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Baseball
With more than 500 photographs
-- Introduction by Roger Angell
-- Essays by Thomas Boswell, Robert W. Creamer, Gerald Early, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bill James, David Lamb, Daniel Okrent, John Thorn, George E Will
-- And featuring an interview with Buck O'Neil
-- Introduction by Roger Angell
-- Essays by Thomas Boswell, Robert W. Creamer, Gerald Early, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bill James, David Lamb, Daniel Okrent, John Thorn, George E Will
-- And featuring an interview with Buck O'Neil
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
48 people are currently reading
1515 people want to read
About the author
Geoffrey C. Ward
112 books139 followersGeoffrey Champion Ward is an author and screenwriter of various documentary presentations of American history. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1962.
He was an editor of American Heritage magazine early in his career. He wrote the television mini-series The Civil War with its director Ken Burns and has collaborated with Burns on every documentary he has made since, including Jazz and Baseball. This work won him five Emmy Awards. The most recent Burns/Ward collaboration, The War, premiered on PBS in September 2007. In addition he co-wrote The West, of which Ken Burns was an executive producer, with fellow historian Dayton Duncan.
He was an editor of American Heritage magazine early in his career. He wrote the television mini-series The Civil War with its director Ken Burns and has collaborated with Burns on every documentary he has made since, including Jazz and Baseball. This work won him five Emmy Awards. The most recent Burns/Ward collaboration, The War, premiered on PBS in September 2007. In addition he co-wrote The West, of which Ken Burns was an executive producer, with fellow historian Dayton Duncan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
January 15, 2023
(2nd review) Baseball is the most beautiful sport whose history parallels both the amazing and tragic parts of American history, this book doesn’t shy from either. Like the first time I read it, I cried a couple times. Jackie Robinson’s / Cal Ripken Jr’s / the 94 strike/ and Ichiro’s stories just cut me all up 🥹. One day I’ll read a more in depth book on the most perfect games history but for now this’ll be a yearly read.
(1st review) Great overview for someone that just recently got into baseball (me). Not as detailed as I would have liked but it does the job and made me even more of a fan of the sport
(1st review) Great overview for someone that just recently got into baseball (me). Not as detailed as I would have liked but it does the job and made me even more of a fan of the sport
September 14, 2009
This volume contains a lot that is very good. Its structure is a bit forced (nine innings, or periods, of baseball history). The 9th inning, as others have noted, covers a large time frame compared with earlier "innings." I'm not sure that the decade is the best way of organizing baseball history, either. Still and all, that's more a matter of taste than anything else.
The book's authors candidly observe that they will focus on eastern teams, e.g., Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers, "because we felt their stories especially rich in the human drama that accompanies the history of every team." However, I agree with a reviewer (who bears the name of one of Detroit's best first basemen ever) who laments that this really does slight the deep baseball history that covers much more territory than New York to Boston. Again, though, certainly not a fatal flaw by any stretch in this book.
This book is seen as complementary to the documentary series on PBS, designed to elaborate certain issues in ways not possible in the TV medium. Some of the special features in both the documentary and book are the recollections of Buck O'Neil; interviews with historians, writers, managers, and players. Finally, essays by a number of "guests" represent an interesting twist. Roger Angell has a wonderful Introduction, "Hard Lines," in which he juxtaposes the apparent ease of playing baseball with the harsh realities of players often fighting just to stay in the big leagues or losing the joy for the game (note the brief discussion on Carl Yastrzemski). He observes that: "Once we understand how really hard it is, we become citizens of baseball, admiring its laws and just paths, even when the luck of the day hasn't gone our way." Other guest commentators include George Will, Bill James, and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
But the book is about baseball, so the nine innings are themselves the heart of this book. The early years, up until 1900, feature a strange game to us today, with very different rules--as well as the origins of racial segregation in the game (the issue of race is one of the main themes of the book). The second inning discusses the game as "Something like a war," when players played and fought hard. And so on. No need to provide a full chronology. Some special segments: the role of Babe Ruth, in the Fourth Inning, helping baseball dig out from under the disaster of the Chicago Black Sox, who threw a World Series. The Sixth Inning features the end of segregation in baseball, with Jackie Robinson's big league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
A final quotation from Buck O'Neil illustrates how the game can be addictive--to players (and even to fans), when he says: "There is nothing in life like getting your body to do all the things it has to do on the baseball field."
