Customer Reviews

House of David Baseball Team, The (MI) (Images of America)

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This is a great book that explains the history, and removes the myths of the House of David Baseball Team. It is loaded with photos, many which have never been seen by the public. It also gives a listing of all of the players that have played with the team. The chapters are set up by time periods, and in the middle of the book the authors have put together an extensive chapter of biographies of some of the more well known, and some not so well known, players. It's an easy to read book, with a easy to follow story.

If you love baseball and appreciate the richness of its history and, just as importantly, its characters, this book is a treat. Filled with black & white photos, this book recounts the exploits of the Israelite House of David baseball team, a group of bearded barnstormers originally from a devout religious sect in Michigan. Interestingly enough, the House of David played against many of the great Negro League teams such as the Kansas City Monarchs and Pittsburg Crawfords long before Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby broke baseball's color barrier. The House of David even had a couple of female pitchers on their team -- most notably the famed Olympian and championship golfer, Babe Didrickson. Love baseball? Treat yourself to one of the more fascinating stories you'll find woven in the rich fabric of the game.

The authors did something no other person has done so complete to this date, and thats compile some of the rarest statistics that exist in baseball....the history of the House of David Team. These bearded baseball players, being the rarest and most sought after athletes of the early 20th century, travelled the entire North American continent, and played just about any team that could field enough players. The House of David Baseball Team is so hard to find information about, yet these authors were able to track down and interview a very large group of old bearded barnstormers, and have offered their journey for all of us to enjoy. The book is very well written, and offers a rare glimpse into the mysterious lives of these be-whiskered shieks. This book is on display at the House of David Museum, where it is continuously used for research by those that desire to learn more about early baseball in America. Both authors should be commended on a job well done!!

Joel Hawkins and Terry Bertolino's research presents a vast amount of information and never before seen pictures of Baseball at the House of David religious colony. The book is organized in a easy to follow, chronological order, separated in the middle by player biographies. The authors clearly spent a large amount of time researching and interviewing the few remaining members of the colony. In addition, they restored pictures presenting us with an exceptional visual reference of the players and the sport in the colony. They both recognize that players may have been left out of the publication and encourage people to contact them to correct this. Their presentation and research is an important and excellent addition to the history of Baseball, highlighting on a subject which has contributed a lot to the history of Baseball, yet has little written history.