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The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition)
 
 
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The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition) [Hardcover]

Paul Dickson (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 2, 2009

The expanded and now-definitive work on the language of baseball—“That rarest of sports books, a valuable reference work that provides absorbing and enlightening reading.” (Sports Illustrated)

Hailed as “a staggering piece of scholarship” (Wall Street Journal) The Dickson Baseball Dictionary is the most complete resource on the lexicon of baseball in the English language. More than twenty-five years in the making, with the help of more than 400 baseball and lexical experts, this masterful third edition, expanded by more than 30 percent, with over 10,000 terms and 18,000 definitions, provides the comprehensive history and meanings of words and phrases from around the world of baseball.

Drawing on dozens of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, as well as contemporary sources, Paul Dickson’s brilliant, illuminating definitions trace the earliest appearances of our most treasured baseball expressions (“tearin’ up the pea patch,” “can o’ corn,” “catbird seat,” etc.). Termed “baseball’s Webster,” Dickson has spent nearly a decade painstakingly revising and writing new definitions, for words both well-known and obscure, including those introduced by Latin-American ballplayers, and statistical expressions relating to fantasy baseball and the SABR/Moneyball era. More than 200 photos throughout the book—many rare and previously unpublished—illuminate various historical and contemporary terms.

Because of its deep and broad coverage, its authoritativeness and its rich and colorful descriptions, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary will prove indispensable to baseball fans and word lovers alike. 263 illustrations

Frequently Bought Together

The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition) + The Unwritten Rules of Baseball: The Etiquette, Conventional Wisdom, and Axiomatic Codes of Our National Pastime + Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks
Price For All Three: $55.63

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Dickson's dictionary does far more than define the terms and phrases of the game; many of his 5000 definitions provide etymological descriptions and contending theories, context notes, external uses of the term, and its "earliest" appearance. Patrick Ercolano's Fungoes, Floaters, and Forkballs (Prentice Hall, 1987), an effective glossary, provides 1500 basic terms, but doesn't approach Dickson's detailed descriptions and depth of coverage: team histories, field names, archaic and obsolete language, fan jargon, and dugout slang. A wide-ranging bibliography (240 books and articles) on baseball terminology , and baseball and language in general , guides users to more in-depth exploration. Although as current as the 1988 season's "balkamania," future editions to this excellent collection are planned. This work will be accessible to the young fan just discovering the game, as well as to scholars of the game and our versatile and ever-expanding language.
- Robert Aken, Univ. of Kentucky Libs., Lexington
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A must-have for everyone who seeks to understand the spirit of America and, most especially, our politics: you’ll learn why an easy question is a 'softball,' a tricky one, a 'curve ball,' and why sometimes we may have to 'play hardball.' We want leaders who 'can step up to the plate,' free of 'screwball' ideas from 'out of left field.' You will learn from this book and you will treasure this book, just as I have. It is an invaluable American thesaurus. 
(Mark Shields )

This grand book is truly a baseball lover's dream come true. From the first to the last page, it provides an enjoyable experience for readers to treasure. Of special note are the handsome presentation, adequate type size, and editorial care taken with photos and layout that makes the book accessible without compromising comprehensiveness. An essential guide to America's pastime.  (Library Journal )

If you’re a baseball fan and . . . you’re curious about the etymology of the phrase out in the left field or you need a refresher on the infield fly rule. Well for 20 years, the authority, the baseball Bible, if you will, has been The Dickson Baseball Dictionary.  (Melissa Block, All Things Considered )

Dickson’s discursive dictionary … a delight for former sandlot players, lexical scholars and members of the hot-stove league.  (William Safire - The New York Times Magazine )

A wonderful companion volume. . . enough to last a fan through a 162-game season and the playoffs.  … What a treasure to have at hand with a long season ahead.  (David Broder - The Washington Post )

This book is very cool.  (Rachel Maddow on The Rachel Maddow Show, April 8, 2009 )

