A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish posting them). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes (see my piece on “Why Amazon’s search engine sucks“).
In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast one by including a book in a category in which it should not be listed (in my opinion). For example, The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect has appeared on Amazon’s BBS list. “Why” is a good question. There might be a smattering of the national pastime in it, but not enough to make it a baseball book per se (again, IMO).
Finally, adults only here. That is, no books for younger readers (i.e., 12 and under). Also no “adult” adult books (romance/erotic fiction that features baseball as a theme although goodness knows there are a bunch of those out there).
So, with all that said…
The links under the authors’ names will take you to the Bookshelf Conversations I did with them. An asterisk denotes a book making its debut on the BBS list. And a Ω (omega) means it’s an award winner.
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- Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, by Joe Posnanski Ω (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and Tom Underwood
- Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Ω
- Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove, by Dwight Evans and Erik Sherman *
- The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brain Cashman Era, by Andy Martino (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams, by Adam Lazarus
- The Baseball 100, by Joe Posnanski Ω
- The Ultimate New York Yankees Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Yankees Fans!, by Ray Walker
KINDLE BOOKS
- Finding America in a Minor League Ballpark: A Season Hosting for the Durham Bulls, by Harris Cooper *
- Wait Til Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Charlie Hustle
- Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty, by Charles Leehrsen
- The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America, by Joe Posnanski
- Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero, by David Maraniss
- Moneyball
- The Wingmen
- The Pine Tar Game: The Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees, and Baseball’s Most Absurd and Entertaining Controversy, by Filip Bondy
- Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, by James Hirsch
AUDIBLE
Note: Amazon has changed the way they list audiobooks. No longer under the general category of “biography and memoir,” they are now treated in their own baseball/softball category. Here’s the general link to the section where you will find further links to the individual titles, their reader/narrators, and samples. Note further that these are updated regularly and the top ten list below might no longer be the same.
- October 1964
- Welcome to the Circus of Baseball: A Story of the Perfect Summer at the Perfect Ballpark at the Perfect Time, by Ryan McGee
- Kings of Queens: Life Beyond Baseball with the ’86 Mets
- Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame, by Barry Zito and Robert Noland (read by Zito)
- Moneyball (unabridged, read by Scott Brick)
- The Baseball 100
- Why We Love Baseball
- Charlie Hustle
- Banana Ball
- 24
Welcome, Dewey. One of the fan favorites of the Boston Red Sox offers his insights into the game and life beyond. As per the Amazon blurb: “[F]or all his greatness on the baseball field, the immense challenges that Evans and his family dealt with off it were even more impressive, a journey that Evans poignantly explores in detail like never before. A man who would become known for his class, dignity, and strength, Evans would use those attributes along with his wife Susan to help nurture and comfort two sons, Timothy and Justin, as they battled neurofibromatosis (NF) – commonly known as elephant man’s disease…” The book was co-written with Erik Sherman, a favorite of the Bookshelf he’s also author of the audio book based on Kings of Queens).
Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 2,967,939 overall in books; last time, 2,970,843. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 2,836,636; last time, 2,769,028.
Shameless self-promotion: if you’re looking for some good baseball reading during this down time, why not pick up a copy of 501? It’s like the dictionary; it has the other books in it, which reminds me of one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite shows.
A reminder: There’s an Excel “checklist” of the books list in 501. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many you have read or own, drop me a line.
If you have read either of my books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late.
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I always felt a bit jealous of beat writers like Andy Martino. They get to go to every game, sit in (mostly) the best seats, have great access, etc. Of course, that’s an idealistic view. Travel can be brutal, players can be jerks (as can writers and their editors), competition can be fierce. Look at baseball movies and novels; aside from Sam Blake in The Pride of the Yankees, can you think of any reporter who wasn’t antagonistic to the point you wonder why he was in that profession? Of course, this does not apply to Martino. I just went off on one of my patented tangents.
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If you’re any kind of baseball fan, you already know by now of the passing of the Say Hey Kid. I was watching the Mets-Rangers game last night when Gary Cohen broke the news. He and Keith Hernandez — who became very emotional — spoke about the legacy of the man who had been the greatest living player. I’m guessing that honor now belongs to Sandy Koufax.
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So why do we keep books?
is available on Amazon.com,
Dust to dust
May 28, 2024
Apropos of the previous post…
A member of the Baseball Books group on Facebook posted about The Complete Handbook of Baseball, one of those paperbacks that would come out every spring.
I countered with my run of these guys (representative photo). These had team profiles with mini-bios of each club’s major contributors; some editions preceding this one had thumbnail sketches of the players.
But as I extricated this from the lower shelf of one of my bookcases I could help notice the deeply yellowed pages and the cracked binding. I was almost afraid to open it, lest it crumble in my hands, just like in The Time Machine.
I guess when they get to the point where they are no longer readble, the books no longer serve a “purpose,” so it might be time to toss them out. But that seems so disrespectful for something that has given pleasure for so long. In many cases, these books of my younger years serve as a point of nostalgia, which is probably why so many of us are reluctant to part with them (and other items such as baseball cards, which seem even more childish). From what I understand, Judaism prohibits the disposal of holy objects, such as prayer books and other texts. The Orthodox will collect such items and bury them as if they were a person. I would not characterize baseball books as sacred texts (for the most part), but that feeling of respect remains the same.
So I guess for the time being I will hold onto my old friends.
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