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BEST BASEBALL BOOKS OF 2025: Baseball history comes alive with year’s top releases
Fans of baseball history will love the top baseball books of 2025.
There are books on seasons (1912, 1978, 1985), eras (The Roaring ’20s, the ’70s, the ’90s), and teams (The Whiz Kids, L.A. Story), biographies that will boggle the minds of Dodger fans (Don Drysdale, Jim Gilliam), and multiple tomes on managers (Earl Weaver, Whitey Herzog).
Memoirs from Miracle Mets hero Art Shamsky and Bill Madden, who covered him for The New York Daily News, are also worth of investment in reading time.
For the gift-giving holidays, however, the best bets are works showcasing the art of noted baseball artist James Fiorentino and a half-dozen full-color hardcovers from Pediment Publishing covering Shohei Ohtani, Pete Rose, Willie Mays, Bob Uecker, and the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
With modesty in mind, I am not including my own book, “The New Baseball Bible: Notes, Nuggets, Lists, and Legends From Our National Pastime,” even though the color photography and glossy stock have transformed this major upgrade from the original Book of the Month Club alternate, “The Baseball Catalog,” published in 1980.
So, after extensive review, consideration, and consternation, here are the best baseball books of 2025:
1. “The Art of Baseball: the Watercolors of James Fiorentino” (Peter E. Randall, 136 pp., $40), by John Molori and James Fiorentino, foreword by Don Mattingly.
A former teenage prodigy who has painted pitchers and presidents, Fiorentino is famous for creating artwork so lifelike that it looks like photography. Every page of this oversized hardcover jumps out at the reader—none so much as the reprinted baseball cards he painted on commission for Topps and Upper Deck. An admitted fan of the Yankees, Fiorentino has included portraits of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Aaron Judge, and other personal favorites in this coffee-table tome, along with a few pictures of himself. This exceedingly handsome hardcover should be prominently displayed on every baseball book shelf.
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2. “One Splendid Season: Baseball and America in 1912” (Cragmont Books, 155 pp., $32.50), by Phil Rosensweig.
The award-winning author, who doubles as a collector, shares his collection of 1912 Hassan Triplefolders, a magnificent early card set, to tell the saga of this Dead Ball season, when bunts, steals and spitballs dominated low-scoring games. Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and even Cy Young are here, along with the hitters who tried to stop them: Ty Cobb, Napoleon Lajoie, and Shoeless Joe before the Black Sox Scandal. With full-color card reprints surrounded by newspaper clips, the book traces the evolution of a year that included the opening of Fenway Park, the sinking of the Titanic, and the Fred Snodgrass error that lost a World Series. This oversized coffee-table book is a keeper, to be reviewed again and again in any direction.
3. “Ohtani’s Journey” (Pediment Publishing, 160 pp., $45), by the staff of the Los Angeles Times.
En route to joining Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP trophies in both leagues, Shohei Ohtani produced the first 50/50 season in baseball history. He homered in the All-Star Game, hit a walk-off grand-slam to enter the 40/40 club, and then reached the 50/50 plateau with a 6-for-6 night that included three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 runs batted in. This hardcover traces his journey from Japan to America and even includes one man’s opinion on what it’s like to cover the one-of-a-kind talent. The book oozes everything Ohtani, with gorgeous color throughout, and even includes his omnipresent dog, Decoy.
4. “Best in Sho” (Pediment, 160 pp., $45), by the staff of the Los Angeles Times.
Ohtani is back again as the leader of a star-studded team that went all the way to the world championship last year. The book begins with the World Series triumph and then flashes back to the Ohtani signing and subsequent scandal, the frustrating injury wave, and finally Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand-slam and the untimely loss of Fernando Valenzuela. Loaded with quality writing and lavish color photography, this book is a must for fans of the Dodgers.
5. “L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages” (Triumph, 253 pp., $30), by Bill Plunkett.
Ohtani sleeps 10 hours a day and travels with his own mattress. That’s just one of many revelations in this behind-the-scenes report on the 2024 world championship season—its seventh since coming to California. The author has covered both the Angels and Dodgers during a 40-year career, mostly with the Orange County Register. A lavish color insert features Yoshonobu Yamamoto, Max Muncy, but mostly Ohtani (plus dog Decoy).
6. “Blue Bloods” (Pediment, 160 pp., $39.95), by the staff of USA TODAY.
