Baseball was different in earlier days—tougher, rawer, more intimate—when giants like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb ran the bases. In the monumental classic The Glory of Their Times, the golden era of our national pastime comes alive through the vibrant words of those who played and lived the game.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The voices of the game's distant past continue to reverberate with a distinct freshness in Lawrence S. Ritter's The Glory of Their Times. An oral history of the game in the first two decades of the century, Glory sends out its impressive roster of players to tell their own stories, and what stories they tell--the story of their times as well as of their game; the scorecard includes Rube Marquard, Babe Herman, Stan Coveleski, Smoky Joe Wood, and Wahoo Sam Crawford. A delight from cover to cover, Glory is the next best thing to having been there in the days when the ball may have been dead, but the personalities were anything but.
--This text refers to an alternate
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From Library Journal
Shortly after the death of legendary baseball player Ty Cobb in 1961, Ritter, armed with a portable tape recorder, attempted to obtain an oral history of early-20th-century baseball from Cobb's contemporaries. The edited transcription of the interviews he obtained became a best seller and went to several editions. This audio, accompanied by a 32-page booklet of photos, is a modern release (also available on CD) of Ritter's interviews with Fred Snodgrass, Sam Crawford, Hans Lobert, Rube Bressler, Chief Meyers, Davy Jones, Rube Marquard, Joe Wood, Lefty O'Doul, Jimmy Austin, Goose Goslin, and Bill Wambsganss, as selected by producers Henry W. Thomas and Neal McCabe. It is quirky, charming, witty, and fun. What a love for baseball they all had! An essential purchase for all sports audio collections.?Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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52 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the greatest books I've ever read and may well be the best non-fiction book I ever read. The book is actually a collection of reminiscences of old-time baseball players compiled by their interviewer, Lawrence Ritter. The original book was written in 1966 with additional chapters added for the revised 1984 version that I read. What comes across first and foremost in all the recollections is the joy and dedication of the long-retired players. At a time when labor strikes, hold-outs and escalating salaries are standard sports stories, this book takes Baseball nostalgia to a new level. It isn't just about the joy of the game, however. This book brings to light a lot of forgotten Baseball history. I fancied myself a bit of a Baseball historian but there were a number of major events in Baseball's early history that I had never heard of before. I think the most memorable was Fred Merkle's "bonehead" play that cost the Giants the pennant in 1907. That was a situation where he forgot to touch second base and thereby cost the Giants the winning run. It is told (and referred to often) with better embelishment than I just gave it but, then, that's the point of my praise; the whole book is a poetic look backwards at the game we sometimes take for granted these days. It's no accident that the best parts of the book are the earliest recollections. You can almost see the corrupting effects of popularity creep up on the game in the 1920's. The stories that these veterans tell and the details that they give make you feel like you've been there yourself. If you're a Baseball fan, you'll love this book. If you're not a Baseball fan, reading this book might just make you one.
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a book that is near and dear to the hearts of most baseball fans, frequently cropping up on lists of the best baseball books of all time. Inspired by the example of Alan Lomax, who recorded old blues singers down South in the 1930's, and motivated by the recent death of Ty Cobb, Lawrence S. Ritter, an economist and New York University professor by trade, spent several years (1961-66) tracking down and interviewing old ballplayers, recording their memories of the game for posterity before they too passed away. The book presents these sessions as extended monologues, alternately amusing, proud, defensive, and wistful recollections of their own careers, of the times they played in, and of the characters they knew.
But now, as if the book weren't enough, the tape recordings of the actual interviews are available in audiobook form. Each is introduced by Ritter, who came to know many of the players quite well. And in his introduction, Ritter reveals that it was only years after the project that it occurred to him that one of the things driving him was the death of his own father. Recapturing the memories of the players his father had loved served as a final filial connection.
The interviews include those with : "Wahoo" Sam Crawford, "Rube" Marquard, "Chief" Meyers, Hans Lobert, "Smokey" Joe Wood, Davy Jones, Ed Roush, and Fred Snodgrass. The stories they tell range from Hans Lobert racing a horse around the bases while barnstorming through Oxnard, California, to Fred Snodgrass defending his infamous muff; to a first hand account of the beaning death of Ray Chapman at the hands of Carl Mays; and finally a wonderful recital of Casey at the Bat by Chief Meyers. At the end of many of the interviews Ritter asked the old timers if they had any regrets, and not a single man did : of how few professions would this be true ?
I can't recommend the book highly enough and even if you've read it several times, be sure to give the audio a listen. This is oral history at its very best and an invaluable resource for baseball fans. It does for all of us what Ritter only belatedly realized it was doing for him, it provides a vital connection to an earlier time, to the world of our fathers and grandfathers. It is truly wonderful.
