Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Through words and pictures, this book tells the story of the greatest game ever played. Over four hundred photographs from the National Baseball Hall of Fame make this elegant volume essential to any baseball fan's library. Full-page spreads depict classic moments in baseball's history, covering all of the triumph, heartache, glory and even the scandal of this nation's favorite game. Whether reading through the text, or browsing the pictures and sidebars, this book is perfect for any sports fan or historian.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Carlton Fisk willing the ball to stay fair to win game six of the 1975 World Series. Publicity-friendly Bill Veeck sending 3-foot, 7-inch-tall Eddie Gaedel to bat--wearing the number 1/8--in 1951. Jackie Robinson playing his first game with the Dodgers on April 5, 1947. These events make up only a small part of Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game.

Published under the aegis of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Baseball is a celebration of the national pastime--from the first World Series in 1903, when the American League's Boston Pilgrims beat the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates, to 1998's Sosa/McGwire home run race, and from Major League Baseball's lowest low (the Black Sox scandal, 1920) to its highest highs, like the Miracle Mets of 1969 or Roger Maris hitting home run number 61. Each classic moment is recounted and contextualized in a brief essay, while over 400 photos from the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame illustrate the text. Some may take issue with the 100 included moments, arguing that others should have been substituted--but that's the nature of the selection process. With its hundreds of photographs and thoughtful text, Baseball is a handsome addition to any baseball library. --M. Stein

Review

Carlton Fisk willing the ball to stay fair to win game six of the 1975 World Series. Publicity-friendly Bill Veeck sending 3-foot, 7-inch-tall Eddie Gaedel to bat--wearing the number 1/8--in 1951. Jackie Robinson playing his first game with the Dodgers on April 5, 1947. These events make up only a small part of Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game. Published under the aegis of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Baseball is a celebration of the national pastime--from the first World Series in 1903, when the American League's Boston Pilgrims beat the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates, to 1998's Sosa/McGwire home run race, and from Major League Baseball's lowest low (the Black Sox scandal, 1920) to its highest highs, like the Miracle Mets of 1969 or Roger Maris hitting home run number 61. Each classic moment is recounted and contextualized in a brief essay, while over 400 photos from the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame illustrate the text. Some may take issue with the 100 included moments, arguing that others should have been substituted--but that's the nature of the selection process. With its hundreds of photographs and thoughtful text, Baseball is a handsome addition to any baseball library. --M. Stein --Amazon.com --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789451212
• ISBN-13: 978-0789451217
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,275,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The best thing about being a writer is getting the chance to live inside the worlds I write about. For example, I spent so much time researching dinosaurs for my first book that I sometimes found myself looking over my shoulder for rogue Velociraptors. When I started writing about baseball history, I dreamed of sitting in the grandstands, watching old-time baseball deities in person. Finally, for my first novel, Diamond Ruby, I became immersed in New York City during one of the wildest eras in its history: the Roaring Twenties. Recreating that world allowed me to portray the great Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and other real-life characters as I imagined them to be. Even more fun was the chance to place my teenage heroine, Ruby Lee Thomas, smack in the middle of a world bristling with gangsters, rum-runners, and hucksters. I loved following Ruby through those exciting, dangerous times--which is why I'm already writing her next adventure, set in Hollywood in 1927.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game, April 2, 2000

By 

Robert Payne - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game (Hardcover)

A review of the book Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game

WOW! If one word could summarize this incredible book, this three letter word, Wow, would be it. You know someone who loves baseball? Go out and get this book for them and they will always be in debt to you. With over 400 photos, and over 300 pages this book, sponsored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is a beautiful tribute to America's sport.

Every one of these 100 mystical, classic moments leaps off the pages as the reader is seduced by subtle photographs and masterfully poetic writing by the editors. Of course we see Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Dizzy Dean, Satchell Paige, Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, Willie Mays, and more recent baseball greats Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Cal Ripken, Mark Mc Gwire and Sammy Sosa. These are but a few of the baseball super stars in this book. But how about Johnny Vandermeer who pitched back to back no hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938. Or how about Jim Bottomley of St. Louis who in 1924 set a record by getting six hits with six at bats. These six hits, three singles, a double, and two homers of which one was a grand slam home run resulted in 12 RBI's in one 9 inning game.

