The Baseball Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Record of Major League Baseball

by David Prebenna

Offering complete statistics for every major league player since 1876, this definitive baseball reference provides a chronological listing of teams, a register of awards and records, and a new section on the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Reference, Nonfiction

2857 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1990

Reviews

[Nicholle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slide on Home #7. The only book your sports star needs to formally and properly Educate them to what is actually going on world wide in this favorite Masonic Game designed for Spies, Prostitutes, Thieves, Bootleggers, Druggies, Johns, Used Car Salesmen, Tailors, Shoe Makers, Weapon Smugglers, Future Presidents, Sunflower Seed Farmers, One Man One Sod Field Mission, Lofty Slave Trafficked Dreams, Not all Men are created equal- boom done. Yes. Highly recommend.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the Ninth Edition, up to the late 1990s, I think. This is the essential reference for baseball fans, especially stat junkies. I suppose you could do about as well browsing baseball-reference.com without flipping pages, but where's the fun in that, when there's joy in exploring where your fingers randomly take you, in a book bigger than the New York City phone book? You could spend years of your life exploring the statistical pleasures of this book, contemplating the lives and games of baseball's players, great and small.

You know that scene in Field of Dreams where James Earl Jones' character Terence Mann is sitting in the bleachers at Ray Kinsella's farm/baseball diamond in Iowa, studying a copy of The Baseball Encyclopedia, intoning reverently about the meaning of the game? That's one of my favorite moments of the film--and it's also how I discovered this book. That scene is why The Baseball Encyclopedia now holds a permanent place on my bookshelf.

Baseball fans are a congregation. The ballpark is our cathedral, the game is our liturgy, and this book is our bible.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only mention this, the finest baseball stats collection to be found, to remind all of you to look up my relative Ossie Orwoll, "The Iowa Ghost," who's a very minor footnote in Philadelphia A's history:

Oswald Christian Orwoll (Born November 17, 1900 in Portland, Oregon, Died May 8, 1967 in Decorah, Iowa) is a former pitcher & first baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics who has a career 6-7 record in 39 games pitched (8 starts) and a .294 batting average in 94 games. He was part of Connie Mack's 1929 World Series team, but did not appear in any games. On November 29, 1930 he was traded by the Philadelphia Athletics with Homer Summa to the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League for Herb Lahti, who never appeared in a major league game.

Ossie's Philadelphia teammates included Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove. He also played halfback for the Milwaukee Badgers of the NFL.

Ossie has a baseball field named for him in Decorah, Iowa. Cool, huh?

[Rob MacCavett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every conceivable baseball statistics from 1876 until the year it was published. A must for real baseball fans. Who played third base for the Cubs in 1948? Any Pafko, of course! Hit .312 and lead the league with 29 errors. Oh, you knew that?

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive stat book for Baseball. A little outdated now because its 20 years behind, but still a great source for anything related to baseball minutia that occurred prior to the 1990 season.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one great bathroom book.....picked up my copy for $2.00 at Goodwill.......YES! Not really a read, but a constant browse.

[Randal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overtaken by books with sabrmetric stats. A classic in its day.

[Andrew Scholes]

Actually I have the 1969 edition.