Favorite Baseball Books

Of course, this doesn't discuss every baseball book every written, or even all of the baseball books on my shelf.  Instead, this includes the ones that I think are the most noteworthy.  

Most of the books mentioned below are available for purchase through the Grand Slam Mall.  Go to the Books area to get to the special page where most of these titles are offered.

And don't miss the "mini-reviews" from some of our visitors at the bottom of the page.

Featured books

• Take Me Out to the Ballpark by Josh Leventhal -- This book was released about the same time as The Ballpark Book described below.  Interestingly, it seeks to accomplish some of the same things, like providing a page or two or three on all current (and some former) Major League parks.  To see how it compares to The Ballpark Book, read our complete review by clicking here.

• The Ballpark Book by Ron Smith -- Since it appears that 1992's Green Cathedrals (arguably the best book on ballparks ever published -- see review below) probably will never be updated to include the newer stadiums, The Ballpark Book certainly fills a void.  And what a great job of filling that void this book does!  For our complete review, click here.

• Bases Loaded with History by Timothy Whitt -- If you love baseball history, you'll love this book.  This is the wonderfully written history of "America's Oldest Baseball Park," Rickwood Field in Birmingham.  Click here for our full review of this book.

Books about (what else?) baseball parks

• DIAMONDS - The Evolution of the Ballpark by Michael Gershman -- The research that went into this fabulous book is impressive.  The vintage photos are fascinating.  The timelines throughout the book are enlightening.  The way the chronology of ballpark design is organized is brilliant.  This book is simply outstanding . . . a "must-have" for any fan.  Sadly, I heard that this author passed away in January of 2000.

• Lost Ballparks by Lawrence Ritter -- This just might be my favorite book of all time.  Even though I've devoured every page of it, I am constantly going back through it, marveling at the old photos and the locations of these old parks.  The subtitle of this engrossing book is "A Celebration of Baseball's Legendary Fields," and the ballparks described in this great book are certainly legendary.  Each of the 22 chapters is devoted to a now-closed (and, for the most part, now-demolished) baseball shrine -- including Ebetts Field, The Polo Grounds, Sportsman's Park and Forbes Field.  And almost all of the chapters include a listing of the Ten Most Memorable Moments at that park.  If you feel nostalgic every time an old-time ballpark is mentioned, you need to read this book!

• Fodor's Baseball Vacations by Bruce Adams & Margaret Engel -- You know, in some respects I feel like I could have written this book, since I expend significant energy carefully crafting business and pleasure trips around attending baseball games around the country . . . but I have to admit that I have never devoted a summer to driving 25,000 miles and attending 85 baseball games in order to be able to write a book like this.  And what a great and helpful book it is, with facts and figures on countless Major and Minor League parks, as well as tips on where to stay and other activities in the area of each park.  Don't plan your next vacation without this book!  The first edition of this book was called Ballpark Vacations, while the second edition changed the name to Baseball Vacations.  The third edition is now out, and it's even more worthwhile!

• Green Cathedrals by Philip J. Lowry -- Fully revised in 1992 (and I wish it would be revised again to capture info about all of the new parks!), this book is a baseball fan's dream.  The subtitle of the book says it all:  "The Ultimate Celebration of All 271 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present."  It's not just a dry reference manual either, as vintage photos and anecdotes about the parks abound.  This is very possibly the best book on baseball parks every written.  Even though it's now a decade old, I refer to it time and time again when doing research or answering questions e-mailed to me by visitors to this site.  It is almost impossible to find a copy to purchase, though.

• Ballpark Sourcebook: Diamond Diagrams by Oscar Palacios, Eric Robin and STATS, Inc. -- "Wrigley Field is perfect."  So begins this book's section devoted to the home of the Cubs.  And since the authors and I think so much alike, you just knew that I'd love the Ballpark Sourcebook.  Written to be a companion manual for players of Bill James' Classic Game, it is much more than that.  It meticulously details the dimensions of major league parks (old and new) and provides an enlightening essay on each one.  A new edition was released late in 1998, and it is more professional and complete than the earlier version.  The newer edition also includes a lot of the best minor-league parks, too, for the first time.  All in all, this book is both enlightening and fun, even if you don't play Bill James' Classic Game.  You can order it directly from STATS, Inc. if you want.

