1996 Best Baseball Books

 

Baseball Games: Home Versions of the National Pastime by Mark Cooper, M.D. A comprehensive, illustrated guide to nearly every baseball board and table game produced since 1860 through the late 1960’s. Included are tips for grading condition for collectors. Schiffer Publishing… 610-593-1777.

Baseball’s Most Memorable Trades by Fred Eisenhammer and Jim Binkley. A comprehensive look at the all-time worst trades in baseball history. McFarland… 910-246-4460.

Crossing The Line: Black Major Leaguers, 1947-1959 by Larry Moffi and Jonathon Kronstadt. Biographical sketches of the pioneers after Jackie Robinson who were still relagated to racial taunts and cruelties but persevered. University of Iowa Press… 319-335-2015.

The Home Run Encyclopedia by Bob McConnell and David W. Vincent. Contains essays, charts and stats on every conceivable long-ball combination from the longest homers to the youngest players ever to hit one out. Includes dinger diaries for days of the week, position, age, consecutive shots as well as sorted by name, date of birth and ballpark. It also details by league and player every hitter who has homered in the majors from 1876 and under what circumstance including all-star game and post-season blows. SABR… 216-575-0500.

Honus: The Life and Times of a Baseball Hero by William Hageman. The authorized biography of Hall of Famer Wagner’s interesting life. Besides his baseball career, the author explores his family life, his drinking problem and his failed business ventures. Sagamore Publishing.

Honus Wagner: A Biography by Dennis and Jeanne DeValeria. Similar to the previous effort and well researched, perhaps a bit better, of one of the all-time great shortstops. Henry Holt.

Jimmie Foxx: The Life and Times of a Baseball Hall-of-Famer 1907-1967 by W. Harrison Daniel. Biography of one of the all-time greatest sluggers. McFarland.

Nice Guys Finish First: The Autobiography of Monte Irvin by Monte Irvin with James A. Riley. Follows the trail of Negro Leaguer to New York Giants star to a commissioner’s office job. Carroll and Graff… 800-788-3123.

The Nineteenth Century Baseball Encyclopedia: 1871-1900 by Marshall D. Wright. A year-by-year history including stats, rosters and records of every player and team. McFarland.

The Perfect Yankee by Don Larsen with Mark Shaw. Serves as the biography of the pitcher who, 40 years ago in the pivotal fifth game of the 1956 World Series, pitched the greatest game in baseball history. Many player references and humorous anecdotes makes this an enjoyable read. Sagamore Publishing… 800-327-5557.

The Scout: Searching For the Best in Baseball by John "Red" Murf with Mike Capps. The life story of the man who signed Nolan Ryan among others. Filled with trade secrets from the scouting profession. Word Publishing.

Slide, Kelly, Slide by Marty Appel. The story of Hall of Famer King Kelly, one of the top players of the nineteenth century. He was also the first player to sign autographs and authored baseball’s first auto-biography. Scarecrow Press… 301-459-3366.

 

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