Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
April 13, 2012
History is not supposed to be something I’ve lived through. History is supposed to be something that happened well before I was born. It was therefore with a mix of nostalgia and dread that I read Tim Wendell‘s Summer of ’68: The Season That Changed Baseball–and America–Forever. 1968 was the first year I really started […]
Tagged as: 1968, David Halberstam, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Tim Wendel, World Series
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April 6, 2012
Some of the contributions for the new collaboration Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World’s Most Loved (and Hated) Team are dewy-eyed tributes, either about the team in general, or a player in particular, or a personal moment with a family member, bonding over a shared love. On the other end of the […]
Tagged as: Charlie Pierce, Damn Yankees, Daniel Okrent, Jane Leavy, Rob Fleder, Roy Blount Jr., Sports Illustrated
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April 1, 2012
Another book about Yogi Berra? Yup, and one that shouldn’t be missed. Harvey Araton published Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball’s Greatest Gift as an extension of a column he had written for The New York Times last year, about the annual ritual in which the former Yankee ace would pick up […]
Tagged as: Harvey Araton, Ron Guidry, Yogi Berra
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March 25, 2012 · 1 comment
Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman remains the only Major Leaguer to die from injuries sustained during a game, the result of being hit in head by a pitcher from Carl Mays, then with the New York Yankees, on August 17, 1920. (It should be noted that some consider the death of “Doc” Powers — a […]
Tagged as: Carl Mays, Molly Lawless, Ray Chapman
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March 22, 2012
Over the past few days, a number of interesting items have come my way. Summer of ’68: The Season That Changed Baseball–and America–Forever, by Tim Wendel, makes me feel old. “History” should only apply to events that took place before I was born. This was the first year I really started paying attention to baseball […]
Tagged as: Bud Harrelson, Carl Mays, John Grisham, New York Mets, Ray Chapman, Ron Guidry, Yogi Berra
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March 11, 2012
With St. Patrick’s Day just ahead, what better time to discuss Charlie Rosen’s new book,The Emerald Diamond: How the Irish Transformed America’s Greatest Pastime? Rosen previous sports work — over a dozen titles, both fiction and non-fiction — have been almost exclusively about basketball. The lone exception: his Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe […]
Tagged as: Charley Rosen, Emerald Diamond, New York Yankees, Saint Patrick's Day
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February 26, 2012
As a former presidential speechwriter and current senior lecturer of English at the University of Rochester, it’s safe to say that Curt Smith loves the spoken (and written) word. His output as an author combines that enthrallment with baseball; he’s written several books that highlight not the players on the field, but the people who […]
Tagged as: Curt Smith, Fenway Park
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February 19, 2012
Recently, the Bookshelf spoke with Glenn Stout about the centennial of Fenway Park (an upcoming episode will feature Curt Smith discussing the role of broadcasters in bring the games to the Fenway faithful). This week, in recognition of the New York Mets’ 50th anniversary, we chatted with Mathew Silverman, who specializes in titles about the […]
Tagged as: Hofstra University, Matthew Silverman, New York Mets
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February 12, 2012 · 1 comment
George Vecsey has worn many hats during his long career with The New York Times. Most recent fans might not be aware he was a general reporter who also wrote about politics and religion before turning to the sports pages full time in 1980. Two years later, he was called on to fill the void […]
Tagged as: George Vecsey, Stan Musial
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February 6, 2012
Last week I posted an interview with Kostya Kennedy, author of 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports Well, the tributes continue with this week’s guest, Glenn Stout, a veteran writer whose latest book, Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway’s Remarkable First Year, earned him the […]
Tagged as: Best American Sports Writing, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Glenn Stout, SABR, Seymour Award, Seymour Medal
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January 29, 2012
Kostya Kennedy was recently named winner of the Casey Award, handed out by Spitball Magazine for their take on the best baseball book of the year. Kennedy, a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, received the coveted prize for 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports. He will pick up the award at […]
Tagged as: Casey Award, Joe DiMaggio, Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated
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December 2, 2011
If you’re on Facebook, check out the Baseball Book Club group: We here at the Baseball Book Club know it’s hard to find time to read books, so we want to offer encouragement. The idea is simple. Members of the club will select a title to focus on as the Book of the Month and […]
Tagged as: Jane Leavy, Reading Groups
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June 22, 2011
Here’s my feature on Green and his new book, The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph (See all Personal Transformation Books), which appears in the print edition of this week’s NJ Jewish News. More on the writing process: Green had planned on writing a book even while he was playing. “I’ve always been […]
