The Fireside Book of Baseball

by Charles Einstein (Editor), Ford C. Frick (Introduction)

You would expect to find the classics of baseball literature in this volume, and you will. All the way from "Casey at the Bat" and Ring Lardner's "Alibi Ike" through the great on-the-spot reporting of Heywood Broun and Damon Runyan and Red Smith, to James Thurber's "You could look it up" there are selections that no editor in his right mind could overlook or leave out of a baseball collection.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

446 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title makes you think about a bygone era when Kindles and electricity didn’t exist. Well, electricity was around and most people didn’t read by fire light, but this is pretty ancient stuff. For the most part, this book covers baseball in the time up until the mid-1950s with the emphasis on the period from just after the start of the 20th Century to the Second World War.

There is plenty of material both reporting and fiction on bygone heroes such as Frank Chance, Mordecai Brown, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Dizzy Dean, Bob Feller, and the Babe. Some of the best and most famous writers are included from Heywood Broun to Grantland Rice, Roger Angell, Red Smith, and Dick Young.

You get to experience those past eras that were so different from today and a full spectrum of baseball enthusiasms expressed by some of the best in their craft. The photos, cartoons and other graphics were a very welcome addition and made this edition of The Fireside Book of Baseball even better than I anticipated.

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1956, this contains a huge amount of baseball material, from poems, photographs and cartoons to game reports, interviews and fiction. This is the first edition of the book; later editions contain completely different material. Worth reading, and I write this review on opening day.

This collection is alphabetical, following an introduction by the commissioner of baseball, Ford Frick. 108 articles from notable sportswriters, popular authors, and the players themselves. Bob Feller on "How I throw the slider". Carl Hubbell on the 1934 All Star game. Tris Speaker on the 1912 World Series.

The most famous stories of early baseball are also here - Ring Lardner's "Alibi Ike" and James Thurber's "You Could Look it Up". Thayer's "Casey at the Bat", Adams "Tinker to Evers to Chance" and a transcript of Abbot & Costello's "Who's on First?". There are a mittful of excerpts from novels and larger works included, all well documented. These include Fear Strikes Out, Slide Kelly Slide, The Only Game in Town, and The Southpaw.

I own the third edition of this, along with another book by the author which *may* be a "best of" - research continues. I was able to read the first edition through archive.org, where the 2nd edition is available also. That latter will likely be next year's spring training reading...

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific collection of baseball writing. I first stumbled upon this book in a public library as a child. I was already a budding baseball fan, but this book opened my eyes to the rich literature and history surrounding our national pastime. Highly recommended to fans of the game as well as those interested in American and sports history from the late 1800's through the mid-1950's.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given to me by my grandfather the umpire when I was 12 and finally read last year. A great collection...

[Austin Gisriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1956, this volume pulls together material from the first half of the 20th century. As such, the pieces definitely show their age in terms of style and sometimes, content. If you are a serious baseball fan, you will enjoy the variety of material that Fireside contains--hence the 4 stars. Otherwise, I'd recommend more modern material.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

an essential part of being a baseball fan

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

full of all that is great about baseball, but I guess only for those who actually like baseball

[Rick Dikeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The soul of the national pastime in its essential documents.