All in all, an ambitious work, trying to capture the spirit of baseball, its sins, and its contributions. While I do have some questions about this volume, as already noted, it ends up not quite being a home run, but it surely is extra bases.
The book's authors candidly observe that they will focus on eastern teams, e.g., Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers, "because we felt their stories especially rich in the human drama that accompanies the history of every team." However, I agree with a reviewer (who bears the name of one of Detroit's best first basemen ever) who laments that this really does slight the deep baseball history that covers much more territory than New York to Boston. Again, though, certainly not a fatal flaw by any stretch in this book.
This book is seen as complementary to the documentary series on PBS, designed to elaborate certain issues in ways not possible in the TV medium. Some of the special features in both the documentary and book are the recollections of Buck O'Neil; interviews with historians, writers, managers, and players. Finally, essays by a number of "guests" represent an interesting twist. Roger Angell has a wonderful Introduction, "Hard Lines," in which he juxtaposes the apparent ease of playing baseball with the harsh realities of players often fighting just to stay in the big leagues or losing the joy for the game (note the brief discussion on Carl Yastrzemski). He observes that: "Once we understand how really hard it is, we become citizens of baseball, admiring its laws and just paths, even when the luck of the day hasn't gone our way." Other guest commentators include George Will, Bill James, and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
But the book is about baseball, so the nine innings are themselves the heart of this book. The early years, up until 1900, feature a strange game to us today, with very different rules--as well as the origins of racial segregation in the game (the issue of race is one of the main themes of the book). The second inning discusses the game as "Something like a war," when players played and fought hard. And so on. No need to provide a full chronology. Some special segments: the role of Babe Ruth, in the Fourth Inning, helping baseball dig out from under the disaster of the Chicago Black Sox, who threw a World Series. The Sixth Inning features the end of segregation in baseball, with Jackie Robinson's big league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
A final quotation from Buck O'Neil illustrates how the game can be addictive--to players (and even to fans), when he says: "There is nothing in life like getting your body to do all the things it has to do on the baseball field."
All in all, an ambitious work, trying to capture the spirit of baseball, its sins, and its contributions. While I do have some questions about this volume, as already noted, it ends up not quite being a home run, but it surely is extra bases.
August 15, 2014
Enjoyed
June 9, 2024
This book is huge and so much fun to read! Ken Burns always does high quality work.
November 6, 2017
The book baseball by Geoffrey c. ward,ken burns is a great book.It gives a lot of background info on how the game was created.It also talks about the legends like babe Ruth,Willie mays,etc
It is worth the read.It has so many facts and data about the legends.It tells you about how the game was created and the equipment was designed from.That is why I think that baseball is a good read. I like the facts and data the most because I like to see what peoples RBI’S are.
It is worth the read.It has so many facts and data about the legends.It tells you about how the game was created and the equipment was designed from.That is why I think that baseball is a good read. I like the facts and data the most because I like to see what peoples RBI’S are.
February 5, 2017
Great review of Baseball history--including details on major players, managers, owners, and movements in the game. Surprised the most of the book was about what seemed to happen off the field rather than on it. Learned a lot that I hadn't known before. The 10th Inning addition was disappointing--felt as if it focused solely on steroid scandal and how it has been a game-changer. I suppose if I had lived through the other events described in this book, I may feel the same way about the rest of it. Great overall, especially for baseball fans who haven't seen the Ken Burns documentary.
Read
July 31, 2011I am definitely not a huge baseball fan, but one thing that is very true of Ken Burns is that he is so passionate about the things that he documents, and brings so much enthusiasm to the subject that unless you are dead set against what ever it is, you will be sucked in and enjoy what he enjoys--it's a gift he has. The photos in this book are spectacular and unlike alot of coffee table books the writing is actually better than the pictures. Well worth having on your coffee table.
March 8, 2025
(Listened to the audiobook multiple times)
While I love the stories and history tied to our National pastime, this reading made me a little disappointed as I wonder if baseball best years are behind us. It’s not because the talent isn’t there, but because the frenetic energy of our society really goes against the drama of the game. Regardless, the book reminds me of the heroes and stories that captivated me during my childhood, and going back feels a bit like going home.