This magnificent volume will make the perfect gift for diehard fans.  (Vick Mickunas - The Dayton Daily News )

Baseball-loving dads need this book now. It's the perfect gift any time, but to receive it at the start of baseball season—well, it doesn't get any better than that. (Marilyn Crain - Baltimore Examiner )

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 1008 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Third Edition edition (March 2, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393066819
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393066814
  • Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 2.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Dickson is the author of more than 45 nonfiction books and hundreds of magazine articles. Although he has written on a variety of subjects from ice cream to kite flying to electronic warfare, he now concentrates on writing about the American language, baseball and 20th century history. His most recent titles include Drunk: The Definitive Drinker's Dictionary, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, Sputnik: The Shock of the Century and Slang: A Topical Dictionary of Americanisms.

 

Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind Baseball Treasure - A must have!, March 3, 2009
By 
This review is from: The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition) (Hardcover)
The new and revised Dickson Baseball Dictionary is a must have for every baseball scholar or casual fan of the game. This third edition is revised with more than 10,000 entries, 18,000 definitions, and more than 250 photos - a masterpiece! This third edition is the definitive and authoritative guide to all baseball terminology. If I had to choose just ten baseball books for my library, the Dickson Baseball Dictionary would be one of them.

It is often an over-used phase "this is a must have book." But in this case, the phrase aptly fits. So many interesting phrases and terms in this new edition, it boggles the mind that one sport has so many distinct terms. Where to start? I spent two hours just flipping the pages when it first arrived, and I barely got past the first couple hundred pages. Some of my favorite terms include: a bowling ball pitch, Bud Black market, a Six-o'clock hitter, a Bugs Bunny change up, the ever familiar ducks on the pond, a Linda Ronstadt pitch, and the place I often sit at games - the Uecker seats. Since I have an interest in the Athletics and their irascible former owner Charlie Finley, I was please to see orange baseballs and the Kansas City pennant porch in the book as well.

The book provides not only multiple definitions to many, many terms, but provides incredible details on the phrase or term's history and origins. There is no other baseball book like this one on the market today. Author Paul Dickson has done a truly masterful job of searching for new and interesting terms over the past ten years including many new words and phrases from Latin-American players, fantasy baseball expressions, and terminology from the shameful steroid era.

You can hear a very compelling interview with author Paul Dickson on NPR's All Things Considered at this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101356924.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant piece of entertaining scholarship, February 21, 2009
By 
William B. Mead (Bethesda, Md. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition) (Hardcover)
Dickson, with help from hundreds of eager baseball writers and scholars, has again produced a delightful, thorough and anecdotal volume of diamond terms ancient and timely. I've authored eight baseball history books myself, and I bow to Dickson's accomplishment. It's certainly a historically great contribution to the joys and learning of baseball.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars For Any Baseball Fan - Casual or Serious, May 26, 2009
This review is from: The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third Edition) (Hardcover)
This is an incredible compendium of terms and phrases used in baseball, and even if you know the game very well or an avid fan, I can pretty much guarantee there will be something new in here for you, whether it is a phrase or the genisis of the phrase.

The decision to buy this book is really a can of corn and if you are undecided, just remember that when you get to a fork in the road you should take it.

Well done and lots of fun.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ball four, baseball stories, baseball fever, major league rules, baseball analyst, baseball lingo, fan appreciation day, softball term, base ball parlance, ball hist, league hist, baseball folk speech, gardener hist, batted ground ball, pitch thrown close, station hist, platinum sombrero, hit hist, scouting scale, company hist, sabermetric research, linear weights measure, mythical award, gravy hop, anonymous scout
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Peter Morris, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The Sporting Life, San Francisco Bulletin, World Series, Peter Tamony, National League, Baseball Magazine, David Shulman, Chicago Tribune, Baseball America, American League, The Boston Globe, Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Eagle, The World, Baseball Digest, Babe Ruth, Detroit Free Press, Library of Congress, Henry Chadwick
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