Baseball Books

It is widely, and wrongly, assumed that books are never so valuable as when they lie unopened before us, waiting to be read. Good books bear multiple readings, and not merely because our memories fail us; the desire to repeat a good reading experience can be its own powerful motivation. And for bibliophiles, books can also be works of art, physical objects with an aesthetic value all their own. This guide for the book-loving baseball fan is written by one of the most knowledgeable collectors in the country, author and editor Mike Shannon. Beginning with a history of baseball books and collecting, it also identifies the most sought-after titles and explains how to find them, what to pay, and how to maintain their condition.

Mike Shannon is the co-founder and current editor-in-chief of Spitball magazine. The author of more than a dozen baseball books, he lives in Cincinnati.

Mike Shannon
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 257
Bibliographic Info: glossary, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3139-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1092-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1

1. A Short History of Baseball Books      5
2. Which Baseball Books to Collect      44
3. Where to Find Baseball Books      68
4. How to Care for Your Collection of Baseball Books      85
5. How Much to Pay for Baseball Books      93

Price Guide      103
Glossary      179
Appendix A: Baseball Book Awards      201
Appendix B: Interview with Willis Monie      205
Bibliography      211
Index      213

“Shannon clearly knows his subject”—ARBA; “covers what to collect, what to pay for them, how to take care of them, all with extensive lists”—The SABR Bulletin.