GRADE : A+
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Being a die hard baseball fan, I am always on the look out for great baseball books. And after reading numerous lists of favorite baseball books by Amazon.com readers, it seemed that there was one unanimous choice, The Glory of Their Times, by Lawrence Ritter. And let me say, that I wasn't dissapointed in the least. The beauty of this book is that you feel like you yourself are sitting down with the different players interviewed and having them regale you with stories about playing baseball in the early 20th Century or earlier. The players interviewed are not all household names which adds so much to it. Most of us know the exploits of Cobb and Ruth. Not as many know the stories of Harry Hooper, Wahoo Sam Crawford, and Paul Waner to name just a few. This book is a pleasure to read through and all I can say is thank God that Mr. Ritter wrote this book when he did as all of the players interview here have since passed on I believe. Don't miss this book!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
10 Stars
If you enjoy old timer baseball and the behind the scenes stories, then you will love this book. The written book is excellent, however you absolutely
must listen to the... Read more
must listen to the... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Robert D. Mclaurine
A must read for any baseball fan
The Glory of Their Times is a wonderfully put together book. Each ballplayer's story is unique and interesting. I literally couldn't put the book down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Frank
The Best Baseball Book Ever Written
This is a must-read for any baseball historian or baseball buff. It's amazing to hear first-person stories from players, some of whom started their professional careers in the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lori A. Cossette
Entertaining and Informative
I've read this book twice, and will probably read it again. It consists of a collection of oral interviews with old-time ballplayers such as Bill Wambsganss, Lefty O'Doul, Goose... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ohioan
The Glory of Their Times--CD
Excellent and enjoyable--a wonderful trip back in time through the memories of those who played baseball almost 100 years ago. Just wish the full interviews were available. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Curious
One Of The Best Baseball Books Ever!
With an idea birthed in 1961 after the death of Ty Cobb, "The Glory Of Their Times" is filled with first-person interviews of some of the most note-worthy baseball players of first... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ctwink
Great Read
This book is really a must for all baseball fans... it is really an engrossing read and a good look into what baseball was... back in the glory days. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Javan Rasnake
The original great men of baseball.
Lawrence Ritter wrote "The glory of their time in 1966 and then updated it somewhat in the 1980's
Being a baseball fan this was an interesting read because it was the... Read more
Being a baseball fan this was an interesting read because it was the... Read more
Published 7 months ago by M. A. Filippelli
Fascinating look into the early days of major league baseball
This is a series of first-person interviews with players from the early 1900s reminiscing on their experiences in major league baseball. Read more
Published 9 months ago by WPM
best ever
ive read alot of books on baseball history but the glory of their times by lawrence ritter is the best book on the dead ball era out there. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Robert buckley
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
MY NICKNAME being what it is, you probably automatically assume I must have been a country boy. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
outlaw league, pennant that year, shag balls, semipro ball, fielding practice, organized ball, semipro team Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
World Series, Big Leagues, Red Sox, New York, White Sox, American League, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, National League, Joe Wood, Polo Grounds, Honus Wagner, San Francisco, Tris Speaker, Oakland City, Willie Kamm, Fred Merkle, Hall of Fame, Hank Greenberg, Sam Crawford, Western League, Chicago Cubs, Fred Snodgrass, Boston Braves, Chief Meyers New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
MY NICKNAME being what it is, you probably automatically assume I must have been a country boy. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
outlaw league, pennant that year, shag balls, semipro ball, fielding practice, organized ball, semipro team Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
World Series, Big Leagues, Red Sox, New York, White Sox, American League, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, National League, Joe Wood, Polo Grounds, Honus Wagner, San Francisco, Tris Speaker, Oakland City, Willie Kamm, Fred Merkle, Hall of Fame, Hank Greenberg, Sam Crawford, Western League, Chicago Cubs, Fred Snodgrass, Boston Braves, Chief Meyers New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 18
books:
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100
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- Home Run by Paul Collins on page 180, and page 202
- Glory of Their Times by Tony Collins in Front Matter, and page 268
- The Great Gatsby (Textplus) by Francis Scott Fitzgerald on page 218
- The Spanish-American War (Cornerstones of Freedom) by Mary Collins on page 117
- Moby Dick (Usborne Classics) by H Melville in Front Matter
See all 18 books this book cites
- Baseball the Writer's Game (P) by Mike Shannon on 10 pages
- Harry Hooper: AN AMERICAN BASEBALL LIFE (Sport and Society) by Paul J. Zingg on 10 pages
- The Babe Book by Ernestine Miller on 5 pages
- The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture by Christopher H. Evans on 4 pages
- Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot? and Other Unsolved Mysteries of Baseball by Paul Aron on 4 pages
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