Tagged as: Eastern philosophy, Shawn Green
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May 4, 2011
From a press release issued by the baseball hall of Fame: This year, some of baseball’s greatest storytellers are coming to Cooperstown to share their work as part of the Museum’s annual Authors’ Series offerings. The Hall of Fame’s Summer Authors’ Series gets under way May 28 and continues throughout June, July and August. The […]
Tagged as: Danny Peary, George Vecsey, Joe DiMaggio, Lipman Pike, Richard Michelson, Roy Campanella, Stan Musial
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March 27, 2011 · 1 comment
Regular visitors know I rarely consider juvenile literature, but once in awhile an “important” book comes along that deserves attention. Previously it was Kadir Nelson’s We Are The Ship, an introduction to young readers about the Negro Leagues. This time it’s Richard Michelson’s Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King, a picture book about the […]
Tagged as: Kadir Nelson, Lip Pike, Lipman Pike, Richard Michelson
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March 3, 2011
I discovered Summer Anne Burton’s site — Every Hall of Famer — through another new and equally engaging site, Bethany Heck’s Eephus League of Baseball Minutiae. This was about the time I started compiling the lists of books about inducted members of the Hall, so it was kismet. As I’ve said before, I don’t much […]
Tagged as: baseball art, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Summer Anne Burton
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February 12, 2011
Somewhat belated, but nevertheless — The Yankees’ lefty, known perhaps more for swapping families than his record on the field, turned 69 recently. I was planning on posting this on his actual birthday, but wanted to find out what he was up to with his latest project. I interviewed Peterson during my stint at Yankee […]
Tagged as: Fritz Peterson
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January 15, 2011
The new RKBB podcast features an interview with author Joseph Wallace, author of Diamond Ruby: A Novel. This is Wallace’s first foray into fiction., but not baseball. His previous work includes World Series: An Opinionated Chronicle, World Series: An Opinionated Chronicle, and The Baseball Anthology: 125 Years of Stories, Poems, Articles, Photographs, Drawings, Interviews, Cartoons, […]
Tagged as: baseball fiction, Diamond Ruby, Joseph Wallace
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January 7, 2011
I’d been hoping to post this a lot sooner, but due to a number of technical glitches, including a new computer and some lost software, yada yada yada… Anyway, submitted for your entertainment is an interview, in two parts, with Jane Leavy, author of the bestselling biography, The Last Boy, Mickey Mantle and the End […]
Tagged as: Jane Leavy
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January 7, 2011
Jane Leavy played to a full house in October at the Yogi Berra Museum and learning Center in Little Falls. Photos courtesy Andrew Mordzynski. Part 2 http://www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/RKBBLeavy21.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Tagged as: Jane Leavy, Mickey Mantle
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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.
In Forbes Magazine re: Baseball Business Books
On Will Carroll’s “Under the Knife” substack
Most recent books read updated 12/21/24:
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien
Grade: A. The most in-depth bio to date, focusing on Rose's gambling addiction.
Sometimes You See It Coming, by Kevin Baker
Grade: B. I first read this one when it originally came out some 30 years ago. I must say I don't remember it being so raunchy in spots. Draws on lots of real-life events and characters that real fans will recognize.
The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness, by Andy McCullough
Grade: A. I usually don't like titles with superlatives, but in this case the author might be right, although there are probably a couple of Kershaw's contemporaries (Verlander and Scherzer) who fit that description.
The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era, by Andy Martino
Grade: B+. Even this non-Yankee fan found the deep background with its Moneyball-like machinations interesting
The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker
Grade: A. Well-researched, well-written. What else could you ask for? Baker has a lot of street cred writing about New York as well, both in fiction and non-fiction.
The Body Scout, by Lincoln Michel
Grade: C. Perhaps the ultimate performance enhancers -- interchangeable body parts -- help major leaguers of the future. But, as with all of these things, there's a price to pay.
Cardboard Gods: An All-American Tale Told Through Baseball Cards, by Josh Wilker
Grade: A. Re-read in preparation for a Bookshelf Conversation with the author. Had a deeper meaning than when I first read it more than a decade ago.
The Bookshelf Conversation
Discussions about all things baseball with authors, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, artists, et al
Subscribe to the "Bookshelf Conversations" podcast on iTunes and please leave a rating and/or review. Gracias!
Mike Shannon on "Diamond Classics II" ( video)
Todd Radom, Ellen Linder, and Brian Kong ( video)
Rick Cerrone (Baseball Digest, video)
Kevin Baker (Sometimes You See It Coming, video)
Curtis Pride and Doug Ward (video)
Dan Epstein on James Earl Jones (video)
Jim Gilmore and Tracy Holcomb (video)
"The Lost Tapes": Conversations prior to 2011 (audio)
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
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