A History of Early Baseball: Playing for Keeps, 1857-1876, by Warren Goldstein (HC, 1989, $4)
Early baseball was filled with tensions- manly men vs. boys playing a children's game, the elite's self-control vs. the excitement and rowdiness of working class players, and playing for fun vs. playing as professionals in an organized sport. Then there were those strange rules: few balls, no strikes, and 21 "aces" (runs) needed to win a game. "The batter was out if a fielder caught the batted ball on the first bounce. Fielders wore no gloves... The pitcher... delivered the ball underhand... Twenty or thirty runs per side were the norm." Read about it here. (available 8/13)
Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy, by Jane Leavy (HC, 2002, $5, first edition)
I vaguely remember the commotion in 1965 when a pitcher refused to pitch the first game of the World's Series because it was Yom Kippur. Most people who know baseball know a lot more about Sandy Koufax than that. He was a great pitcher. For five consecutive years he led the National League in earned run average. Even in his last year, "with a crippled, arthritic arm, he still won 27 games, and completed as many. And he never missed a start. Then abruptly, he was gone." Still, what made him different from anyone else was his refusal to live off his fame. It took the author 4 months even to contact him, and then Koufax said he had no interest in the project. People who knew him, wouldn't talk about him without his permission. Many who knew him respected him so much that they chose not to intrude on his privacy without being invited. He was no recluse, because when a friend needed him, he was there. Koufax just believed that private things should be private. This is a book about baseball, the 60's, and a special person named Koufax. I am impressed, and little impresses me these days. (avail. 8/13)
Ballparks: Major League Stadiums Past and Present, by Robert von Goeben (HC, 2004, $3) **SOLD**
Here are the ball fields of the early 1900's (in the cities, with brick facades, grass fields and manual scoreboards), to the modern era (think AstroTurf in the burbs), to the revival era (with grounds-keeping technology and space-age retractable roofs, but also with REAL grass, and located... wait for it... back in the cities)!
Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of Baseball Parks, Past and Present, Featuring Every Major League Park, Stadiums from the Past, and Famous Minor and Negro league Parks, by Josh Leventhal (oversized HC, 2000, $5)
"Hundreds of Full Color Photographs and Drawings Throughout. Details and Vital Statistics on Every Stadium. Hot Dogs, Mascots, Scoreboards and Much, Much More!"
All of that description comes from the book's cover. That's a lot of words. I have only one, "Wow". (Avail. 8/13)
Baseball, text by Roger Angell, photographs by Walter Iooss (oversized HC, 1984, $3)
Iooss was a Sports Illustrated photographer for almost 20 years. Poor man, he was often forced to also photograph those models for the swimsuit issues. This book includes 133 of his best work. Sorry, no swimsuits shown here!
Baseball in America, edited by Karen Mullarkey (oversize HC, 1991, 223 pages, $4)
"Baseball in America is more than the story of a sport. It is a visual celebration of America's legendary national pastime, featuring the work of over 50 of the nation's foremost photojournalists. From dusty sandlots to floodlit urban ballparks, they featured the tremendous democracy of this game, the shared experience of young and old, rich and poor." I love this book, and I don't even like baseball!
Look for these wonders on the new non-fiction table.