Tom Selleck’s CBS cop series had nothing to do with the title of this tale, another version of the 2024 Dodgers season led by Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts. Great writing, mainly by Bob Nightengale, is accompanied by an easy-to-follow, well-illustrated format that makes a second coffee-table tome from the same publisher on the same subject.
7. “A Giant Among Giants: the Baseball Life of Willie McCovey” (University of Nebraska, 210 pp., $32.95), by Chris Haft.
Often overshadowed by Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda, McCovey was a giant in size and achievement. As National League MVP in 1968, he was named on all 24 ballots, narrowly besting Tom Seaver. And his .656 slugging percentage that year was the league’s best since Mays recorded a .659 mark in 1955. Written by a former Giants beat writer, this hardcover reveals how “Stretch” overcame a myriad of mishaps, endured an unwise conversion from first base to left field, and handled such pitching greats as Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. There’s a list of his Top Ten home runs in the detailed appendix.
8. “A Time for Reflection: the Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams” (Rowman & Littlefield, 279 pp., $35), by Jason Cannon.
Willie Mac is back in this creative hardcover, which draws links between fellow Mobile product Billy Williams, a contemporary slugger, and McCovey. Born the same year in the segregated South, they were friends as teenagers—even after taking separate routes to the major leagues and Baseball Hall of Fame. The author portrays both as clubhouse leaders who also championed racial prejudice.
9. “Willie Mays: a Tribute to the Greatest Player of All Time” (Pediment, 176 pp., $44.95), by the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle.
A tribute book published after Mays passed, this handsome hardcover is packed with photos—many of them black-and-white—that gives it the nostalgic feel of an old baseball yearbook. The premise is arguable, especially since the flamboyant Mays won fans with his personality as well as his prowess, but John Shea and the other talented San Francisco Chronicle writers present their points well. The reprinted clips are a nice touch too.
10. “Bob Uecker: the Life and Career of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Legendary Broadcaster” (Pediment, 144 pp., $39.95), by the staff of the Milwaukee Journal.
He loved to laugh—especially at his own batting average. As a player, he once boasted that his room had 400 home runs—399 for Eddie Mathews and 1 for Uke. As a player, he couldn’t do much more than catch Phil Niekro’s knuckleball. But behind the mic, he spent 54 years as Voice of the Brewers and found time to make twice as many appearances on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson.” This keepsake illustrated hardcover even reveals that Uecker, Hank Aaron and owner-turned-commissioner Bud Selig bonded over their Milwaukee ties to become lifelong friends.
11. “Baseball’s Two-Way Greats: Pitching/Batting Stars from Ruth and Rogan to Ohtani” (McFarland, 279 pp., $39.95), by Chris Jensen.
Now that he’s pitching again, Ohtani deserves his place in this clever and timely paperback, which includes more than 130 players—many from the Negro Leagues. Babe Ruth, Ohtani, and Bullet Joe Rogan share the cover but the well-researched book also includes such recent players as Michael Lorenzen and Rick Ankiel.
12. “Don Drysdale: Up and In” (Triumph, 272 pp., $30), by Mark Whicker, foreword by Steve Garvey.
Speaking of good-hitting pitchers, Double-D certainly qualified. He was a good hitter in a variety of ways—on the diamond and in the tavern. Drysdale was a larger-than-life figure whose outgoing personality was a polar opposite of the taciturn Sandy Koufax, his pitching partner on the Dodgers. The author, who covered Drysdale as a player and broadcaster, goes all the way back to Double-D’s days with the old Montreal Royals, recounts his double holdout with Koufax, and finds plenty of room for Tommy Lasorda, Vin Scully, and other L.A. icons.
13. “Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends” (Triumph, 240 pp., $30), by Art Shamsky with Matt Silverman, foreword by Howie Rose.
One of the heroes of the 1969 Miracle Mets, the author divides his life into “before” and “after” segments, covering everyone from Gil Hodges to unprepared talk show host Joe Franklin. Read what it’s like to be traded, to do live radio while running a restaurant, and to celebrate for decades after an unexpected world championship.
14. “Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History” (Lyons Press, 248 pp., $24.95), by Jonathan Weeks.
The ’69 Mets get more ink in this thoughtful paperback, which recounts nearly two dozen Fall Classics but somehow overlooks the 1991 Twins, who beat the Braves in one of the greatest Game 7s in history when both were worst-to-first pennant winners. The ’57 Milwaukee Braves of “Bushville” nomenclature could have been included too. But the author does a great job on Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 Pirates.
15. “Interstate ’85: the Royals, the Cardinals, and the Show-Me World Series” (University of Missouri Press, 364 pp., $34.95), by Marshall Garvey.
