Baseball's Book of Firsts [Hardcover]

Lloyd Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

A comprehensive guide to the record-setting achievements of baseball's greatest players, Baseball's Book of Firsts has been completely revised and updated to include records recently set by Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa, as well as historic moments in the careers of such players as Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. Lavishly illustrated with more than 200 photographs and featuring trivia questions to test the memory of the most devoted fans, this handsome treasury of landmarks in the history of America's most beloved pastime makes a thrilling gift for any baseball aficionado.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Lloyd Johnson descends into the dusty catacombs of baseball's archives and emerges with a multitude of first-time happenings--some obvious, some not, and some simply surprising. Running from the sacred to the arcane, they range from categories like the first relief pitcher, the first pitcher caught doctoring a ball, the first third baseman to charge bunts, the first championship team to be broken up, the first player to hold out for more money, the first manager to endorse nutrient drinks (and no, it wasn't Tommy Lasorda; he's late by more than a century), the first road trip, the first ballpark to burn down, the first uniform numbers, the first box score, the first player stalked by a fan, the first ... well, you get the gist.

Each inaugural moment is assigned its own page with appropriate illustrations; even better, each is linked to the long chain of baseball's evolution. Which is how the irrepressible Lasorda gets his due. He is a footnote to the fact that manager Charlie Comiskey, better known as the imperiously frugal future owner of the White Sox, spiked the punch for the St. Louis Browns with nourishments that may or may not have helped his Brownies, one of the more hapless squads in Major League history, digest four consecutive titles in the ancient 1880s. --Jeff Silverman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762404779
• ISBN-13: 978-0762404773
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,983,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all baseball fans!, June 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball's Book of Firsts (Hardcover)

Think you know everthing there is to know about baseball? You'll be surprised by the factoids uncovered. A must have reference guide for all baseball enthusists.

5.0 out of 5 stars For baseball fans only, May 9, 2006

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Baseball's Book of Firsts (Hardcover)

Baseball fans love statistics. They are part and parcel of the lore and the talk of the game. This book is built around an interesting idea, giving a page a short essay to ' firsts'. The first player to hit four- hundred, or the first player to win thirty- games in a season etc. There is a lot of baseball lore in this book much of which will be new even to the most dedicated of baseball funs.
This is a book for baseball fans only but I am sure they will enjoy it.