Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card [Paperback]

John Gall (Author), Gary Engel (Author), Steven Heller (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2006

With talented young Japanese players signing to the American Majors, interest in Japanese baseball is at an all-time high. Sayonara Home Run! introduces curious fans to Japan's national pastime through the lens of the country's playfully beautiful baseball cards. A fascinating text traces the roots and cross-cultural history of the Japanese game, while hundreds of illustrations showcase gorgeous vintage cards. Woven throughout are profiles of key Japanese players, features on important U.S. team tours of Japan (with Japanese cards of players such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio), and insights into the social history of the cards. Including primers on Japanese player nicknames and baseball terms, and the fine points of the Japanese game, Sayonara Home Run! is a must-have for anyone interested in baseball, Japan, or this unique chapter in popular design.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Gall is the art director for Vintage/Anchor Books. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Gary Engel is a collector, dealer, and noted authority on Japanese baseball cards. He lives in Southern California.

Steven Heller is the author of ninety books on design and popular culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811849457
• ISBN-13: 978-0811849456
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Sports Cards

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful and Informative Book, April 20, 2006

By 

Robert Fitts "author of Remembering Japanese ... (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card (Paperback)

Vinatge Japanese baseball cards are among the most beautiful baseball collectibles in the world. I discovered these treasures over ten years ago during a trip to Japan and became an avid collector. My passion for the cards eventually led to a on-line card business and a career as a baseball writer. John Gall and Gary Engel's new book Sayanara Homerun! depicts hundreds, if not thousands, of theese beautiful cards. The book's presentation is wonderful. Cards are gracefully portrayed as art but the accompanying text will statisfy both baseball card collectors and fans of Japanese baseball.

If you are an American baseball cards collector, come see what you are missing. If you a fan of Japanese baseball, come see great pictures of your favorite stars.

I spend hours paging through this book and expect that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will attract any with an interest in world baseball or in collectible ballgame cards, May 20, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card (Paperback)

This could've been featured in our collector's section or even our sports section, but is presented here for its powerful artistic survey of Japanese sports through its lovely baseball card art. SAYONARA HOME RUN! THE ART OF THE JAPANESE BASEBALL CARD features player history, card art, and loved and hated baseball teams alike. It will attract any with an interest in world baseball or in collectible ballgame cards - and many a browser with an interest in neither!

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the collector or baseball enthusiast, May 22, 2011

By 

BenReviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card (Paperback)

If only there were more books like Gall's comprehensive appreciation of Japanese baseball cards! This is a must-own for any collector of the weird, the odd, and the beautiful. Japanese baseball cards, like their American brethren, are steeped in the pop culture of their country. In fact, it's nearly impossible to determine that which is more influential on the other.

It's not quite a catalog, nor a mark-your-place narrative. Instead it's just a great addition to the collector's library. Gall's exhaustive research and extensive color plates are invaluable. Not just as a cheat-sheet for collectors looking to make headway into the rapidly exploding Stateside interest in Japanese baseball, but as a complete, self-contained history of the genre.