Books for the Baseball Fan in Your Life

For true lovers of America’s favorite pastime, baseball season never ends. So give your fan a diamond they are sure to love – tales of iconic ballparks past and present (like Shea and Fenway), or stories of their favorite major-league team (like the Reds, or the Dodgers – in either LA or Brooklyn). Our 200+ books on baseball in America touch every corner of the sport, including minor leagues like the Blue Ridge League in the East or the Cactus League in the West—where fans saw Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Willy Mays play before their big-league careers. These books will be a long deep fly to the center of any baseball fan’s heart.
6 products
St. Louis' Big League Ballparks
St. Louis' Big League Ballparks
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
As Good As It Got
As Good As It Got
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City
Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Baseball in Springfield
Baseball in Springfield
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Baseball in St. Louis
Baseball in St. Louis
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
St. Louis Baseball History
St. Louis Baseball History
$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

St. Louis' Big League Ballparks

9780738532653

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Baseball came to St. Louis before the dawn of the major leagues. It was a gentleman's game, a simple summer pastime, and its popularity grew as the city evolved. Local amateur teams proliferated, and interest in forming a team of professionals resulted in two such St. Louis teams in 1875, the Brown Stockings and the Red Stockings. The Browns and Reds played their home games at separate parks, the Grand Avenue Grounds and Red Stockings Park. The first fully professional game of baseball held in St. Louis took place at the latter. Very few modern fans are aware of this, or of these parks' locations. Moreover, there was a time early in the twentieth century when St. Louis supported not just two, but three major league teams, each with its own ballpark. This book is intended as a keepsake of the stadiums and playing fields of St. Louis' baseball past.
St. Louis' Big League Ballparks

As Good As It Got

9780738531991

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
World War II threatened to ruin Major League Baseball. By 1945, over 500 major leaguers and 3,000 minor league prospects had been enlisted for the war effort, leaving a dearth of talent for the Big Leagues. The St. Louis Browns, like other AL and NL clubs, would be forced to fill holes in their roster with scrubs-4-F players (those dismissed from the military due to physical ailments), retired major leaguers, and youngsters not yet ready to leave the minors. But there were still some top level players to be had, and 1944 Browns manager Luke Sewell assembled the franchise's most successful team ever, taking the St. Louis ball club to its first and only Fall Classic.
As Good As It Got

Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City

9781467128759

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City highlights the standout teams and players in the greater Kansas City area and other communities in the Sunflower State. Following labor opportunities, Mexican immigrants proliferated in the region in the first decade of the 20th century. Eventually, they and their offspring settled in countless communities, including Kansas City, Topeka, Newton, Chanute, Emporia, Wellington, Wichita, Dodge City, and Garden City, and had extended family networks in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Iowa. Baseball and softball in their own unique ways confronted discrimination and promoted the spirit for social equality. These remarkable photographs and wonderful memorabilia provide ample evidence and insight about those who loved the game.
Mexican American Baseball in Kansas City

Baseball in Springfield

9780738533599

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
It has been more than half a century since Springfield last hosted minor league baseball. That draught will end at downtown's newly constructed Hammons Field in the spring of 2005, when the Springfield Cardinals of the AA Texas League bring professional baseball back to the Queen City of the Ozarks. The new team will have quite a legacy to fulfill, as the Springfield Cardinals of the Western Association won several pennants those many years ago, and brought to town such legendary baseball names as Branch Rickey, Joe Garagiola, and Stan Musial. Before the Cardinals came teams like the Midgets, Reds, and Merchants, and a rich tradition of professional and semi-pro baseball dating back to the mid-1880s. Drawing from a wide range of primary sources and complimented by over 100 vintage images, Baseball in Springfield is must-have for those ready to discover the historic connection this city has to the national pastime.
Baseball in Springfield

Baseball in St. Louis

9780738533018

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
St. Louis was a hotbed of baseball activity in the early 20th century. Two of baseball's great wars played out here-the rise of the American League and the rise and fall of the Federal League. No pennants flew over the city from 1900 to 1925, yet St. Louis teams were involved in a number of torrid pennant races. Here is the heyday of the St. Louis Browns and the emergence of the Cardinals, as well as a vibrant scene for semi-pro and black teams. The city had two of the greatest hitters in baseball history-George Sisler and Rogers Hornsby-and one of the game's most influential executives-Branch Rickey. Twenty-one members of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown played baseball in St. Louis during these years. The author draws on more than 20 photo collections, with in-depth looks at an important yet overlooked era and the people who made it come alive.
Baseball in St. Louis

St. Louis Baseball History

9781467151245

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
St. Louis has a well-deserved reputation for the best fans in baseball and a rich baseball history that stretches back to before 1860. Visit the Musial Statue and learn the history of an iconic city landmark. Tour the final resting places of baseball Hall of Famers such as George Sisler and "Cool Papa'? Bell. Stop by the building Curt Flood used to create his paintings when he was off the field. Travel to a funeral home owned by a player nicknamed "Bow Wow.'? Author Brian Flaspohler takes you on a tour of the best baseball sites in the Gateway to the West.
St. Louis Baseball History