Book shelves lined with baseball books: some reference, some fiction, some historical, and some that are just plain fun to read. Over seventy-thousand books have been written covering every facet of our national pastime. With so many choices, and so many different versions, it can be difficult deciding what books deserve your money. Moe Berg, the legendary Major League catcher turned spy, once said that he, "would rather be a poor man in a garret with plenty of books, than a King who did not like reading."
Baseball Almanac wants to do the work for you and suggest a title worth adding to your personal baseball library — one that will not make you a "poor man in a garret." Each month we review dozens of possible books and select one book which we believe you will truly enjoy reading. Book reviews are done by either our personnel, by Dr. Donald McKim (a trusted book critic), or our newest contributor Tom Swift. The ratings column is determined by the actual review, user comments, and input made at Amazon.com.
Ralph Andreannoe wrote in No Joy in Mudville (1965) that, "The literature of baseball is voluminous; some of it is extremely valuable, but most of it is riddled with cliches and empty analysis." If the book we review is empty analysis, Baseball Almanac will tell you. If its not, then we will tell you that as well. Our standard is simple; is the data accurate, is the data helpful to our site, and is it worth it...
"Indeed, it may be fairly said that amongst all of mankind's games and sports, only chess, with its advantage of over a thousand years of existence and its international exposure, surpasses the literary outpourings devoted to baseball." - David Voigt in Baseball: A Comprehensive Bibliography (1986)
Baseball Books | Baseball Book ReviewsOur Ten Most Recent Baseball Almanac Bookshelf Reviews |
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Rating | The Baseball Almanac Book Shelf | Reviewer |
Hugh Casey: The Triumphs and Tragedies of a Brooklyn Dodger by Lyle Spatz |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Here's the Catch: A Memoir of the Miracle Mets by Ron Swoboda |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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They Bled Blue Book Review by Jason Turbow |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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For The Good of the Game by Bud Selig |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Play Hungry: The Making of a Baseball Player by Pete Rose |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Dixie Walker: A Life in Baseball by Lyle Spatz |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Left on Base in the Bush Leagues by Gaylon H. White |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Ten Innings at Wrigley: The Wildest Ballgame Ever by Kevin Cook |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Carl Furillo, Brooklyn Dodgers All-Star by Ted Reed |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Roy Sievers: The Sweetest Right Handed Swing by Paul Scimonelli |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Rating | The Baseball Almanac Book Shelf | Reviewer |
Baseball Books | Baseball Book ReviewsThe Baseball Almanac Bookshelf | Book Reviews in Alphabetical Order |
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Rating | The Baseball Almanac Book Shelf | Reviewer |
108 Stitches by Ron Darling |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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1960: The Last Pure Season by Kerry Keene |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die by Ron Kaplan |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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A Legend in the Making: The 1939 Yankees by Richard J. Tofel |
Tom Swift A Baseball Reader's Journal |
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A Pitcher's Story by Roger Angell |
Baseball Almanac | |
And The Crowd Goes Wild by Joe Garner |
Baseball Almanac | |
Autumn Glory: First World Series by Louis P. Masur |
Baseball Almanac | |
Baseball and Philosophy by Eric Bronson |
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Baseball Dynasties by Rob Neyer |
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Baseball Letters by Seth Swirsky |
Baseball Almanac | |
Biographical Encyclopedia by Total Sports, Inc. |
Baseball Almanac | |
Connie Mack's '29 Triumph by William C. Kashatus |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball by Jonathan Fraser Light |
Baseball Almanac | |
Curveballs and Screwballs by Jeffrey Lyons & Doug Lyons |
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Cy Young: A Life in Baseball by Reed Browning |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Damn Senators by Mark Judge |
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Dizzy and the Gas House Gang by Doug Feldmann |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Fair Ball: A Fan's Case For Baseball by Bob Costas |
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Go Pro BASEBALL WISE by P.J. Dragseth |
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Great Book of Baseball Knowledge by David Nemec |
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Heartbreakers by John Kuenster |
Baseball Almanac | |
Heat by Dwight Gooden |
Baseball Almanac | |
Images of Baseball (The Series) by Arcadia Publishing |
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Ichiro, Satchel, and the Babe by Mike Attiyeh |
Baseball Almanac | |
Jocko by Jocko Conlan |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Joe Mock's Ballpark Guide by Joe Mock |
Baseball Almanac | |
Koufax Throws a Curve by Brian M. Endsley |
Rick "Shaq" Goldstein In Baseball Book Reviews |
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Line Drives : 100 Contemporary Baseball Poems Edited by Brooke Horvath & Tim Wiles |
Baseball Almanac | |
Mendoza's Heroes : 50 Batters Below .200 by Al Pepper |
Baseball Almanac | |
Mickey Mantle: America's Prodigal Son by Tony Castro |
Tom Swift A Baseball Reader's Journal |
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More Than Merkle by David W. Anderson |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible by Nolan Ryan |
Baseball Almanac | |
Philadelphia's Top Fifty Baseball Players by Rich Westcott |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Red Smith on Baseball by Red Smith |
Baseball Almanac | |
Red Sox vs. Yankees : The Great Rivalry by Harvey Frommer |
Baseball Almanac | |
Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy |
Tom Swift A Baseball Reader's Journal |
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Smoke by Peter C. Bjarkmen |
Baseball Almanac | |
Spitting on Diamonds by Clyde Hogg |
Baseball Almanac | |
Summerland by Michael Chabon |
Tom Swift A Baseball Reader's Journal |
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Tales from the Dugout by Mike Shannon |
Baseball Almanac | |
The 500 Home Runs Club by Bob Allen & Bill Gilbert |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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The Athletics of Philadelphia by David M. Jordan |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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The Ballpark Book by Ron Smith |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych by Steve Fainaru & Ray Sanchez |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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The Duke of Havana by Steve Fainaru & Ray Sanchez |
Baseball Almanac | |
The End Of Baseball As We Knew It by Charles P. Korr |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Gift of the Bambino : A Novel by Jerry Amernic |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Head Game by Roger Kahn |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Joy of Keeping Score by Paul Dickson |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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The Oldest Rookie by Jim Morris |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Perfect Pitch : The Biography of Roger Owens by Daniel S. Green |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Quotable Baseball Fanatic by Louis D. Rubin, Jr. |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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The Ripken Way by Cal Ripken, Sr. |
Baseball Almanac | |
The Theatre of the Impossible by Daniel McNeill |
Tom Swift A Baseball Reader's Journal |
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Tiger Stadium by Irwin J. Cohen |
Baseball Almanac | |
Total Baseball by Total Sports, Inc. |
Baseball Almanac | |
Twins Trivia by John Swol |
Baseball Almanac | |
Uncle Robbie by Jack Kavanagh & Norman Macht |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Wit & Wisdom of Baseball by David Plat |
Dr. Donald McKim In The Dugout |
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Yankee Stadium by Christopher Jennison |
Baseball Almanac | |
You're Missin' A Great Game by Whitey Herzog |
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Rating | The Baseball Almanac Book Shelf | Reviewer |
The Baseball Almanac Book ShelfOther Book Related Research by Baseball Almanac |
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Exclusives & Miscellaneous Items of Interest | ||
A Baseball Reader's Journal by Tom Swift |
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Baseball Book Discussion Board by Baseball Fever |
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Baseball Digest Covers | Every Issue Chronologically Listed | 1942 - 2024 by Baseball Almanac |
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Baseball Digest Covers, 2000-2013 by Baseball Almanac |
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Baseball Hall of Fame Leather Bound Library by The Easton Press |
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Casey Award Winners | 1983 - 2024 by Spitball Magazine |
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Seymour Medal Award | 1996 - 2024 The Best Baseball Book of the Year |
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FREE Online eBook: Coaching Adult Pitchers by Mike Marshall |
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The Baseball Almanac Book Shelf | ||
Baseball Books | Research by Baseball Almanac |
One of the most often asked questions here at Baseball Almanac is what are our favorite baseball magazines? Our answer, Baseball Digest.
Read EVERY word of Coaching Adult Pitchers by record setting pitcher Mike Marshall in our Baseball Almanac exclusive online eBook section.
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