Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
From The Deadbolt News, a report on the “opening night” of Jose Canseco’s author tour, which begins Monday, March 31 on Letterman. According to the official CBS press release, “Canseco will appear on the LATE SHOW to promote his new book, Vindicated, which will be published on the following day, Tuesday, April 1. Vindicated is […]
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As Opening Day approaches, the warm thoughts of afternoons in the sun will be obliterated by the cloud that is the steroids scandal. Jose Canseco, our guest “meteorologist,” is back with his sequel. The March 17 Publisher’s Weekly offers this feature on how the buzz about Canesco’s latest literary contribution is is stealing the thunder […]
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Wilfred Santiago pays homage to his countryman Roberto Clemente in graphic novela form, due out later this year. According to the publication’s Web site, 21 is “a human drama of courage and dignity….Facing prejudice during times of change, his talent went unrecognized for most of his eighteen seasons. Clemente, however, never lost of sight of […]
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The 2008 seasons marks the beginning of the end for Yankee Stadium. The Bronx Bombers have always been fodder for baseball lit, but this watershed event opens a new sub-genre. A quick search on Amazon.com shows several titles devoted specifically to such nostalgic content, including Yankee Stadium: The Official Retrospective, by Al Santasiere and Mark […]
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With the weeks winding down until Opening Day, look for a flurry of activity for baseball book reviews. I have two feature pieces forthcoming in the next few months: ForeWord Magazine, which concentrates on the output of small and university presses, and Bookreporter.com. In the meantime, here are a few recent reviews: The Rise and […]
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From the Chicago Sun Times, this report of a local TV documentary on the WGN-Cubs 60-year relationship. An accompanying book, Cubs Forever, is due out from Triumph Books this spring. This leads to an observation on the recent trend towards “copy-cat” books that use the same format tailored to each team. For example, in addition […]
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According to an item in the Feb. 25 issue of Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, Hunt Auctions will include “more than 140 items” from the estate of the late Bowie Kuhn. The former commissioner’s collection includes several rings from baseball events, autographed balls, contracts, and various awards. The lot is expected to go for […]
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From the Raleigh (NC) Chronicle: An exhaustive 400 page book coming off the presses in March will document the history of professional baseball in North Carolina and also features Durham’s pivotal role in Tarheel baseball. Entitled “Cradle of the Game”, the book’s author is Mark Cryan, who lives in Burlington. Cryan used to work in […]
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Amazon recently released it’s new e-book reader, the Kindle. Like many in this technology, it offers the ability to store numerous books on a unit the size of a medium hardcover. It also seems to be easier to load, not even requiring a computer connection. It is pricey though, so if anyone from Amazon is […]
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From libraryjournal.com, two brief reviews of Faithful to Fenway: Believing in Boston, Baseball, and America’s Most Beloved Ballpark and Your Brain on Cubs: Inside the Heads of Players and Fans. Interesting to note that these are two of the most historically snake-bitten teams when it comes to the post-season. (Thanks to reader Greg Spira.)
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Unless I’m reading this wrong, that’s what this announcement is saying. Shouler, who already wrote this book a few yeas ago, is seeking a comeback of sorts. Thanks to the shadow of steroids, he’s suggesting taking a fresh look. The Arabic number 609 exceeds 586. But can anyone say with a straight face that Sammy […]
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Herewith, the program highlights for the 15th annual Nine Spring Training Conference held in Tucson, Arizona from March 13-16. Lee Lowenfish, author of Branch Rickey: Baseball’s Ferocious Gentleman, is the keynote speaker for the meeting, which will also pay tribute to the late Bill Kirwin, the journal’s former editor. Presentations include: Frantic Frankie Lane The […]
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From the The Burlington (NC) Times News: Mark Cryan, the former general manager of the Burlington Indians, has written “Cradle of the Game: Baseball & Ballparks in North Carolina.” August Publications of Minneapolis is publishing the 400-page volume, which an August spokesman said is a comprehensive work “exploring minor-league and leading college ballparks” throughout the […]
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Editor Ron Briley is seeking manuscripts for an anthology on “Baseball and Politics” to be published by McFarland & Company. The recent front page newspaper coverage of the Barry Bonds indictment for perjury indicates that the interest in and impact of baseball extends well beyond the playing field. This collection will focus upon the intersection […]
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Received this e-mail from Dugoutcentral.com: DugoutCentral is pleased to announce that the winners of its Spring Training Writing Contest will receive free, one-on-one consulting with esteemed writing coach Susan White for the first half of the 2008 MLB season. For those fan writers who are serious about improving their skills, this is a unique opportunity.Susan […]
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Joe Posnanski won Spitball Magazine‘s 2007 Casey Award for his bittersweet biography of Negro Leagues legend and baseball Ambassador Buck O’Neil. The elderly O’Neil, who died last year, enjoyed a new-found popularity thanks to Ken Burns’ 1995 documentary on the national pastime.
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GB/LP have put out some interesting, off-beat baseball books and they continue that tradition this year. The Ballad of Billy & George, by Phil Pepe picks up on the recent ESPN miniseries, The Bronx is Burning, which highlighted the tempestuous relationship between Yankees manager Billy Martin and owner Billy Martin. If reality was anything like […]
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The following is based on an article by Bob Cottrell, Margaret Heilbrun, Paul Kaplan (no relation), and Gilles Renaud from the Feb. 1 issue of Library Journal My comments appear in parenthesis; the writers’ in the indented paragraphs. The Code: Baseball’s Unwritten Rules and Its Ignore-at-Your- Own-Risk Code of Conflict, by Ross Bernstein. Triumph. March […]
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is available on Amazon.com,
In a former life, I was the sports and features editor for a weekly New Jersey newspaper, where I hosted an award-winning bog about Jews and Sports.
I did a profile piece on the legendary cartoonist Arnold Roth and he was very generous in immortalizing me in this caricature.
My article on Sandy Koufax in the 1965 World Series appears in
My article on the later biographies of Babe Ruth appears in
My article on the Mets’ 1969 postseason appears in
Profiles of several Jewish baseball figures appear in