While I love the stories and history tied to our National pastime, this reading made me a little disappointed as I wonder if baseball best years are behind us. It’s not because the talent isn’t there, but because the frenetic energy of our society really goes against the drama of the game. Regardless, the book reminds me of the heroes and stories that captivated me during my childhood, and going back feels a bit like going home.
November 3, 2009
The companion book to the Ken Burns video series; it has excellent material on the beginnings of baseball, the Negro leagues, women's leagues, and the modern era.
June 6, 2022
This is the companion volume to the Ken Burns documentary on Baseball, and is structured similarly, with nine chapters (nine 'innings'), each one focusing on a decade. Published in 1994, the book's last chapter covers 1980 to publication. It precedes the steroids scandal, but includes Pete Rose's lifetime ban for gambling.
Generously illustrated with photos, it includes much more detail than the documentary, while covering the same ground. The early chapters are somewhat languid, with lengthy stories about many of the key figures, both players and owners. As the book progresses into the later chapters, covering ground more familiar to current fans, the chapters are more staccato, trying to mention many more players and memorable incidents in games.
The fact that it is almost thirty years old makes it an historical piece at this point, but still very enjoyable. The last thirty years have shown that while baseball is always changing, with adjusted rules and players with unforeseen abilities (think Ichiro Suzuki), some things are constant: The owner/player friction that we just saw delay the season once again; fresh scandals like the steroids era; and sign-stealing (Houston Astros being the latest who have been caught).
You can rely on baseball to simultaneously offer something new, and also many things constant, both good and bad.
Generously illustrated with photos, it includes much more detail than the documentary, while covering the same ground. The early chapters are somewhat languid, with lengthy stories about many of the key figures, both players and owners. As the book progresses into the later chapters, covering ground more familiar to current fans, the chapters are more staccato, trying to mention many more players and memorable incidents in games.
The fact that it is almost thirty years old makes it an historical piece at this point, but still very enjoyable. The last thirty years have shown that while baseball is always changing, with adjusted rules and players with unforeseen abilities (think Ichiro Suzuki), some things are constant: The owner/player friction that we just saw delay the season once again; fresh scandals like the steroids era; and sign-stealing (Houston Astros being the latest who have been caught).
You can rely on baseball to simultaneously offer something new, and also many things constant, both good and bad.
August 3, 2023
The companion to Ken Burns’s brilliant PBS television series, ‘Baseball’, by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns is a fascinating, albeit concise history of the game. As much as I enjoyed this book, I did feel that it highlighted some moments while completing ignoring other, more significant ones. When discussing the inclusion of Latin players in MLB, you would be remiss were you to fail to mention Roberto Clemente, but that’s precisely what occurs in this book, focusing instead on Felipe Alou. When writing about integration in 1947, the writers frequently refer to “the blacks,” which just reads as careless and uncomfortable, and would sound less racist if instead they referred to “black players” or “black athletes.” The writers should be a little more deliberate and conscientious when choosing their words. There are a lot of tangents that move the reader away from the main point of a thought or section, and it’s a bit clumsy to read at times. I did enjoy the “tenth inning,” that brings the reader into the modern error, and discusses in detail the issues of drug usage, free agency, and the evolution of the game as it moved into the 21st century. Overall, this is a fascinating and informative book, and it covers the history of the game well, but does feel a bit rushed at times, and it seems to me that the writers snd publishers could have done a much better job of editing it. A very good book, but not a home run.
May 27, 2018
A fun, fine overview of baseball's history that by necessity of what it is leaves more out than it puts in. You will enjoy this book more if you are a fan of Boston, Chicago, or any team that originally played in New York, as these teams get far and away the bulk of the love. Game greats like Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb get but passing mention while the above mentioned teams get thorough coverage in every era.
Despite this unevenness of coverage, I still might have given this enjoyable book five stars but for two most dubious choices. Kirk Gibson's dramatic World Series home run, which came in the first of that series games, is given in depth treatment, while Bill Mazeroski's unprecedented walk off home run in the 9th inning of the seventh game of the '60 World Series goes unmentioned. And when discussing the advent of Latin players into the game, the author chooses to focus on Felipe Alou (played for the Giants, originally a New York team) rather than the great Roberto Clemente, whose name is mentioned just once in passing with no detail. As a Pirates fan, and as a baseball fan, those oversights merit docking a star.
