The Baseball Timeline (DK American Original) [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2001 | Series: DK American Original

With hundreds of illustrations, this comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and compulsively readable record of baseball's greatest moments and seasonal events is sure to stimulate the memories and fantasies of much of American-and serve as an invaluable reference and argument-settler. Baseball has never been chronicled they way this timeline works. It covers every great moment in baseball, along with the colorful people, events, quotations, turning points, scandals, comic moments, and nostalgia of the national sport. Unlike any other baseball book, The Baseball Timeline is a day-by-day, year-by-year account of what happened throughout the baseball world. Every significant event is chronicled with just the level of detail fans want. In addition to individual feats, entries include landmark pennant races, important trades, disputes (on and off the field), famous firsts and lasts, franchise shifts, the openings of new ball parks, and even details of the last game played at stadiums scheduled for demolition. Keep The Baseball Timeline by the TV; let it stand as a home reference that provides nostalgic memories, "the last word" in disputes, or the one place to ensure that you know what really happened. It is a baseball fan's paradise for sidelights, trivia, nostalgia, color, and "I never knew that!" information. Lively text invites readers in for an exciting tour of the past beginning with its possible origins as an Native American game and continuing on through the first season of the new millennium.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this huge work, Solomon updates and expands his 1997 book of the same name. As in the earlier edition, baseball events are arranged chronologically, giving us a picture of the game from 1845 through the 2000 season. In addition to highlighting significant games and team and individual milestones, he peppers his work with boxes devoted to rules and equipment changes, historical anecdotes, trivia, and the like and places the game in its overall historical and cultural context. This is the ultimate coffee-table book for the consummate baseball fan, covering each day of the professional sport's existence. Scholars, however, might have a few bones to pick. The index is disappointing as, for instance, Bucky Dent's 1978 home run that broke the hearts of Red Sox fans is recounted in the text but (unlike Bobby Thomson's 1951 "shot heard 'round the world") cannot be located by using the index. The same is true of Carlton Fisk's historic blast that forced a game seven in the 1975 World Series. Still, it's enlightening to run across such tidbits as the fact that Duke Snider debuted with the Dodgers the same day as Jackie Robinson or to read Albert Spalding's 1881 quote: "Salaries must come down, or the interest of the public must be increased in some way. If one or the other does not happen, bankruptcy stares every team in the face." This is a fun, well-researched book, but most libraries can make do with Total Baseball (Total Sports, 2001. 7th ed.) or The Baseball Encyclopedia (Macmillan, 1996) for stats and The Ballplayers (LJ 4/1/90. o.p.) or Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (LJ 7/15/00) for biographical sketches. This exciting sports chronology is recommended for larger public libraries. Jim Burns, Ottumwa P.L., IA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Baseball Timeline is a day-by-day historical account, with the focus on the most prominent events in baseball for each year. The reader can browse baseball history and read astute yet brief entries regarding all of baseball's essential players, teams, and events. This work could be enjoyed for its photography alone as it offers hundreds of color photographs, many page-sized. In addition to the photos and entries, each year's coverage features newsworthy and cultural happenings and has several sidebars containing trivia, rules, and other fun facts. Each year concludes with a "Best of" list that highlights the season's top performers. Fans of baseball history are likely to enjoy the books by reading it cover to cover. Reference collections extensively catering to baseball or professional sports history should consider it.Other libraries may find it more appropriate for circulation. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1216 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (April 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789471329
• ISBN-13: 978-0789471321
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Written: A Master Piece on Baseball, May 13, 2001

By 

Christopher F. Marsden (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baseball Timeline (DK American Original) (Hardcover)

I have been a baseball fan all of my life and I played baseball all over the world. i have purchases and read tons of books on America's Pastime, butI can honestlt say, nothing remotely compared to Burt Soloman's Baseball Timeline. The book captures the true spirit of the game and is a great and educational book on baseball for all fans, young and old. The book was well written, organized and the pitcures were amazing. As a dedicated fan and player of the game, I highly recommend this book to all. You can't beat the price for a book like this.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, Fun, and Interesting, May 12, 2001

By 

Dave (Waltham, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baseball Timeline (DK American Original) (Hardcover)

Baseball Timeline is a true work of art. it is obvious that the author spent an enormous amount of time researching and contemplating the information that went into the book. i am an avid baseball fan of the last ten to fifteen years or so, and i was still amazed by the facts and stories included in the book for those years. needless to say, i was even more enlightened while reading and learning about the prior hundred years or so.

id say that Baseball Timeline is a must have for any avid fan of America's Pastime, as well as a must read for any fan of sports or history, or sports history. Author Solomon makes learning fun, and this is a breath of fresh air!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for stats freaks and folks who love baseball history, May 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Baseball Timeline (DK American Original) (Hardcover)

Only the BE, an Elias guide and baseball-reference.com compares to this book in depth of facts, and only Bouton's BALL FOUR, Shropshire's SEASONS IN HELL and Karlen's SLOUCHING TOWARD FARGO compare to it in terms of sheer baseball fun. I have used this book on countless occasions to settle arguments and to jog my memory about thoroughly obscure events, and many times I have settled into it just to review the decade of my childhood through the best lens possible: a diamond wrapped in green. If you love the game, I assue you, you will love this book.--Stephen S. Power