First published 1981
Daniel Okrent organizes baseball's complete story by breaking it into decade-long chapters. Red Smith, Robert Creamer, Wilfred Sheed, and Tom Wicker contribute essays that examine different eras of the sport. The book earned acclaim when it appeared two decades ago and maintains that reputation today. Okrent pairs literary writing with extensive photography throughout the volume. The authors bring both scholarly knowledge and accessible prose to their subject. Unlike other baseball histories that focus solely on text, this work integrates hundreds of images with the written content. The coffee-table format allows the photographs to complement and enhance the essays. Each decade receives thorough treatment from writers who understand both the game's technical aspects and its cultural significance.
Genres: history, 20th-century, biography-memoir, baseball, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: accessible, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: scholarly-expertise, visual-storytelling
Paperback · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt