Baseball: The Golden Age (Vol 2) [Hardcover]

Harold Seymour (Author), Dorothy Seymour Mills (Author), Dorothy Z. Seymour (Author), Dorothy Jane Mills (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1971

In Baseball: The Golden Age, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills explore the glorious era when the game truly captured the American imagination, with such legendary figures as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb in the spotlight.

Beginning with the formation of the two major leagues in 1903, when baseball officially entered its "golden age" of popularity, the authors examine the changes in the organization of professional baseball--from an unwieldy three-man commission to the strong one-man rule of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. They depicts how the play on the field shifted from the low-scoring, pitcher-dominated game of the "dead ball" era before World War I to the higher scoring of the 1920's "lively ball" era, with emphasis on home runs, best exemplified by the exploits of Babe Ruth.

Note: On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on Baseball: The Early Years (1960), Baseball: The Golden Age (1971) and Baseball: The People's Game (1991).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Seymour's books remain the most entertaining and informative histories about baseball's position in American culture."--H. Gehrig Coleman, University of Texas

Praise for Volume II:

"Will grip every American who has invested part of his youth and dreams in the sport, and it will inform everyone else who is interested in an American phenomenon as native as apple pie."--The New York Times

"Noteworthy for its thoroughness and for the way its author relates the sport to American life....Seymour has an eye for humorous detail."--Publishers Weekly

"[A] splendidly researched baseball history."--Business Week

"Sports historians will welcome [this volume] as a contribution to our growing knowledge of American baseball."--Journal of American History

"With devastating documentation [Seymour] portrays the contrast between the beauty of the game on the field and widespread dishonesty off it."--The New Republic --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Harold Seymour, Ph.D., baseball's leading historian, was a college history professor for more than fifteen years. Moreover, he knows baseball firsthand through experience as batboy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, high school PSAL and college player, organizer and field manager of amateur and semipro teams, and major-league bird dog.

Dorothy Seymour Mills is the author or co-author of 25 books, including historical novels and children's books. She is a member SABR, the North American Society for Sports History, and the Association for Women in Sports Media.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (July 15, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195014030
• ISBN-13: 978-0195014037
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like An Old Friend., August 25, 2001

By 

Mr. Joseph Edward Clark (Phila,PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baseball: The Golden Age (Vol 2) (Hardcover)

I had first read this book during the early 70's when I was Still in my teens,because nostilgia has a way of destorting things this book was not quite as great as I remembered it to be. Nevertheless it is still great a book, for those of us who understand that in History while Wars,Summit Meetings and the like have (and should ) thier place, so should the more ordinary aspects, of our cultural life. The portions of this book that deal with Ty Cobb's insanity and racism Hal Chase's corruption, "Judge Landis's" overated qualties, and the fact that the 1919 World Series scandal was merely a means to an end, rather than the actual cause of the overthrow of The National Commission, for me anyway make for great reading, I would urge anyone intrested in American culture, or just loves baseball/nostilgia to purchase this book here.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much more readable and "in the trenches" than Volume One, July 1, 2009

By 

Virtualmonk (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baseball: The Golden Age (Oxford Paperbacks) (Vol 2) (Paperback)

After spending a volume dwelling on all the events that took place to at last produce the American and National Leagues as we know them today, Seymour uses the second volume to at focus on the players, profiling the great ones (Cobb, Walter Johnson, etc.) as well as giving interesting factoids about pennant races, teams, managers and players. I'm about half way through and it's been a much faster read than Volume One.

Keep in mind, though, that while these are rightfully acclaimed histories of The Game, if you are looking for detailed recollections on a particular pennant race, team, etc., you will need to look elsewhere. This volume covers 1903-1930 in 492 pages. In addition, if you're hoping to use footnotes or endnotes to do deeper research or just to check the source material, you're out of luck. There are none.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rating the Seller, not the Item, January 2, 2012

By 

LG - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baseball: The Golden Age (Oxford Paperbacks) (Vol 2) (Paperback)

Actually we received the wrong item, but the seller took immediate responsibility, explained her situation, and refunded us completely. Communication was swift and frequent. An amazing seller, would be happy to trade with them any time!