The previous book does include the all-Missouri World Series, which Kansas City won in seven after receiving the gift of a blown call in the ninth inning of Game 6. Published on its 40th anniversary, this hardcover features comments from George Brett, Ozzie Smith, and even umpire Don Denkinger.
16. “One More for the White Rat: the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Chase the Pennant” (Nebraska, 205 pp., $34.95), by Doug Feldmann, foreword by Ricky Horton.
Two years after the tumult of 1985, the Cards rebounded from an injury-riddled season to reach the last round again. They won by playing “Whiteyball,” a blend of speed and defense that compensated for their lack of power but was perfect for their strategy-conscious pilot, a future Hall of Famer.
17. “1978: Baseball & America In the Disco Era” (Nebraska, 208 pp., $34.95), by David Krell.
A master at matching American history with baseball history, Krell contributes his best book to the literary lexicon with this educational and entertaining hardcover. He covers everyone from Pete Rose to Christopher Reeve, actually devoting multiple pages to the Superman movies. But there’s plenty of baseball, including the tempestuous relationship between George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin. Although the book has no illustrations, the author compensates by painting vivid pictures with his well-chosen words.
18. “Talking Baseball With Major League Stars” (Rowman & Littlefield, 232 pp., $32), by Wayne Stewart.
The ubiquitous Wayne Stewart, author of 40 books (not all baseball), picks the best of 45 years of interviews to reveal the emotions of the men in uniform—from Sparky Anderson to Sparky Lyle, with multiple mentions of Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and other Hall of Famers. Topics range from racism to rules changes but also include reactions to cheating, intimidation, and umpiring. Many of the stories have never been published previously.
19. “I Love Baseball” (Lyons Press, 211 pp., $24.95), by Wayne Stewart, foreword by Vern Law.
This paperback, unlike the other, is more of a personal memoir, presenting anecdotes, incidents, and events from the author’s long career. It includes comments, quotes, and humor from the game—even including baseball movies, ballpark oddities, and celebrities who follow the game.
20. “Baseball’s First Superstar: the Lost Life Story of Christy Mathewson” (Nebraska, 211 pp., $32.95), by Alan D. Gaff.
A pillar of honesty, integrity, and good manners, Mathewson was also an enigma who roomed with his rough-and-tumble manager John McGraw. But that pairing made both men—and the powerful New York Giants of the Dead Ball Era—even better. This informative hardcover tells about the pitcher’s success plus his untimely demise from an ill-fated World War 1 training mission. The Bucknell grad, nicknamed Big Six after New York’s fastest fire engine, was a World Series hero who won 373 games, including 30 in four different seasons.
21. “Dangerous Danny Gardella: Baseball’s Neglected Trailblazer For Today’s Millionaire Athletes” (Rowman & Littlefield, 344 pp., $39), by Robert Elias.
A diminutive outfielder who hit with surprising power, Gardella was also a man of many nicknames. But “Dangerous” stuck because he was a threat to the status quo (i.e. reserve clause) in the ’40s, when his vocal advocacy stirred a sleeping beast that awakened fully only after Curt Flood’s challenge and Marvin Miller’s union foundation decades later. This story needed to be told.
22. “Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter – And Always Will” (Grand Central, $30), by Scott Miller.
John McGraw would neither recognize nor understand any of the modern managers portrayed in this comprehensive hardcover. Guided by computers and analytics, the Digital Age group ranges from Terry Francona to Joe Maddon but focuses on Dave Roberts, his decisions, and his player relationships. The author did a fine job collecting and comparing multiple interviews of managers, their day-to-day jobs, and their delicate balancing act of getting along with general managers and owners.
23. “The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball” (Avid Reader Press, 357 pp., $30), by John W. Miller.
The longtime manager of the Baltimore Orioles parlayed a brilliant baseball brain with a bantam physique and trigger temper—often directed at star pitcher Jim Palmer. But he was successful enough to reach Cooperstown long before the era of analytics. This detailed and well-researched hardcover reveals how he did it.
24. “The 50 Greatest Players in Cincinnati Reds History” (Lyons Press, 356 pp., $29.95), by Robert W. Cohen.
From Johnny VanderMeer to Johnny Bench, this informative paperback not only rates the Reds but presents stats, memorable moments, notable achievements, and best seasons of each, coupled with black-and-white photos. Published before the reinstatement of Pete Rose, it tells the story of each athlete in compact form. But one obvious omission is contained in the Dave Parker chapter, which never mentions that disgraced owner Marge Schott once referred to him as her “million-dollar n-----.”
