Bill Virdon: A Life in Baseball, by David Jerome
- Pete Hill: Black Baseball’s First Superstar, by Bob Luke
- World Series ’48: The Cleveland Indians and Boston Braves in Six Games, by John G. Robertson and Carl T. Madden
- Field of Magic: Baseball’s Superstitions, Curses and Taboos, by John Cairney
- Fans Called Him “Turkey,” I Called Him Dad: A Daughter Remembers Baseball Hall of Famer Norman Thomas Stearnes, by Rosilyn Stearnes-Brown
- Baseball’s Wildest Season: Three Leagues, Thirty-Four Teams and the Chaos of 1884, by William J. Ryczek
- Black Stats Matter: Integrating Negro League Numbers into Major League Records, by Philip Lee
- Baseball’s Union Association, by Justin Mckinney
- Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess, by Evan Drellich
- Do You Believe in Magic? Baseball and America in the Groundbreaking Year of 1966, by David Krell
- The Voices of Baseball: The Game’s Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America’s Pastime (Updated Edition), by Kirk McKnight
- Sons of Baseball: Growing Up with a Major League Dad, by Mark Braff
- Baseball at the Abyss: The Scandals of 1926, Babe Ruth, and the Unlikely Savior Who Rescued a Tarnished Game, by Dan Taylor
- Jazz Age Giant: Charles R. Stoneham & New York City Baseball in the Roaring Twenties, by Robert F. Garratt
- Road to Nowhere: The Early 1990s Collapse and Rebuild of New York City Baseball, by Chris Donnelly
- One Season in Rocket City: How the 1985 Huntsville Stars Brought Minor League Baseball Fever to Alabama, by Dale Tafoya
- Baseball’s Endangered Species: Inside the Craft Scouting by Those Who Lived It, by Lee Lowenfish
- Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers, by Erik Sherman
- Get in the Game: An Interactive Introduction to Sports Analytics, by Tim Chartier
- Spitter: Baseball’s Notorious Gaylord Perry, by David Vaught
- Fields Apart, by J.N. Kelly
- Baseball Is In My DNA: A History of Baseball in Freehold, New Jersey 1857-1973, by Glenn Cashion
- Black College Nines: The History of HBCU Baseball and Integrators of Historically White College Baseball Programs, by Jay Sokol
- Major League Debuts 2023, by James Bailey
- Name that Hall of Famer: Marathon Ump, by Troy Grimes
- A Baseball Birthright: Chronicles & Connections, by Pasquale A. Carlucci
- The Boys of Spring: The Birth of the Dodgers, by Allen Schery
Looking for previous listings of the SABR Bookshelf? Check out the archives page.