Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress »

Harry Katz is the former head curator in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress and a lifelong Red Sox fan. He divides his time between Washington D.C., and Del Mar, California.

Baseball Americana is a lavishly illustrated history of America s favorite sport, compiled from the unparalleled collections of the Library of Congress, now available from Smithsonian Books. From baseball s biggest stars to street urchins, from its most newsworthy stories to sandlot and little League games, Baseball Americana tells the history of baseball s hardscrabble origins, rich cultural heritage, and uniquely American character.

The New York Times - Ihsan Taylor

…a trove of artifacts and photographs that skillfully conveys the evolution of the game and how it has been chronicled and embraced…The book spans nearly two centuries: baseball's genesis in the late 1700s; its expansion in the late 19th century; the "glory years" of the early 20th century; the period between World War I and the Great Depression; and from World War II to the "wonder years" of the '50s and '60s. Each section is anchored by an essay outlining the period in broad strokes, and copious sidebars help round out the details. The pages are busy, but never scattershot.