Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
From the category archives:
The top-ten baseball books as per Amazon.com. Caveat 1: Print editions only (at least for now); I’m old fashioned that way. Caveat 2: Since the rankings are updated every hour, these lists might not longer be 100 percent accurate by the time you read it. But it’ll be close enough for government work. Caveat 3: […]
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All of these came in this week from my “alma mater,” the University of Nebraska Press. So many books, so little time.
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I used to do this awhile ago: Every Friday (or as every Friday as I can), I’ll post the top-ten baseball books as per Amazon.com. The only caveat: print editions only (at least for now). Actually, another caveat: as the rankings are updated every hour, these lists might not longer be 100 percent accurate by […]
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This it the time of year when the baseball media offer their considered opinions on their favorite prospects. Sometimes they’re spot on, other times, not so much. So I thought, why not apply this to the upcoming “rookie crop” of baseball books? That is, titles that are making their debuts in 2014 — no reprints/reissues […]
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ESPN’s Jim Caple posted this list of best baseball books in 2013. I keep hoping that 501 will make somebody‘s “best of” list, but so far it hasn’t happened. I’ve got no kick against any of Caple’s choices (well, perhaps One Summer: America, 1927, which, as he admits, is not a baseball book, although it […]
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Excellent piece in the NY Times by my neighbor Harvey Araton on the lost art of keeping score. My daughter, Rachel, was manager for her high school baseball team for three seasons, winning the job for her ability to keep score (and take pictures and bake cupcakes). We don’t go to a lot of games, […]
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Burton Boxerman, co-author with his wife, Bonita, of the two-volume Jews and Baseball series published by McFarland a few years back, published this review of Larry Ruttman’s American Jews and America’s Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball in Baseball in a recent edition of the St. Louis Jewish Light. As an ye shall […]
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All I know about Yankton, South Dakota, was that it was an element in one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Deadwood. Al Swearengen: Bloodletting on my premises that I ain’t approved I take as a f***ing affront. It puts me off my feed. Hearst:How do we know when you are off your feed? Al […]
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John Sexton’s Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game picked up a couple of review recently including this one from the New York Law Journal and this one from Philly.com. The San Diego Union Tribune ran this about Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame. Believe it or not (and I’m guessing my […]
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The Huntington News (WV) published this review about Acre, a baseball “fable.” Upshot: “I’m not going to give away the plot points, other than to say to know Acre is to love him.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune posted this about Allen Barra’s Willie and Mickey. The Charlotte Post and Courier ran this review of Larry […]
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MyBookEez.com (Tagline: “The ultimate web-based library ever! All the books, documents & manuals you need!” offers this list of Baseball fiction – 100 free eBooks. There are a few interesting items therein, but most are not, as one might believe, pieces of fiction (nor are they all wholly about baseball). Some are reviews, others are […]
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In an attempt to clean out all the accumulated links from my Google alerts, this will incorporate the semi-regular “review roundups” with author announcements, etc. You’ll also forgive me if some of these have appeared before; I’m just too damn lazy to go through each one to double-check. My Apologies. Anyway, enjoy. Five nostalgic books […]
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At Home Plate posted this review of Tom Dunkel’s Color Blind: The Forgotten Team That Broke Baseball’s Color Line. Upshot: “This book is the story of those men and it’s a great story. One worthy of being read over and over by fans who truly love the game and understand what we all lost during […]
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Literary birthday greetings: 1942 – Fritz Peterson, pitcher; All-Star Mickey Mantle Is Going To Heaven, by Peterson, Outskirts Press, 2009. The Art of De-Conditioning: Eating Your Way to Heaven, by Peterson, Light Side Books, 2012. Lest we forget: 1956 – Connie Mack, catcher, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1862) My 66 Years in the Big […]
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♦ Bill Jordan at Baseball Reflections posted this on The Baseball Hall of Shame: The Best of Blooperstown. Upshot: “With the book being built around blurbs, instead of lengthy stories, it is a quick read and would be something that is easy to browse through. One might even call this a good book to read […]
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Spitball Magazine announced the finalists for the publications annual CASEY award for best baseball book of the year. The titles include: Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination during the 1934 Tour of Japan, by Robert K. Fitts Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick, by Paul Dickson Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915-1931, by […]
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♦ One of my neo-favorites books have been the Freaknomics series. Their blog included this item about the eternal question (well, eternal since 1903, with the occasional break), “Does the best team win the World Series?” By teh way, Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner contributed an essay about everybody’s favorite comeback kid, Adam Greenberg, in […]
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Sports Illustrated recently came out with a list of their choices for the 100 greatest sports photos of all time. Baseball Nation’s Grant Brisbee was ambitious enough to cull the baseball shots which includes, as ranked: 99. Willie Mays, “The Catch” 94. Greg Olsen, “Ow, my head and neck!” 89. Juan Marichal, “Windup” 83. Yogi […]
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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
