Books About the Craft, Magic, and Art of Baseball (Best Book Recommendations)

Books About the Craft, Magic, and Art of Baseball

a list by Peter Steinberg, avid reader

As player salaries soar and the nation's attention shifts to other sports, it's nice to remind oneself that it wasn't always this way: once upon a time, baseball was more than just America's pastime, it was king.

onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Summer_of_49');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060884266'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Summer_of_49');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060884266'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">Summer of '49 by David Halberstam Amazon readers say: "Halberstam brings alive baseball's "Good 'ol days"." "The best look back into baseball history." "Yankees-Red Sox never sounded so gorgeous." "One of the best baseball books ever." onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Summer_of_49');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060884266'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">more on Amazon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Summer_of_49');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060884266'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow"> 384 page paperback \|$10.17 \|46 reviews This book also appears on Some Great Books About the New York Yankees


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/The_Boys_of_Summer');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060883960'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/The_Boys_of_Summer');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060883960'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn Amazon readers say: "A book and team for the ages." "Brings back every American boy's golden summer -- baseball." "A deeply moving story of the Jackie Robinson Dodgers." "A baseball classic - and more." onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/The_Boys_of_Summer');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060883960'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">more on Amazon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/The_Boys_of_Summer');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060883960'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow"> 512 page paperback \|$10.17 \|39 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Wait_Till_Next_Year_A_Memoir');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0684847957'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Wait_Till_Next_Year_A_Memoir');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0684847957'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin My late mother grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the late 40s and early 50s -- and with 2 brothers to boot. She told me some great stories about how crazy it could get in the house listening to the games on the radio and left me wanting to hear more. This book, probably because it was written by a woman of the same age and era, reminds me of my mom's stories. onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Wait_Till_Next_Year_A_Memoir');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0684847957'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">more on Amazon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Wait_Till_Next_Year_A_Memoir');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0684847957'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow"> 272 page paperback \|$10.20 \|128 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/October_1964');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0449983676'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/October_1964');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0449983676'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">October 1964 by David Halberstam Amazon readers say: "Baseball fans, especially younger ones, read this book!" "This is more than a sports book." "Fascinating book -- about baseball and people." "The best baseball book I've ever read -- and more!" onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/October_1964');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0449983676'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">more on Amazon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/October_1964');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0449983676'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow"> 400 page paperback \|$10.85 \|55 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Men_at_Work_The_Craft_of_Baseball');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060973722'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Men_at_Work_The_Craft_of_Baseball');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060973722'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball by George F. Will Amazon readers say: "A classic to be enjoyed by generations to come." "George hits a homer." "Just a fine book about a fine game." "A timeless look at the game." onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Men_at_Work_The_Craft_of_Baseball');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060973722'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">more on Amazon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Men_at_Work_The_Craft_of_Baseball');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0060973722'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow"> 384 page paperback \|$14.00 \|47 reviews


onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Moneyball_The_Art_of_Winning_an_Unfair_Game');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393324818'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">	onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Moneyball_The_Art_of_Winning_an_Unfair_Game');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393324818'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis Finally, this is a much more modern book but it proves the point that winning at baseball doesn't require a gargantuan payroll... sometimes there's more than one way to solve a problem. onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Moneyball_The_Art_of_Winning_an_Unfair_Game');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393324818'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow">more on Amazon onClick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/to_amazon/Books_About_the_Craft_Magic_and_Art_of_Baseball/Moneyball_The_Art_of_Winning_an_Unfair_Game');" onMouseOver="window.status='http://amazon.com/dp/0393324818'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" rel="nofollow"> 320 page paperback \|$11.16 \|367 reviews This book also appears on Every Book by Michael Lewis

Know any books we should add to the list above? .