The Best of Baseball Digest: The Greatest Players, The Greatest Games, the Greatest Writers from the Game's Most Exciting Years (Hardcover)

by John Kuenster (Author) "I shall never forget the day that I heard Wee Willie Keeler expound his now-famous batting theory: "Hit 'em where they ain't!..." (more)
Key Phrases: World Series, New York, White Sox (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Baseball Digest debuted in 1942, the brainchild of Herb Simons, a Chicago baseball writer. Kuenster, who has been the magazine's editor since 1969, has selected a fascinating set of articles from the venerable monthly that address baseball issues large and small, from Jackie Robinson's demolition of the color barrier to a 2005 interview with 86-year-old Virgil Trucks, who pitched two no-hitters in 1952 despite winning just five games in that season. The selections from the early years include a few as-told-to pieces by the stars of the era, such as Nellie Fox's collaboration with Milton Richman, "How to Stay Alive at Second Base." There are also a few charming oddities, such as an article by a doctor presenting anecdotal evidence that interest in baseball trivia can have a palliative effect on disease. The contributors include virtually every significant baseball journalist from the last half of the twentieth century, including Jim Murray, Leonard Koppett, Al Hirshberg, Furman Bisher, Dick Dozer, Joe Falls, and Jimmy Cannon, to name just a few. This is a must wherever baseball fans gather. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"A wonderful collection of photographs and stories by the best baseball writers of our time." -- Jim Brosnan

"Any baseball fan should have this book in their library." -- Bob Feller

"Baseball Digest has provided us with great stories since 1942. This book features plenty of good baseball reading." -- Stan Musial

"John Kuenster…mines a rich writerly vein and fields an all-star literary line-up." -- Mike Lillich, Indianapolis Star

"This is my favorite book to read about baseball, including so much of its history." -- Jimmy Piersall

A fascinating set of articles.... A must wherever baseball fans gather. -- Wes Lukowsky in Booklist

A handsome compilation...from a magazine that was the mainstay of many boys' lives. -- Martin Levin in Shelf Life

An entertaining look at the history of baseball... Both light reading and a worthwhile glimpse at baseball journalism. -- Salt Lake Tribune

Anyone who has enjoyed an issue of Baseball Digest will find The Best of Baseball Digest a must-read. -- Henry Kisor in Chicago Sun-Times

Brilliantly thorough -- Carlin Romano in Chronicle of Higher Education

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher (March 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566636558
• ISBN-13: 978-1566636551
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #335,023 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will never sell this book once you buy it! Worth every penny! Does Amazon have a 6 star ranking?, April 3, 2006

By	DaddyBlogger.com www.daddyblogger.com "www.da... (Battle Creek, MI United States) - See all my reviews

"The Best of Baseball Digest" is truly the bargain of the century considering it's incredible content. I expected alot from this book and when it finally arrived it exceeded all of my expectations. There are over 116 enjoyable articles on baseball dating back to Baseball Digest's start in 1942. This massive collection of 453 pages is presented in a fashion in which the reader can read an article a day, yet it is entertaining enough to where you may have difficulties putting it down. Some of the baseball articles in this book are: Ty Cobb, How Connie Mack passed up the Babe, The Mickey Mantle I Know, When a Midget Batted as a Major Leaguer, Reggie's Moment, Rickey Henderson, The Day I Collected Babe Ruth's Autograph, When the Red Sox Terminated the Curse of the Bambino, Ichiro Suzuki a Hitting Sensation, and so many more. Not only are these articles written by some of the best in baseball and sports writing, but this book also contains close to 100 pictures that are both rare and shocking. This is truly one of the best baseball book purchases I have ever made. This one will be on my shelf forever to later pick up and be read once again. Robert Pedersen www.fatherachildsright.org

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Over sixty years of classic baseball stories by the game's leading writers and players, April 3, 2006

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

Baseball fans who have a literary love of the sports will appreciate over sixty years of classic baseball stories by the game's leading writers and players in The Best Of Baseball Digest. This is no light treatment: over a hundred articles gathered from issues from the 1940s to modern times appear here, along with over eighty photos: many of them rare. Relive the major plays, players and events of the baseball world in a powerful 'you are there' account; one of the best baseball collections available.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Drive Over The Center Field Wall For A Grand Slam, May 19, 2008

By	Mr. Richard D. Coreno "Mr. C" (Berea, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Since its start in the early-1940s, Baseball Digest has been a credible source for current information and historical recollections on the sport.

This compendium is a terrific tour of the coverage in print and photographs that has been chronicled over the many years. This is an absolute must for a baseball fan or for any reader who is seeking accurate history on the life and times of "The Grand Old Game."