25. “Baseball in the Roaring Twenties: the Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Captivating 1926 Season” (Nebraska, 264 pp., $36.95), by Thomas Wolf.
If the decade didn’t roar from Prohibition, ragtime and the advent of the radio, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb created enough color and controversy to fill this hardcover history. Central to the effort is the 1926 World Series that ended with a hung-over Grover Cleveland Alexander working in relief and watching Ruth make the last out with a failed stolen-base attempt.
26. “Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America” (Rowman & Littlefield, 251 pp., $35), by Jeffrey Orens.
Wright and Spalding were the right men to bring baseball on foreign shores, improve equipment, and make the game America’s national pastime before the turn of the 20th century. The author, a talented historian, shows how these two early stars, friends for 50 years, launched the idea that baseball could be a business by laying the groundwork for its future development. Among the black-and-white inserts is a shot of American baseball stars at the Sphinx.
27. “The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball: Lessons for Life from Homer’s Odyssey to the World Series” (Greenleaf Book Group, 177 pp., $27.95), by Christian Sheppard.
That same picture of players at the Sphinx appears on the opening page of this clever paperback, which applies Greek mythology to baseball, drawing parallels to educate the author’s daughter. Using his own visits to Fenway and Wrigley as his personal Odyssey, the writer creates a one-of-a-kind tome with a perspective that separates it from all of the year’s other baseball books.
28. “Pete Rose: a Tribute to a Baseball Legend” (Pediment Publishing, 160 pp., $39.95), by the staff of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
From Rookie of the Year to Most Valuable Player, Pete Rose rode a roller-coaster of success and failure— including terms as perennial All-Star and player-manager of his hometown team before gambling earned him a lifetime suspension. Known as Charlie Hustle, the versatile Rose had more hits than any other player but remains outside Cooperstown because he won’t be eligible for election until the Class of 2027. Reds fans will love this picture-packed tribute to a fiery and unforgettable character.
29. “Get Your Tokens Ready: the Late 1990s Road to the Subway Series” (Nebraska, 329 pp., $34.95), by Chris Donnelly.
The author’s third book on New York City baseball completes a trilogy of the timeframe when the Yankees and Mets were battling for the soul of the city. At the dawn of the 21st century, the former team was seeking its third straight world championship but engaging in the first Subway Series—and still the only one—since 1956. The author’s well-crafted prose presents such characters as Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Mike Piazza, Derek Jeter and George Steinbrenner in a new, not-always-flattering light.
30. “Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It” (Grand Central, 369 pp., $32.50), by Jane Leavy.
The title of this hardcover is misleading: it’s not the author’s ideas but a collection cultivated from a myriad of baseball personalities she knows, from Dusty Baker to Ron Washington. Best-known for her biographies of Mickey Mantle and Sandy Koufax, Leavy despises analytics, as her book shows, and online gambling. Through her interview subjects, she writes that players should spend more time signing autographs but believes teams should fill empty seats with giveaways that attract kids—the game’s future fans. But she misses the fixing-the-game boat by supporting the salary spiral that sparks such gimmicks as ads on uniforms, multiple rules changes, and endless playoff games.
31. “The Complete Guide to Spring Training: Florida 2026” (August Publications, 212 pp., $18.95), by Kevin Reichard.
A companion book to its annual Arizona guide, this informative paperback has everything but schedules, which were not finalized at press time. Fans will find information on ballparks, parking, concessions, hotels, places to stay, and even spring training history. New amenities, especially ballpark upgrades, are included, along with World Baseball Classic history—since the event will again conflict with spring training in 2026.
32. “Death By Data: How Analytics and Technology Are Killing Baseball” (Summer Game Books, 171 pp., $22.99), by Joel Bradley.
The author makes a plausible case that too much information, coupled with frenzied advances in technology, are taking the game out of baseball and harming the national pastime. Especially entertaining is a profile of eccentric relief pitcher Mike Marshall, who parlayed a strong right arm with unorthodox ideas that turned into a Cy Young Award. Nine others, including Dottie Schroeder, also have stand-alone profiles that portray their individualism.
33. “Jim Gilliam: the Forgotten Dodger” (August Publications, 327 pp., $22.95), by Stephen W. Dittmore.
A versatile infielder who reached the majors after leaving the segregated South, Gilliam was a steady player who was overshadowed by such star Dodgers as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Maury Wills. But he lasted three decades as a player and coach because of loyalty. This long-overdue biography does have a few errors, though, especially a reference to long-time Braves first baseman Joe Adcock as an outfielder.