• Ballpark -- Camden Yards and the Building of an American Dream by Peter Richmond -- This is the beautifully written "biography" of Baltimore's Camden Yards.  It addresses everything that went into the architectural design (what a struggle!) and construction of the park, as well as the impact it had on the city of Baltimore and new-stadium design around the country.

• Modern Marvels^® -- Baseball Parks -- The History Channel has a running series called Modern Marvels, and in '99 the topic of one of the episodes was baseball parks.  Yes, I may be biased, but I think it is the single best hour of television I've ever seen.  You can order a copy of this video through the History Channel's Web site, which is www.historychannel.com.

• North American Baseball Travel Map -- This is an extremely useful map.  One one side, there is a map of the U.S. with every Major, Minor and Independent League team.  On the other is a listing of all of the teams, the name of their ballpark, their phone number and Website address.  You can order it at the Grand Slam Mall.  Go to the Merchandise area. 

• The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter -- Yes, there is a highly regarded book with this title by Author Ritter, but the listing here is for a set of four audio CDs.  You see, back in the early 1960s, Ritter interviewed a number of individuals who played Major League Baseball at the turn of the century, and those conversations formed the basis for the book.  But the actual audio from those interviews are treasures in themselves.  These CDs contain the best parts of those interviews, and it is absolutely spellbinding to listen to the ballplayers themselves talk about the ballparks and the other players -- Cobb, Jackson, Mathewson, Wagner -- from that era.

• Confessions of a Baseball Purist by Jon Miller with Mark Hyman -- If you're a fan of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, then you know Jon Miller.  If you're a Giants fan, then you are undoubtedly happy that he is your play-by-play broadcaster.  If you're an Orioles fan like me, then you curse the very ground that team owner Peter Angelos walks on because he allowed Miller to leave Baltimore after 14 seasons in 1996.  We miss him terribly, and the pain is made worse because Jon didn't really want to leave.  He says in this book that working in Baltimore "was the best job I had ever had, in a city that truly has a love affair going with its baseball team."  This book is full of wit and insight (and, like me, he likes the DH!), and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.  And Miller is funny even when he's not in front of a microphone or writing a book.  When I was in Milwaukee to see the Brewers play the Giants, I was down by the field trying to get autographs well before the game.  Along walked Jon, so I called him over to tell him how sad I was that he wasn't in Baltimore any longer.  This book had just been released, and I knew that my wife had purchased it to give me for Father's Day.  I said to Jon, "You know, my wife bought me a copy of your brand-new book, but she won't let me have it until Father's Day."  His reply:  "Hey, I have a solution!  She should have bought two copies -- one you could read now and the other for you to open on Father's Day!"

• Baseball Archaeology by Photographer Bret Wills and Writer Gwen Aldridge -- The subtitle of this colorful book is "Artifacts from the Great American Pastime," and this is an appropriate description.  It contains hundreds of color, close-up photographs of some of the most famous and unusual items from the history of the sport.  My favorites?  A ticket from the first night game at Ebbets Field on 6/15/38 -- which also happened to be the game in which Johnny Vander Meer threw his second consecutive no-hitter ... a turnstile from the Polo Grounds ... the pitching rubber from Yankee Stadium from 1954, autographed by all members of the Yanks and Red Sox (I count eight Hall of Famers).  Any baseball fan would love this beautiful book.

• Out of Left Field -- by Jeffrey Lyons and Douglas Lyons -- Which major-league players would you place on your "All Echo" Team?  How about Coco Laboy, Chi Chi Olivo, Kiki Cuyler, Zaza Harvey ... and 14 others?  Such are the quirky lists and hilarious facts found in this funny new (1998) book.  I love this stuff!  And how about the "Well Spoken" Team:  Ron Cey; Spoke Emery; Bob Speak; Lou Say; Orator Schaffer and of course Tris Speaker!

• BASEBALL - The American Epic by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns with Paul R. Walker -- In 1994 when the pennant race should have been coming down the home stretch and the post-season starting, there was one problem:  the strike.  Film-maker Ken Burns, though, kept the baseball fires burning with his brilliant PBS documentary series.  This book, while not nearly as comprehensive as the documentary itself, was published as a companion to the series.  It makes for fun, light reading.

