Baseball Best-Sellers, August 23, 2024

A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish posting them). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes (see my piece on “Why Amazon’s search engine sucks“).

In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast one by including a book in a category in which it should not be listed (in my opinion). For example, The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect has appeared on Amazon’s BBS list. “Why” is a good question. There might be a smattering of the national pastime in it, but not enough to make it a baseball book per se (again, IMO).

Finally, adults only here. That is, no books for younger readers (i.e., 12 and under). Also no “adult” adult books (romance/erotic fiction that features baseball as a theme although goodness knows there are a bunch of those out there).

So, with all that said…

The links under the authors’ names will take you to the Bookshelf Conversations I did with them. An asterisk denotes a book making its debut on the BBS list. And a Ω (omega) means it’s an award winner.

PRINT

1. Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, by Joe Posnanski Ω (My review on Bookreporter.com)
2. The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams, by Adam Lazarus
3. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Ω
4. The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II, by Anne R. Keen
5. Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (My review on Bookreporter.com)
6. The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and Tom Underwood
7. Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove, by Dwight Evans and Erik Sherman
8. The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker (My review on Bookreporter.com)
9. Ballparks: A Journey Through the Fields of the Past, Present, and Future, by Eric Enders
10. The Baseball 100, by Joe Posnanski Ω

KINDLE BOOKS

1. Scooter: The Biography of Phil Rizzuto, by Carlo DeVito
2. Said in Stone: Your Game, My Way, by Steve Stone
3. The Yankees Index: Every Number Tells a Story, by Mark Simon
4. Jim Kaat: Good As Gold: My Eight Decades in Baseball, by Jim Kaat and Douglas Lyons
5. Shane Victorino: The Flyin’ Hawaiian, by Alan Maimon
6. Charlie Hustle
7. Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series, by Eliot Asinof
8. Yogi: The Life & Times of an American Original, by Carlo DeVito
9. Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original, by Howard Bryant
10. Moneyball

AUDIBLE

Note: Amazon has changed the way they list audiobooks. No longer under the general category of “biography and memoir,” they are now treated in their own baseball/softball category. Here’s the general link to the section where you will find further links to the individual titles, their reader/narrators, and samples. Note further that these are updated regularly and the top ten list below might no longer be the same.

1. Just Show Up: And Other Enduring Values from Baseball’s Iron Man, by Cal Ripken Jr. and James Dale (narrated by Ripken)
2. Moneyball (unabridged, read by Scott Brick)
3. Charlie Hustle
4. Rickey
5. The Baseball 100
6. Why We Love Baseball
7. Ball Four: The Final Pitch, by Jim Bouton (narrated by the author)
8. The Methany Manifesto, by Mike Methany with Jerry B. Jenkins
9. The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era, by Andy Martino
10. The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and John Underwood

Nothing really new in the print section, but lots of new items in the Kindle arena. The Yankee Index is a steal at just $1.99.

Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 3,144,142 overall in books; last time, 3,036,034.  Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 2,849,375; last time, 2,393,569.

Shameless self-promotion: if you’re looking for some good baseball reading during this down time, why not pick up a copy of 501? It’s like the dictionary; it has the other books in it, which reminds me of one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite shows.

A reminder: There’s an Excel “checklist” of the books list in 501. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many you have read or own, drop me a line.

If you have read either of my books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late.