Sports Illustrated: The Baseball Book »

Continuing in the tradition of Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary Book and The Football Book comes a spectacular celebration of baseball that will be treasured by fans of the National Pastime.

With the same kind of unforgettable photographs and award-winning writing that propelled The Football Book to surpass the sales of The Anniversary Book, a New York Times best-seller, this lavish coffee-table volume brings to life the legendary players, the classic action and the great traditions of the Summer Game. In 294 oversized pages, The Baseball Book commemorates the epic teams and characters, the crucial plays and classic games, the personalities and performances and artifacts that have kept baseball at the heart of American sports for more than a century.

Library Journal

After an introductory tribute to baseball as the American game by Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated Inside Baseball: The Best of Tom Verducci), Fleder (executive editor, Sports Illustrated; editor, Sports Illustrated: The Football Book) presents an all-star collection of writers and photographers to create this commemorative tribute to Major League Baseball, using much of the best baseball material from the magazine. Organized by decade, after coverage of "the pre-1920s," this coffee-table book offers a bounty of essays, stats on significant players, and striking images (including magnificent action shots, stirring black-and-white portraits, and great close-ups of the realia of the game), plus added helpings of historical and cultural context. Though skimpy on the Negro Leagues and ignoring the minors, this sparkling volume, properly described by Verducci as "a family photo album," is a treat for fans and a sure winner for any public library.-Morey Berger, The Forum, Tucson, AZ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.