The Dixon Cornbelt League and Other Baseball Stories [Paperback]

W. P. Kinsella (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 1996

Written by one of the most distinctive storytellers today, this collection of nine stories lures the reader into a magical world of baseball where the game is always in season and all-star legends come alive to play beside would-be heroes. "Nine innings of magic".--USA Today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Once again blending magical and spiritual themes with a baseball setting, Kinsella (Shoeless Joe; Box Socials) takes a light, breezy approach in this mildly satisfying but somewhat redundant collection of nine tales. The plot pattern is remarkably similar from story to story, beginning with the introduction of a seemingly incredible, silly or trivial anomaly that often conceals a darker conflict. A gentle spoof of magical realism, "The Baseball Wolf," raises the issue of our animal nature through a slick-fielding shortstop in an obscure Latin-American league who tries to jump-start his career by undergoing a mystical lupine transformation. The title story follows a parallel trail, introducing an ominous, barely known Iowa minor league that actually functions as a vehicle for repopulating the dying farm towns in the region. "Eggs" deals more directly with a serious theme, its protagonist a pitcher who struggles with rural isolation when the loss of his fastball forces premature retirement to his opulent Alberta home and a wife who is unsympathetic to his desire to return to the game. Kinsella clearly is steeped in his sports motif, churning out stories that read like lightning and tantalize the reader with fascinating scenarios. But, like a meal that consists of nothing but appetizers, the similarity of tone and structure ultimately becomes tiresome, and Kinsella's reluctance to plumb the depths of his characters' struggles may leave readers hungering for some meatier material.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

More baseball stories from the master of the genre.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Perennial (January 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060926856
• ISBN-13: 978-0060926854
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,577,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not his best effort ..., October 7, 2004

By 

R. Rowan (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dixon Cornbelt League and Other Baseball Stories (Paperback)

This is the fourth W.P. Kinsella book I've read, after "Shoeless Joe", "The Iowa Baseball Confederacy", and "The Thrill of the Grass". I loved the first three. The author blends wonderful writing with mysticism, magic, and baseball to create mind-bending stories you can't forget.

"The Dixon Cornbelt League and Other Baseball Stories" disappointed me. "Searching for January", "Eggs", and the title story are memorable; they sparkle with imagination and fine writing. The remaining six tales are just average, below Kinsella's usual high standard.

Baseball fiction is Kinsella's arena. He ranks with Ring Lardner and Mark Harris as best in the genre. If you are new to Kinsella, start with the novels or "Thrill" to catch him at the top of his game.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just baseball..., August 9, 2003

By 

Patrick - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dixon Cornbelt League and Other Baseball Stories (Paperback)

W.P. Kinsella comes back with another great collection of short stories in this book. His stories are not just about baseball. They are about life itself, with a touch of magic and fantasy. My favorite is the title story, which has a very interesting twist to it. Ever since I found "Shoeless Joe", Kinsella has never ceased to amaze me, and I can read his books again and again without putting them down. Another classic that you should add to your library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinsella speaks to the baseball loving child in us all., November 2, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dixon Cornbelt League, and Other Baseball Stories (Hardcover)

W.P. Kinsella is a man with magic in his hands and baseball
in his heart, and that's one of the best combinations there
is. Kinsella fans who have read "Shoeless Joe" and suffered
Joe Jackson's heartbreak right along with him, or those who
have been through the wonderful story of the "Iowa Baseball
Confederacy" and really believe that once the Cubs were
locked in a two thousand inning ballgame with a bunch of
farmboys, are in for yet another treat here.

"The Dixon Cornbelt League" is a collection of Kinsella's
short stories designed to grab your attention, scare you a
little, but in the end, to gladden your heart. The topics
of the stories range from a baseball player who happens to
be a part time werewolf, through a modern day team manager
who gets calls from the long-dead pitcher, Christy
Matthewson, on the dugout phone, to the story the book is
named for. It is probably the most heartwarming of the lot,
but to tell you any of it might spoil the beauty and the
surprise.

All in all, this is one of Kinsella's better efforts. Any
baseball fan should definitely have it in his or her
collection, as should anyone who simply enjoys a really
good story.