The Book of Baseball Literacy: Second Edition (Paperback)

~ David Martinez (Author)
Key Phrases: baseball business, game terms, league championship series, World Series, Hall of Fame, The Book of Baseball Literacy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Martinez, a SABR member and college baseball broadcaster in California, has written a lively book that offers fun facts and opinions. He divides the text into hundreds of entries on baseball figures, teams, dates, folklore, literature, and more. This is an inexpensive purchase that should circulate well in all public and school libraries.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The key baseball phrases these days are: guaranteed contract, labor strife, and fan apathy. But it wasn't always so, as Martinez, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, points out in this fascinating volume of baseball history and personalities. It's not so much the information that sets this effort above its considerable competition, it's the manner in which it is organized. There's the section "Players and Managers," in which one can find thumbnail sketches of everyone from current star JoseCanseco to Dutch Zwilling, whose infamy lies in his name--he's always last in any alphabetical listing of major-leaguers. There's also a section for key media figures, owners, and other executives. The "Teams" section includes brief synopses of virtually all current and former franchises, and "Folklore, Literature and Diversions" includes such fanciful entries as asterisk as it relates to baseball's record book. This thoroughly enjoyable, eminently browsable volume should be part of every fan's spring-training regimen. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse; Revised and Exp edition (September 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595129927
• ISBN-13: 978-0595129928
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,672,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for the hot stove months, November 22, 2000

By	Chris Franklin (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

Ordinarily, winter spells doom for the baseball fan. Waiting for pitchers and catchers to report at the end of February can be an excruciating exercise. The tiny scraps of baseball information scattered in the back pages of newspapers are never enough.

If you see yourself in the previous paragraph, I prescribe Mr. Martinez's "The Book of Baseball Literacy." It might save your life this January. The work is packed with anecdotes, biographies, definitions, and descriptions essential for a comprehensive mastery of baseball. The writing style is clear and entertaining, and, by organizing the book into a series of short entries (each typically spanning one-half to two pages), Martinez makes it easy for readers to pick the book up for five minutes or five hours at a time.

Martinez doesn't ignore the novice fan, either. His explanations and descriptions avoid jargon typical of other baseball reference books, while also managing to tackle the material in a manner that also satisfies the experienced fan of the game.

Highly recommended reading!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What I have seen and know, November 16, 2000

By	G. Barry "gtbarry" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've seen mountains. I've seen sunsets. I've seen babies being born. None of those were as beautiful as this book!

I thought I was a baseball fan with a deep and broad base of knowledge. That was, until I read this book. This book taught this old dog a new trick or two about baseball.

Not only is the content interesting - and from what I can tell, extremely unique - but the author crafts the content as if you were sitting at the park and enjoying a game while reminiscing with an old friend. It's hard to put this baby down!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will answer all of your baseball questions, November 10, 2000

By A Customer

I read the first edition of this book, and found that it answered a ton of questions I'd long had about baseball, like how the AL came about and why the Astros had to play 28 straight road games in 1992. It's a great gift for baseball fans.