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Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame
Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs, Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame brings to vivid life the greatest treasures of baseball’s shrine, most of them rarely if ever displayed to visitors.
For any baseball fan, a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is the thrill of a lifetime—no matter how many times you visit. But whether you go only once in your lifetime or make the pilgrimage annually, you’ll never be able to see every treasure in the museum’s collections.
With Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame, readers can go behind the scenes to see seldom- or never-displayed items from among the 40,000 treasures in Cooperstown, in addition to some of the most important and popular items on exhibit at the museum—all gorgeously photographed in color. Captions written by Hall of Fame experts explain each object’s significance and relate unique stories associated with it.
Here are just a few highlights from the nearly 200 objects in this beautiful
- An 1887 ball-strike indicator from the only season when it took five balls to walk and four strikes to strike out
-Pitcher Harvey Haddix’s glove from the 1959 game when he pitched 12 perfect innings—and lost 1–0 in the 13th
-Shoeless Joe Jackson’s shoes
-The Wonderboy bat and trombone case that Robert Redford used in The Natural
-Rube Waddell’s glove from his 4–2, 20-inning victory over Cy Young on July 4, 1905
-A promissory note from the sale of Babe Ruth by Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee to New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert
-The bat Joe Carter used to hit his 1993 World Series–ending home run
-The oldest known photograph of two baseball teams, the New York Knickerbockers and the Brooklyn Excelsiors, taken on a ball field in 1859
Whether you’re a dedicated student of the game’s history or a newcomer to our National Pastime, Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame will fascinate you. You’ll find a surprising photograph or a story you didn’t know, complete with new insight into America’s game and culture. Take the trip of a lifetime inside baseball’s national museum and discover the game’s fabulous history—or reawaken beloved memories.
For any baseball fan, a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, is the thrill of a lifetime—no matter how many times you visit. But whether you go only once in your lifetime or make the pilgrimage annually, you’ll never be able to see every treasure in the museum’s collections.
With Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame, readers can go behind the scenes to see seldom- or never-displayed items from among the 40,000 treasures in Cooperstown, in addition to some of the most important and popular items on exhibit at the museum—all gorgeously photographed in color. Captions written by Hall of Fame experts explain each object’s significance and relate unique stories associated with it.
Here are just a few highlights from the nearly 200 objects in this beautiful
- An 1887 ball-strike indicator from the only season when it took five balls to walk and four strikes to strike out
-Pitcher Harvey Haddix’s glove from the 1959 game when he pitched 12 perfect innings—and lost 1–0 in the 13th
-Shoeless Joe Jackson’s shoes
-The Wonderboy bat and trombone case that Robert Redford used in The Natural
-Rube Waddell’s glove from his 4–2, 20-inning victory over Cy Young on July 4, 1905
-A promissory note from the sale of Babe Ruth by Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee to New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert
-The bat Joe Carter used to hit his 1993 World Series–ending home run
-The oldest known photograph of two baseball teams, the New York Knickerbockers and the Brooklyn Excelsiors, taken on a ball field in 1859
Whether you’re a dedicated student of the game’s history or a newcomer to our National Pastime, Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame will fascinate you. You’ll find a surprising photograph or a story you didn’t know, complete with new insight into America’s game and culture. Take the trip of a lifetime inside baseball’s national museum and discover the game’s fabulous history—or reawaken beloved memories.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 22, 2021
Absolutely AMAZING book! Outstanding photos of some of Baseball’s greatest players and games. A must read (and have) for any serious fan of America’s Favorite Pastime!
July 29, 2026
This book is an outstanding collection of images and explanations of very old as well as new baseball artifacts. A great supplement to visiting the Hall of Fame or a single game!
May 6, 2013
“Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame” by The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, forwarded by Brooks Robinson, and published by Simon and Schuster.
Category – Sports/Baseball Publication Date – April 02, 2013
This book is an absolute must for those of us who are addicted to the National Pastime. It is also a must for those who are just interested in baseball.
It is a book that will take you to Cooperstown, New York, if you can’t make in personally, or will encourage you to make the trip.
