Two players from my youth recently passed away. I can’t explain it, but for some reason Rico Carty was the first non-Mets player I took a liking to. Looking at his baseball card from my first serious go at collecting in 1967, I remember being impressed with his stats and surprised he wasn’t mentioned in […]
Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf
If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here.
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501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Dieis available on Amazon.com,
Also available at BN.com.
Free 501 checklist available (Excel/spreadhseet format). Makes it fun to check off which books you've read and handy to bring to the bookstore or library to get what you still want to read. Send your request via email to ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf (@)gmail(dot)com.
The envelope, please…
Ron by Roth
In my most recent "day job," I was the sports and features editor for a weekly New Jersey newspaper, where I hosted another blog. Busy, busy, busy.
I did a profile piece on the award-winning cartoonist Arnold Roth and he was nice enough to "immortalize" me.
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Bookshelf in the media
In Forbes Magazine re: Baseball Business Books
On Will Carroll’s “Under the Knife” substack
Recently reviewed on The Bookshelf
Updated 12/21/24
The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox (Video)
One of a Kind (Video profile of Greg Maddux)
The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker (via Bookreporter.com)
RK’s reading lists:
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 interestingThe 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.Listen up!
The Bookshelf Conversation
Discussions about all things baseball with authors, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, artists, et alSubscribe to the "Bookshelf Conversations" podcast on iTunes and please leave a rating and/or review. Gracias!
Dan Epstein on James Earl Jones (video)
Jim Gilmore and Tracy Holcomb (video)
"The Lost Tapes": Conversations prior to 2011 (audio)
Topics
Book contributions and most recent articles
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
Author/Book sites
- Bob Mitchell
- Curt Smith
- Dan Epstein ("Big Hair, Plastic Grass")
- Dave Jamieson
- Dirk Hayhurst
- Doug Glanville
- Gary Moore ("Playing with the Enemy")
- George Vecsey
- Glenn Stout
- Greg Prince
- Jane Heller
- Jane Leavy
- Jason Turbow ("The Baseball Codes")
- Jeff Gillenkirk ("Dads at Bat")
- Jeff Katz
- Jerry Reuss
- John H. Ritter
- John Rosengren
- Jonah Keri
- Joseph Schuster
- Josh Wilker
- Kevin Baker
- Larry Tye
- Mark Armor/Daniel Levitt ("In Pursuit of Pennants")
- Mark Kurlansky
- Martin Rowe/Evander Lomke
- Marty Appel
- Matthew Silverman
- Michael Leahy
- Michael Ortman
- Mort Zachter
- Murray Chass
- Pandemic Baseball Book Club
- Paul Dickson
- Peter Bjarkman
- Rob Fitts
- Rob Neyer
- Saul Wisnia
- Spitball Magazine
- Tim Wendel
- Tom Stanton
Baseball Art
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- 1956 Topps
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- 1963 Topps
- 1964 Topps
- 1964 Topps
- 1965 Topps
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- 1969 Topps
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- 1972 Topps
- 1980 Topps
- 1983, General
- A Pack a Day
- Astros Baseball Cards
- bdj610's Topps Baseball Cards
- Cardboard Gods
- Got It, Got It, Need It.
- Library of Congress cards, 1887-1914
- Poor Old Baseball Cards
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- White Sox cards
- Wrigley Wax
Baseball News
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Baseball Reference
Baseball Reviews/Podcasts
Offbeat
Publishers
Some (non-baseball) blogs I like
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