This book also touches on how technology such as radio and professional lighting changed the dynamics of baseball and vastly increased the total attendance in all ballparks. One is easily lost in time by quickly becoming absorbed with the easy style and the dramatic photos of this book. A great book for baseball lovers everywhere. `

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Memories Ever Produced in One Book, April 1, 2000

By 

MICHELLE SHARPE (Jamaica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game (Hardcover)

Very rarely do books come out that can be instantly realised as classic pieces of our culture. History of The Game is one such book, carrying you through over a hundred years of the most memorable, most mindboggling, most stunning baseball moments. When you read this book, when you gaze at the pictures, you will be taken back to a time when you sat up with your father to watch the late-night west coast game, when you waved with the crowd in Fenway, when your heart broke with the Sox in '86; when you leaped for joy for the miracle of '69; where you were for McGwire or Maris or Dimaggio. This book is not only full of simply baseball memories, but the memories of our life. It is a must-have for any true fan of the game.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Illustrated Anthology for Experienced and New Fans!, January 22, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game (Hardcover)

The strength of this book is found in the many detailed and interesting essays about the evolution of professional baseball over the last 100 years. The essays are emotionally highlighted by some of the best baseball photography you can hope to see. The book was done in cooperation with the Baseball Hall of Fame in conjunction with its 1997 photography show.

Clearly, many people will receive this book as a gift. I suggest it especially for youngsters who are developing their first interest in baseball. At that age, there is an insatiable thirst for knowledge that this wonderful volume can help to quench. Experienced fans will also enjoy receiving it, so keep it in mind for birthdays and occasions like Father's and Mother's Days.

The book is divided into five chapters:

1900-1919: A Sport . . . And A Scandal

1920-1941: The Home Run Saves the Game

1942-1960: The War and Post-War Period

1961-1974: Expansion

1975-1999: Today's Game

Each chapter begins with an essay about the entire period covered. Then the chapter highlights 20 events from that period. A brief summary begins each of the 100 events, followed by a detailed essay with numerous photographs. So you can quickly scan the book to find something that interests you (the index is good for finding your favorite players, teams, and events), and leave book marks on sections you want to return to.

The choice of subjects is varied and interesting. You get great moments in baseball (Babe Ruth "calling" his home run in the World Series, Bobbie Thompson's shot heard round the world, Roger Maris's 61st home run, and Nolan Ryan talking about his 7 no-hitters). In addition, you get historic moments like when Jackie Robinson first played for the Dodgers, the trading of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees, the first night game, and the first World Series. Beyond that you get the serious challenges to the game such as the Black Sox scandal, the evaporation of attendance after television coverage started, and teams moving onto new cities. You also get the oddball events like Bill Veeck's continuous promotional activities (including a midget coming to bat), the New York Giants refusing to play in the 1904 World Series because the American League was made up of "minor league teams," and games being lost because of "bonehead" plays (like a baserunner failing to touch second base on a winning hit).

I also considered the book from the perspective of someone who has been a Dodger fan for 47 years. Every moment that I most cherished from that period is highlighted somewhere in this book.

One thing that surprised me was that I had no other books about baseball as a whole before acquiring this one. I wonder how I happened to miss this way of enjoying baseball? If you are like me, you too will be glad you have a chance to enjoy your memories and acquire new and interesting information about baseball. In my case, I was fascinated to see the baseball parks in Boston that preceded Fenway Park, that were used by the Red Sox and the Braves.

The depth of this book is impressive in many ways, as well. For example, if someone did something remarkable . . . like pitch the first perfect game, that section will also list the others who have duplicated the feat, who they played for, and who won the game. Some of the great players are covered in several ways. Babe Ruth is fully displayed as a Red Sox pitcher, then as a Yankee slugger. Seeing him age and gain weight make this seem almost like a biography of him. Several Yankees get similar treatment, like Mickey Mantle.

After you have finished enjoying the book, I suggest that you find other fans who can expand your knowledge about the players and events that interest you. You can use your new-found familiarity here to probe for better information. For example, what happened to old so-and-so after he retired? What was the greatest radio sportscast of a baseball game? In that way, this book can be the beginning of more fun with baseball, not the end.

I also suggest that you take up any chance you get to play some baseball (or softball if that is more available). It's good to exercise your body as well as your eyes with baseball!