• 20th Century Baseball Chronicle from Tormont Publications (by six authors) -- Unlike the Burns book above, this one is very comprehensive.  With nearly 600 pages and over 1,200 photographs, this beautiful book chronicles every major league season from 1900 through 1991.  As I flip through it, I am reminded of my visits to Cooperstown, where the different eras and dominant teams are portrayed with beautiful photos and artifacts.  This book is a real treasure.

• A Picture Postcard History of Baseball by Ron Menchine -- Menchine was the Washington Senators' last radio play-by-play broadcaster, and in his travels he collected countless postcards depicting ballparks and players.  Although the images in this book are in black and white, this collection is one that every baseball fan should have, in that it offers a unique way of looking at the history of our National Pastime.

Written by:  Mary Tracy

Baseball -- The National Pastime in Art and Literature edited by David Colbert

This book is baseball and writing at its best . . . from Humphrey Bogart saying that a hot dog at a ballpark is better than steak at the Ritz . . . to the marvelous photos and poems . . . to Ann Hood's Memoir and her love for the game . . . As Robert Frost said,  "Some baseball is the fate of all of us . . . and for the lucky ones . . . more than some."

Despite all of its problems, baseball is still a great game!

Written by:  Tessden@earthlink.net

The Dodgers Move West by Neil J. Sullivan

The author examines the political infighting, emotional struggles and financial risk-taking surrounding the Brooklyn Dodgers stunning relocation to LA in 1958. Who was to blame? Was Walter O'Malley just greedy and heartless, or was the move unavoidable? Did LA "steal" the team, or did NYC lose it in the sun? You'll find out in this highly detailed but readable account. Author Sullivan brings to light many surprising twists in the story, such as a proposed Buckminster Fuller-designed domed stadium in Flatbush to replace Ebbets Field, or how the team nearly became the Queens Dodgers or even the Jersey City Dodgers. Or can you imagine the Pacific Coast League as a third Major League, which almost came to be in the late 40s?

The author is a professor of Public Administration, so he goes into great detail about the behind-the-scenes power struggles that were pulling the Dodgers away even at the moment of their greatest triumph, winning the '55 Series. And you'll read about the court battles and controversy on the other coast as the Dodgers struggled to build a new home at Chavez Ravine.  There's also plenty about the guys in uniform -- the unforgettable "Boys of Summer".  A worthwhile read for fans of the game and observers of power politics.

To Every Thing A Season: Shibe Park and Urban Philadelphia, 1909-1976 by Bruce Kuklick

It's a different kind of baseball book -- not just a chronicle of events on the diamond, but a scholarly examination of the business of baseball and the ties that bind a ballpark, a franchise and a neighborhood together.  This description might scare off some readers who would prefer a more romantic, nostalgic look at a bygone era, but I think Kuklick's approach is more interesting. He provides insights into the rise and fall of Connie Mack's Athletics in context, not in a vacuum. You'll see how the team's fortunes wax and wane through the Great Depression, World War II and the rapid changes in post-war America.  Kuklick deals frankly with the greed and racism and cold-hearted business decisions that have affected baseball and America as a whole. Did you know that due to his reluctance to integrate, Mack passed up signing Larry Doby, Minnie Minoso and Hank Aaron?  You'll also read about the love-hate relationship Phillies fans had with Dick Allen, and the Phils heartbreaking collapse in '64. As baseball continues to become more and more a big business and less of a personal experience, this book provides a valuable record of just how and why it got that way.

Written by:  elederer@diac.com 

I've read many baseball books, but Good Enough to Dream by Roger Kahn is as good as they get.  It's a non-fiction story of the 1983 Utica Blue Sox, in which the joys and trials of a minor league baseball operation are shared with you in a way that makes you very sorry that it was a story of just one season. 

Fields of Dreams : A Guide to Visiting and Enjoying All 30 Major League Ballparks by Jay Ahuja    

Probably the best and most current "travel guide" for ballparks.  For each ballpark you get a synopsis on the history, getting to the game, scalping situation, local hotels and nightlife.  There are also interesting Top Ten lists throughout the book that make reading it fun.

Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks by Robert Wood   

A little outdated, but his stories and insight on the various parks are great.

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