It is an exceptional book for two reasons; the pictures of the artifacts are superior, and there is a story that goes with each picture.
Although the book contains just a small portion of the 40,000 items in the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, it contains a little from each era that baseball has been played.
Just a few of the items pictured are:
An 1887 ball-strike indicator.
The glove Harvey Haddix wore when he pitched a 12 inning perfect game and lost.
The promissory note that sold Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, which led to the curse of the bambino.
The oldest known photograph of two baseball teams.
A book put together with baseball love for those who love baseball.
Category – Sports/Baseball Publication Date – April 02, 2013
This book is an absolute must for those of us who are addicted to the National Pastime. It is also a must for those who are just interested in baseball.
It is a book that will take you to Cooperstown, New York, if you can’t make in personally, or will encourage you to make the trip.
It is an exceptional book for two reasons; the pictures of the artifacts are superior, and there is a story that goes with each picture.
Although the book contains just a small portion of the 40,000 items in the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, it contains a little from each era that baseball has been played.
Just a few of the items pictured are:
An 1887 ball-strike indicator.
The glove Harvey Haddix wore when he pitched a 12 inning perfect game and lost.
The promissory note that sold Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, which led to the curse of the bambino.
The oldest known photograph of two baseball teams.
A book put together with baseball love for those who love baseball.
April 27, 2014
First off I won this book from good reads and Simon and Schuster.Thanks to both! I have to say I visited the Baseball Hall of Fame when I was a kid but that was years ago. Admittedly I don't remember alot from that visit but that is the beauty of this book.It vividly portrays some of the highlights of the collection with well done photography
According to the book the actual items displayed are constantly changing so every visit is a unique experience.I guess mu only complaint is that the book didn't contain more.But I guess that kind of is the point of this book as its an enticement to visit the museum itself and see the "more" ,which I think I am going to have to do again.I debated whether to give this book four or five stars, but ultimately gave it five because its a book I will pick up and look at again and again in the future.
According to the book the actual items displayed are constantly changing so every visit is a unique experience.I guess mu only complaint is that the book didn't contain more.But I guess that kind of is the point of this book as its an enticement to visit the museum itself and see the "more" ,which I think I am going to have to do again.I debated whether to give this book four or five stars, but ultimately gave it five because its a book I will pick up and look at again and again in the future.
May 20, 2014
As is the case for most museums, there are more things in "storage" than on exhibit at any one time. This is certainly true for the Baseball Hall of Fame (Cooperstown, NY). These guys collect new "significant" items every month.
In a sport that spans 3 centuries, selection is a difficult task. Who will be interested in the 1800's? How much should the current era be represented? Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame is a nice compendium of excellent photos and short, but well researched captions of some (less than 200) of these items. It will not satisfy the baseball fan, and I can't say whether it will be of much interest to the casual reader. It was nice stroll down memory lane, but it won't have a prominent place on the coffee table.
In a sport that spans 3 centuries, selection is a difficult task. Who will be interested in the 1800's? How much should the current era be represented? Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame is a nice compendium of excellent photos and short, but well researched captions of some (less than 200) of these items. It will not satisfy the baseball fan, and I can't say whether it will be of much interest to the casual reader. It was nice stroll down memory lane, but it won't have a prominent place on the coffee table.
July 29, 2013
Anybody who has visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY would be interested in this insider's look at the artifacts and documents that are not displayed to the public. This book, written by museum staffers, shows and tells about some of those rather interesting and significant pieces---from a large memorial trophy given to Lou Gehrig on his retirement to all those batting gloves, uniforms, etc. from significant games.
August 7, 2016
Only skimmed the text, because the details are so specific they're meaningless to someone who barely qualifies as a "casual fan." But I picked up some interesting things and fun facts, and the book is nicely put together to show off the museum's objects.
July 3, 2013
I couldn't put it down until I finished this valentine to baseball fans.
July 1, 2014
Great book for any Baseball fan, young or old. Very interesting, and a great gift book!
January 1, 2014
I received this book as a gift and enjoyed it very much. Coffee table style, with many photos of exhibits both on display and not. Some interesting and well, written text.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews