Ballparks: A Panoramic History [Hardcover]

Jim Sutton Marc Sandalow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Take a picture-packed look at what makes Major League ballparks so special. This beautiful book details every Major League team’s home turf—both the National and American League ballparks are covered. You’ll discover: - The address - The capacity - Opening day statistics - Dimensions - Defining features - The venue’s most memorable moments - And more! With engaging, informative text, and breathtaking photographs including aerial views and historical snapshots to capture the ever-changing cityscapes and the sport itself, this remarkable compendium paints a fascinating portrait of the evolution of American baseball. An essential for every baseball fan!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The historian Jacques Barzun famously wrote: "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America, had better learn baseball." In a similar vein, whoever wants to know baseball had better learn ballparks. this book is an excellent start.

From the Inside Flap

The Green Monster in Boston, the ivy in Chicago, the center field hill in Houston, the Bermuda Triangle in Miami, the convertible roof in Seattle, the baggy in Minneapolis, and the cove in San Fransisco: baseball is unique among American sports. Football, basketball, and hockey are played on identical fields, courts, and rinks. Only in baseball does the park define the game.

This massive book tries to highlight those differences. It is a picture-packed look at what makes the current Major League parks, and some of the famous old ones, so special. It highlights what it is like to sit in the stands, stretch in the seventh inning, and watch the sun go down over a cityscape.

Some qualities seem certain to endure. The perfect diamond, the lush turf, the intimacy between the players and the fans, the geographic landmarks that let you know exactly where the game is being played. For 30 major league cities, there are few structures that better tell their story than their ballpark.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Book Sales (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785818162
• ISBN-13: 978-0785818168
• Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 11.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Color Pictures Of Current Ballparks, BUT..., October 6, 2004

By 

G. Nikitas "Ball Park 'freak" (Gull Lake, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ballparks: A Panoramic History (Hardcover)

...there aren't as many of the old, non-existant parks as one might be led to believe! There are a "few" here and there of the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Tiger Stadium, (original) Yankee Stadium, Shibe Park, Forbes Field and Comiskey Park. But the people involved in putting this volume together missed out on several of the others such as Sportsman's Park, Crosley Field, Braves Field, etc. that are such a big part of baseball's heritage! Also, the copyright year(2004) must have been the early part of the year. Why? Simply with the mere mention of the two parks that opened this past season.....Petco Park(San Diego) and the new Philadelphia park but no pictures AT ALL!! I guess I'll have to be more careful in selecting "books" over the internet in the future....unless I've already had the opportunity to examine them ahead of time(locally) or received a good recommendation from a reputed individual whom I am familiar with beforehand as well!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Low quality editing, January 2, 2005

By 

Adam L - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballparks: A Panoramic History (Hardcover)

While the size of the photos is a treat, this book offers little else. Most every photo can be seen in other books, and the editing is just horrible. There are many captions that are clearly in error, for example, calling a US Cellular game between Chi and Clv the all-star game, and labeling a Dodger Stadium pic as being from 1983 when it is clearly within the last 4 years. Who dunnit????

3.0 out of 5 stars Fast service, January 1, 2011

By 

jltlmiller20 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ballparks: A Panoramic History (Hardcover)

Fast delivery. Item was as described except book spine was damaged (cracked), probably in shipping. Packaging was not thick enough to protect against rough handling. Seller might consider better method of packing. My husband loved his gift and is enjoying the beautiful illustrations.