Despite this unevenness of coverage, I still might have given this enjoyable book five stars but for two most dubious choices. Kirk Gibson's dramatic World Series home run, which came in the first of that series games, is given in depth treatment, while Bill Mazeroski's unprecedented walk off home run in the 9th inning of the seventh game of the '60 World Series goes unmentioned. And when discussing the advent of Latin players into the game, the author chooses to focus on Felipe Alou (played for the Giants, originally a New York team) rather than the great Roberto Clemente, whose name is mentioned just once in passing with no detail. As a Pirates fan, and as a baseball fan, those oversights merit docking a star.
October 2, 2017
This book is a very interesting book if you like baseball. It talks about the history of baseball and how blacks and white had two different leagues. This book also talks about how baseball was like a war between the whites and the blacks. The author talks about three people in the book, Joe Dimaggio, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. It talks about Jackie Robinson because he is the first black player to come to the white person league. He stopped the racial divide in baseball even if he constantly had white people trying to hurt him. After Jackie came into the game blacks started thinking higher of themselves and thinking they were the same as the whites. I would recommend reading this book if you like the history of baseball. The book also talks about the American dream major league baseball. It says that everyone dreams about playing in the majors. This book explains all of its settings and topics very well through the book.
September 26, 2019
I picked this book out from the library mainly because I wanted to get back into non-fiction. I've always enjoyed the game of baseball, so why not learn a bit more?
Ward and Burns do an excellent job detailing the game of baseball from inception through the 21st century. The authors discuss how baseball has shaped our history as Americans and also how our history has shaped the game. Though I was interested in the entire book, I was most interested in the retelling of the years of baseball which I was familiar. I enjoyed the mention of the strong Cleveland Indians team in the 90s, hated every time the Yankees were mentioned, and wanted to puke every time the Cubs longstanding drought was discussed. I appreciated the discussion of the steroid use and how it impacted the game.
I highly recommend this book for any baseball fan.
Ward and Burns do an excellent job detailing the game of baseball from inception through the 21st century. The authors discuss how baseball has shaped our history as Americans and also how our history has shaped the game. Though I was interested in the entire book, I was most interested in the retelling of the years of baseball which I was familiar. I enjoyed the mention of the strong Cleveland Indians team in the 90s, hated every time the Yankees were mentioned, and wanted to puke every time the Cubs longstanding drought was discussed. I appreciated the discussion of the steroid use and how it impacted the game.
I highly recommend this book for any baseball fan.
September 6, 2022
Only 4 out of 5 on this.
Ken Burns tries to cover the huge history of the GAME of baseball, but his political beliefs get in the way.
The theme of this book is that "Baseball does not become the - "American Game" until 1947, when Jackie Robinson and Blacks are allowed to play Major League Baseball.
That is really the case, but Burns allows his strong feelings to overshadow almost the entire 450 page book!
A little self control, and better editing would have made the same point, with better results.
Ken Burns tries to cover the huge history of the GAME of baseball, but his political beliefs get in the way.
The theme of this book is that "Baseball does not become the - "American Game" until 1947, when Jackie Robinson and Blacks are allowed to play Major League Baseball.
That is really the case, but Burns allows his strong feelings to overshadow almost the entire 450 page book!
A little self control, and better editing would have made the same point, with better results.
May 24, 2017
This book is basically a tutorial on how to play baseball!!!!!!!! Its a real good book if you are in to baseball like me.You learn how to play out field and what your job is when you are playing it . They teach you how to be a catcher which is the guy that catches the ball when the pitcher throws it !!!! Its a good book if you are really into baseball and if your just trying to get some more tips on how to play the game!
April 10, 2018
An enjoyable book covering the history of baseball in broad strokes from its conception to the mid 1990s. Due to it covering so much history, it focused mostly on big events and big names, but gave a lot of good information, great for newcomers to baseball history and aficionados who want to brush up
October 20, 2020
Geoffrey Ward and Ken Burns have produced an amazing set of books, videos, and audio cds on the history of American baseball from the 1840’s through 1990’s. Their scholarship is excellent and their work is an integral part of my collection of baseball memorabilia. I listened, read, and viewed with great delight all their productions about the game I love. (P)
May 13, 2019
i really liked how dilate he was and how he used his words he t all over the place and he new what he was trying to say i like that he brought in real stuff that has happened in baseball history and it was all real
December 6, 2019
I'm a baseball fan and I'm a history buff, so a book on the history of baseball is a winner for me. When it's such a comprehensive, entertaining and gloriously illustrated book such as this, then it is an absolute winner.
