Posting a bit earlier than usual today because we’re heading “down the shore” for a 5K run for organ donor awareness, sponsored by the New Jersey Sharing Network. My wife received a kidney from a friend in her book group, so we do this every year. If you feel like donating to this very worthy cause, you can do so at the team link, “Keeping the Faith.”
And now, on with the show…
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
- The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball, by John W. Miller. (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments (hardcover), by Joe Posnanski Ω (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Ω (paperback)
- The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II, by Anne R. Keen (Paperback)
- Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America, by Will Bardenwerper (My review on Bookreporter.com)
- Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas, by Jesse Cole
- The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and Tom Underwood
- Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will, by Scott Miller *
- The Ultimate New York Yankees Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Yankees Fans!, by Ray Walker
- The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker Ω
AUDIBLE
The links here will take you to the pages where you can hear samples.
- The Baseball 100, by Posnanski
- Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (narrated by the author. My review on Bookreporter.com) Ω
- The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball: Lessons for Life from Homer’s Odyssey to the World Series, by Christian Sheppard (narrated by the author)
- Moneyball (unabridged, read by Scott Brick)
- Why We Love Baseball, by Posnanski
- Cape Dreams: A Season with the Brewster Whitecaps, by Mark Epstein
- Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends, by Art Shamsky with Matthew Silverman
- Tales from the Detroit Tigers Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Tigers Stories Ever Told, by Jack Elbing
- Red Sox Nation, by Peter Golenbock (narrated by the author)
- October 1964, by David Halberstam
Once again, the Amazon charts have been changed, so no Kindle list.
Posnanski will be the keynote speaker at the 36th Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture from May 28-30.
Surprised that the latest Rose biography has not gotten more traction since Manfred’s decision lifting the ineligibility ban.
Skipper is slated to be my next review for Bookreporter.com.
Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 2,840,558 overall in books; last time, 2,840,923. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 1,295,164; last time, 497,234.
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.
is available on Amazon.com,
