Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

~ Matthew Silverman (Author, Editor), Michael Gershman (Author, Editor), (Author, Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Baseball wonks rejoice! Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia is here with information about the men behind the magic numbers 755, 70, 56, 1.12, and 4,256. This weighty tome presents 2,000 capsule biographies of players, Negro Leaguers, umpires, executives, minor leaguers, owners, and broadcasters. All the big names--Aaron to Zisk--are included in this treasure trove, as are some lesser-known figures such as D.L. Adams (who has a pretty strong claim as "the father of baseball"), Bill Klem ("the Babe Ruth of umpires"), Branch Rickey (who signed Jackie Robinson to the major leagues), and Charles "Victory" Faust (the New York Giants' good luck charm and occasional pitcher, with no wins, losses, saves, walks, or strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.50, in two innings pitched). Each entry includes cumulative statistics, dates and places of birth and death, and a picture of the subject. The descriptions are warm, if not effusive, celebrating the achievements of the game's greats as well as highlighting the positive contributions of some less fondly remembered by history. Fred Merkle, for example, best known for the "Merkle Boner," is described as a fine player who performed well in six World Series. An excellent addition to any baseball fan's library, destined to be shelved alongside Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. --M. Stein

From Library Journal

This compendium of 2000 baseball-related biographies, from Aaron to Zisk, comes from the editors of Total Baseball. It is no surprise that a multicontributor work this huge has some problems, as when the Smoky Burgess article declares that Burgess ?erased Red Lucas! career pinch hit mark of 114? while the Lucas bio states that ?Lucas! total of 114 lifetime pinch hits was?broken?by Jerry Lynch.? Likewise, some will wonder why Ken Griffey Sr. gets more space than Ken Griffey Jr. and why Phil Linz, best known for playing his harmonica at an inopportune time, is included when over 13,000 other major leaguers are not. But baseball thrives on such arguments. This pleasingly presented and written reference might not supplant The Ballplayers (LJ 4/1/90), with its 6000 entries, as the gold standard for baseball biographical encyclopedias, but with longer bios and an eye for the entertaining story, it belongs next to it on all comprehensive baseball reference shelves.?Jim Burns, Ottumwa P.L., IA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1298 pages
• Publisher: Total Sports (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892129345
• ISBN-13: 978-1892129345
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,433,506 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best biographical reference work yet, June 17, 2000

By	Mat Olkin (Herndon, VA) - See all my reviews

Compiling essays on the 2,000 most influential people inbaseball history is a massive undertaking. Somehow, David Pietrusza,Matthew Silverman, Michael Gershman and the editors at Total Sports managed to pull it off -- and set a new standard for quality in the process. Previous biographical compendiums pale by comparison. Some limited their scope, concentrating on only the top players (for whom there already is ample biographical information elsewhere). Others attempted to cover more players but, for many players, provided little more than a summary of the player's statistical accomplishments. The Biographical Encyclopedia doesn't skimp on either count. It covers not only the top players, but also the most notable sportswriters, broadcasters, front office executives and statisticians. More often than not, an individual's essay includes unique biographical info that can't be found in other reference works. The worst one can say is that the book has its share of typos and that the writing is at times uneven. It goes without saying that editing a book of this length must have been a monumental task; the errors, however, rarely obscure pertinent information and are more annoying than damaging. The essays were penned by a number of different authors, so it is perhaps inevitable that some entries are better than others. The least impressive, however, are no worse than those from similar books in the past. Overall, the book marks a substantial improvement over previous efforts, and is priced quite reasonably. It would be a valuable additon to a serious fan's library, and would give a more casual fan hours of enjoyment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an amazing book!, May 22, 2000

By	Jeffrey Voiner "Metal Maniac" (Edgewater, New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the greatest baseball books that I have read in a long, long time. I am a huge baseball fan and this book tells you all about the games greatest stars. At first, I didn't think there would be a lot written about each player but, after seeing and reading some of this book, there is so much information. There are so many interesting facts about players that I never knew. On one hand, I wouldn't say this is a good book if you are strictly looking for statistics but, on the other hand, if you are looking to go beyond the statistics, it offers truly awesome in-depth biographies about so many player's lives and careers. I would recommend this book to any baseball fan who enjoys reading up on some of the game's greatest players!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book for the browsing baseball buff, October 20, 2001

By	Luke Jasenosky (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

I received this book as a gift and have enjoyed it very much. The number of players covered is extensive, and the biographies are generally fair, well-researched, and well-written. As a younger baseball fan who has long had an interest in the entire history of the game, I have particularly gotten a kick out of the analyses of the 19th and early 20th century ballplayers, as well as the pictures attached to each biography. I am a little disappointed, however, that the authors only use the classic, rather banal (generally) statistics in their biographical sketches, especially as the book was compiled by the editors of the bible of baseball, "Total Baseball". It's fine to read about how many wins Grover Cleveland Alexander racked up in his great career, but how good was he really in comparison to the other greats of his day, as well as in comparison to the greats of today? Stats like ERA+, PRO+, etc., would have really put each of these players in the proper historical perspective. I realize that this book is aimed at general audience, and that many baseball fans still deride advanced statistical analysis, but such analysis truly enriches evaluation of the long history of America's past-time. Don't get me wrong, the book is a lot of fun. I look forward, however, to when some accomplished sabermetricians expand the project. Reading about Babe Ruth's antics off the field accompanied by a searching analysis that truly reveals how mammoth a presence he was on the field, will be icing on the cake.