April 23, 2025
This book is a great way to learn about the history of baseball and the effect it has had on the country and world. If you’re just starting to get interested in baseball and want to know more about the history of the sport this book is for you.
July 28, 2018
This was a fantastic history of baseball, extensively and thoroughly researched. I just wish there was a sequel to deal with the past 25 years of steroid scandals, etc.
September 9, 2020
Well written, chock full of facts history of America's game....baseball! All in all an excellent history of the game, it evolution along with colorful insights and anecdotes of the game!
August 1, 2022
One of the best books out there dedicated to my favorite sport
April 9, 2025
The story of baseball told very well
October 29, 2025
The book was excellent. Ken Burns’s reading of it though was surprisingly flat and without color or emotion.
November 26, 2018
Lemme level with you: I don't give a rat's ass about baseball. And, furthermore, I absolutely still don't. But after reading this, I do care enough to say that its intricate history deserved a bit better than this sloppy kiss of a love letter.
While I haven't seen the documentary that this book covers, I reckon the info fits a miniseries format a lot better. In book form, it does not reward a straight read-through. Ward tries to tell the history of baseball, but constantly interrupts himself with new tangents. It's especially obnoxious when multi-page interludes literally jump in the middle of a sentence! And then there's the unnecessary essays. Consequently, what you end up with is a weird. hulking, organized mess.
However, there are pockets of smart, thoughtful writing, as well as amazing anecdotes. And every once in a while, there was the beautiful synergy between the glossy photos and the pages where I could feel the games come alive, and watch Babe Ruth in live action call out his famous homer.
And really, I can't be too mad at this book, because let's be frank about its real purpose: to sit on your coffee table and get people talking about the All-American sport. Because boy howdy is it hard for people to ignore the huge big blue sunnavabitch! Even the IT guy at work shared with me about how he plays for a softball team as he fiddled with my PC while I was reading. And, you know, I didn't really mind.
While I haven't seen the documentary that this book covers, I reckon the info fits a miniseries format a lot better. In book form, it does not reward a straight read-through. Ward tries to tell the history of baseball, but constantly interrupts himself with new tangents. It's especially obnoxious when multi-page interludes literally jump in the middle of a sentence! And then there's the unnecessary essays. Consequently, what you end up with is a weird. hulking, organized mess.
However, there are pockets of smart, thoughtful writing, as well as amazing anecdotes. And every once in a while, there was the beautiful synergy between the glossy photos and the pages where I could feel the games come alive, and watch Babe Ruth in live action call out his famous homer.
And really, I can't be too mad at this book, because let's be frank about its real purpose: to sit on your coffee table and get people talking about the All-American sport. Because boy howdy is it hard for people to ignore the huge big blue sunnavabitch! Even the IT guy at work shared with me about how he plays for a softball team as he fiddled with my PC while I was reading. And, you know, I didn't really mind.
September 8, 2016
The book Baseball by Geoffrey C. Ward is a great book for baseball lovers like my self! The book starts off with how and when baseball was started and how its a big part of Americas past time. Then it goes on to talk about how the baseball and the bat have changed dramatically and how much cooler and more comfortable the uniforms are today compared to when they where made out of wool. It also covers some of the famous players such as Babe Ruth and Jacky Robinson to baseball icons. and then finally they talk about the fields for example Wrigley field where my favorite the cubs play.
December 12, 2015
I'm sure my facebook friends are already tired of my baseball postings (though as a Cub fan I have many lately) and I continued a barrage while reading this excellent chronology of baseball. Excellent selections from so much material to have to choose from and found the essays from various fans especially endearing. It gave me a lot of entertainment during this offseason-thoroughly a delightful read for me. Baseball is just not like America, it is like life itself.
July 12, 2010
A spectacular, comprehensive look at the history of baseball, starting in the 1800's, that explores why we love the game and why we continue to love the game despite all its changes over time: greedy owners, greedy players, etc. It makes me want to have a son and go out in the back yard and have a catch with him, and re-live all the great childhood memories of this great game.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews