Books for the Baseball Fan in Your Life

The complete history of the home of "Red Sox Nation."

Five days after the sinking of the Titanic, Boston's Fenway Park held its grand opening. Since that day, millions have witnessed the Red Sox play baseball. Their "Royal Rooters" evolved into the "Fenway Faithful" and are now commonly referred to as "Red Sox Nation." Nine World Series have been staged upon Fenway's turf, along with three Major League All-Star Games. Aside from baseball, Fenway has been host to professional and amateur football games, ice hockey, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, hurling, boxing and wrestling matches, and even a circus. Music from concerts has reverberated across its lawn, religious services have been held, and political rallies staged - all adding patches to the quilt of Fenway's rich, illustrious history. The structure that noted author John Updike referred to many decades ago as "a lyric little bandbox" has become one of New England's most beloved historical landmarks.

Baseball's long and storied history in Los Angeles has been played at venues including the turn-of-the-century Chutes Park, which was part of an amusement park, as well as Gilmore Field, where the Hollywood Stars played, and Wrigley Field, where many movies and television shows were filmed. The 1923-vintage Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum became the Dodgers' first home in California in 1958, when they moved from Brooklyn. Greater Los Angeles also featured professional baseball at Olive Memorial Stadium in Burbank, Brookside Park in Pasadena, on Catalina Island, plus at numerous diamonds throughout Orange and Riverside Counties, where legends including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Connie Mack appeared. Most fans know Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium, but many other historic ballparks existed in Southern California. Their images are collected together here for the first time.

Visit the Back of the Yards neighborhood and setting for Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.

The Back of the Yards neighborhood, located in back of the Union Stockyards and composed of Packingtown, Town of Lake, and New City, was the setting of Upton Sinclair's classic 1906 novel, The Jungle. Permeated by an unforgettable smell, Back of the Yards was a melting pot of immigrants, many who worked in the stockyards. In 1894, Mary McDowell started the University of Chicago Settlement House in Back of the Yards. She improved living conditions and in 1905 helped create Davis Square Park. The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council was founded in 1939 by Joseph Meegan, Saul Alinsky, and Bishop Bernard Sheil and is America's oldest not for profit community based organization. It consisted of 185 delegate organizations involving residents, business owners, churches, parks, schools, and social clubs that worked to advocate improvements. The council motto continues on as ""We the people will work out our own destiny."" Relive the bustling activity and the lives of the people in the neighborhood through the historic images in Back of the Yards.

Baseball in Detroit documents nearly a century of this sport, following the Detroit Tigers closely.

Covering over 80 years of America's favorite pastime, Baseball in Detroit 1886-1968 takes fans back to the glory days of Ty Cobb in the early 20th century and follows the progress of the Detroit Tigers. From the three-time pennant winners of this century's first decade to the last real championship team of 1968, Detroiters have flocked to see their team play, win or lose. The fact that they have played at the same intersection of town for over a century is a tribute to the pride and loyalty that each has shown for the other. It could be said that no other baseball franchise has such a close relationship with its constituency. This relationship is clearly shown in a fascinating photographic collection, and sports fans everywhere will appreciate this candid glimpse into our nation's favorite game. As we approach the next millennium, a new stadium is under construction for this historic team. It, too, will be the place of legends, where great players and fans will create another glorious 100 years of baseball history in Detroit. The American League, to which the Detroit Tigers belong as charter members, is fast approaching its own centennial.

In 1903, the Israelite House of David was founded, alongside the House of David baseball team; they quickly became a nationally known team, playing against some of the best of the time.

The Israelite House of David was founded in 1903, as a religious colony in Benton Harbor, Michigan. As news of their prowess spread, the team received more and more press throughout the country. An entrepreneurial group of worshippers, the colony contributed much to the community, including a traveling baseball team that toured the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The almost 200 images collected here by authors Joel Hawkins and Terry Bertolino document the history of this bearded, barnstorming group of baseball players throughout their careers. The colony accomplished much within the community, credited with inventing the automatic pinsetter used in bowling and the first cold storage facility in the county. However, it was the House of David baseball players that caught the nation's attention, with their long hair and beards, which was forbidden to be cut or shaved as a code of their faith. Much like the Negro Leagues of the same period, the House of David baseball players would criss-cross the country, playing with such greats as the Kansas City Monarchs, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Satchel Paige and his All Stars.

Bordered by the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the flat coastal plain to the east, North Carolina's foothills region, also called the Piedmont, is home to a remarkable baseball heritage. For well over a century, the game has played a meaningful role in the lives of Piedmont residents. Countless thousands have participated in this national tradition and though some went on to become famous professional players in the big leagues, most never played for more than their local team. All, however, contributed to an important part of regional history. The North Carolina Piedmont has long been famous for its minor league teams, including the Durham Bulls and the Carolina Mudcats, but it's not just the professionals who helped shape the area's baseball tradition. College programs like those at the University of North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, and NC State have all figured prominently on the national scene at one time or another. High school teams from towns including Sanford have ranked among the nation's best, while American Legion teams have even captured the national championship. In the past it was the textile mills that contributed so much to the region's baseball heritage. Many of the mills only exist in memories today, but some of the teams they fielded-with names like McCrary, Wiscassett, Cannon, and Cooleemee-became local legends. With such a rich and colorful history, there is no doubt that North Carolina's Piedmont is truly baseball country.

Though renowned as the "Birthplace of Little League Baseball" and the host of the annual Little League World Series, the city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has also been heir to a minor-league legacy that few cities of comparable size possess. In this engaging tribute to the memories of Williamsport's halcyon professional baseball era, discover an integral part of the city's civic identity and social fabric during the past century. Williamsport's Baseball Heritage includes the city's landmark ballparks, including Athletic Park, the West Third Street Field, and Bowman Field, and features rare snapshots of prominent players and influential boosters. A charter member of the old New York-Penn League in 1924 (later renamed the Eastern League), Williamsport enjoyed one of the longest periods of affiliation with the league, despite its small size relative to other member cities. Historic Bowman Field, constructed in 1926 and once considered the gem of the of the Eastern League, remains the second-oldest operating minor league ballpark in the country. It has been visited by countless barnstorming Major League and Negro League teams, Hall of Fame players such as Jim Bunning, and famous baseball personalities such as Connie Mack, Branch Rickey, and Casey Stengel. An authoritative and comprehensive view of the era, Williamsport's Baseball Heritage will rekindle fond memories among fans and players alike. Images in this collection were culled from The Grit, formerly Williamsport's longest-running Sunday newspaper, the D. Vincent Smith and Putsee Vannucci photograph collections, and the private collections of many Williamsport residents.

Arizona's baseball roots run long and deep, but the star of the show is the Cactus League. The state's spring training history is filled with social, political, and cultural intrigue, not to mention a roster of baseball greats. Early on, fans watched Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, and the American League's first black player, Larry Doby. Beyond the field, baseball became part of the state's social fabric, as players and fans alike flocked to watering holes, hotels, parades, and a desert resort famous for its mineral baths. History also saw a political battle to save the Cactus League and fend off Florida's attempts to dominate spring training. Today, the Cactus League is a 15-team powerhouse that holds court in Arizona each spring.

Organized baseball in Orange County began in the late 1880s when community teams began forming among oil well workers. Around 1900, a farm boy from Kansas named Walter Johnson arrived with his family. Soon, the flame-throwing future hall-of-fame pitcher would be dominating games throughout the county as a star for Fullerton Union High School. As the popularity of baseball grew, more teams and leagues formed in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and other cities. Connie Mack brought the Philadelphia Athletics to spring train in Orange County in the 1940s. Joe DiMaggio played for his Santa Ana Air Base team after joining the Army. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and many other legends visited Orange County over the years. Dozens of well-known players grew up here, and many are laid to rest here. In 1966, the California Angels played their first game in Orange County, where they remain today as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The baseball history in Orange County is rich--and surprising.

In 1909, Pittsburgh Pirates president Barney Dreyfuss began construction on a new facility for his team in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.

Dreyfuss decided to call his palace - the first concrete and steel facility built in the National League - Forbes Field, after the British general John Forbes, a hero in the French and Indian War. Opened on June 20, 1909, Forbes Field was a hit from the onset; the venue hosted large crowds that came to watch the Pirates win in their first World Series against the Detroit Tigers that year. As the years went on, Forbes Field became synonymous with the greatest sports memories in the city's history. Patrons saw the trials and tribulations of the Steelers as well as some of the greatest collegiate football teams in the history of the game. The University of Pittsburgh won three collegiate football national championships, and Duquesne University and Carnegie Tech also fielded many winning teams while calling Forbes Field home. Alongside football, boxing was a constant event at the famed facility, hosting some of the most memorable pugilists this city has ever produced. Above all else, it was a baseball mecca. While the field is no longer in use, the wall remains intact, reminding Pittsburghers of the field's rich history.

Dubbed ""America's Game"" by Walt Whitman, baseball has been enjoyed in our nation's capital by young boys playing street stickball and Presidents throwing each season's inaugural pitch.

Just 13 years after Alexander Cartwright codified baseball's rules, the Washington Nationals Baseball Club formed and in 1867 toured the country spreading the ""baseball gospel."" By 1901 the team became one of the first eight major league teams in the newly formed American League. Players such as Walter Johnson, probably the greatest pitcher of all time, and other Senators under the stewardship of owner Clark Griffith successfully led the club in 1924 to what many consider to be the most exciting World Series in baseball history.

Later, the Homestead Grays played at Griffith Stadium and fielded a team featuring legendary Negro League greats such as Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. The powerhouse Grays, during a ten-year span, won nine Negro League World Championships, a record that may never be equaled in any team sport again.

When the Grays disbanded, the original Senators left for Minnesota in 1960, and the expansion Senators of the 1960s relocated, the city was left without a professional baseball team. While many feared that baseball in D.C. was over, a spirit remained on the diamond and is still felt today as children and adults team up in one way or another to play the national pastime in the nation's capital. Hopes for a new professional team linger, and those remembering baseball's heyday will enjoy this extensive and unusual collection of historic photos that celebrate a time when the crowds roared and Washingtonians believed that the summer game would never end.