34. “Baseball’s Shooting Stars: Improbable Ascents and Burnouts in the National Pastime” (McFarland, 259 pp., $29.99), by David J. Gordon.
In a game of heroes and goats, this creative paperback portrays players who were both—bright stars whose comet made a great impression but quick exit. Included are MVPs Bobby Shantz and Zorro Versalles and three-time world champion Lonnie Smith, whose Game 7 baserunning blunder cost himself a fourth ring.
35. “A Baseball Memoir: Yankees, Typewriters, Scandals, and Cooperstown” (Triumph, 276 pp., $30), by Bill Madden, foreword by Buck Showalter.
The Bronx Zoo created by George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin and other baseball figures with larger-than-life personalities created fertile ground for this writer’s half-century in the press box. His memoir reveals historic moments with Marvin Miller as the players union was just forming and personal pictures, including Stan Musial’s harmonica recital at The Otesaga in Cooperstown. Its large type is easy to read quickly.
36. “All the Way: the Life of Baseball Trailblazer Maybelle Blair” (Rowman & Littlefield, 192 pp., $32), by Kat D. Williams.
A book about baseball, tough times and difficult personal decisions, this hardcover deserves recognition in this year’s collection. Maybelle was not only a prominent player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and later an advisor for the film but also a lesbian who kept her preference hidden until late in life. In addition to the well-crafted biography, this hardcover contains a much-overdue Timeline of Women in Baseball that is a great addition to baseball literature.
37. “The Whiz Kids: How the 1950 Phillies Took the Pennant, Lost the World Series, and Changed Philadelphia Baseball Forever” (Nebraska, 289 pp., $36.95 ), by Dennis Snelling.
The 1950 Phils won a surprise pennant, started their closer in the World Series opener, then fell out of contention in subsequent years after they were slow to integrate. This hardcover brings back Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, Rich Ashburn, and other heroes from 1950, then traces the evolution of the club through Dick Allen’s arrival, the ’64 collapse, and the first world title in 1980.
38. “Ring the Bell: How the Philadelphia Phillies Built Baseball’s Best Fan Base” (Sports Publishing, 320 pp., $44.99), by Kevin Reavy and Jack Fritz, foreword by Scott Franzke.
The rise of the Phils following their 1964 September collapse is the heart of this hardcover, which embraces the world championships of 1980 and 2008, finding ample room for Harry Kalas, Pete Rose, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Larry Bowa, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber. There’s also a great center section of color photographs that makes this volume resemble a decades-long yearbook.
39. “Field of Magic: Baseball’s Superstitions, Curses and Taboos” (McFarland, 206 pp., $29.95), by John Cairney.
Even Hall of Famers succumbed to the lure of superstitions. Hall of Famer Larry Walker, obsessed by the Number 3, wore No. 33, got married at 3:33 p.m. on the third day of the month, bought 33 charity tickets for Section 333, once signed a $3 contract, and even won three batting titles. This clever paperback is packed with such stories, including the Sandy Koufax curse, John McGraw’s mascot, and the Shea Stadium black cat that crossed in front of the Chicago Cubs dugout and allegedly knocked them out of the 1969 NL East title.
40. “Hoyt Wilhelm: Life of a Knuckleballer” (McFarland, 207 pp., $29.95), by Lew Freedman.
Master practitioner of an unorthodox pitch, Wilhelm pitched a no-hitter, won an ERA crown, wore his cap sideways, and shared trade secrets with Phil Niekro before both went to Cooperstown. A late-blooming rookie reliever who homered in his first at-bat and never hit another, Wilhelm was passed around from team to team like a tray of breakfast biscuits—often because no catcher could handle him. At the end, the Braves and Cubs sent him back and forth like a beach ball in the bleachers. His story has more ups and downs that his famous pitcher.
41. “Bo Belinsky: the Rise, Fall, and Rebound of a Playboy Pitcher” (McFarland, $29.95) by David Krell.
Bo Belinsky and Mamie Van Doren were two of the most notorious figures in the tabloids of the early ’60s. He pitched a no-hitter but she had better curves. As the author shows, the pitcher’s early promise—and his marriages to Van Doren and others—fell victim to issues of addiction and seduction before he finally found a new lifestyle. Interviews with friends and others who knew him create a new picture of this controversial player who found fame fleeting.
HONORABLE MENTION
“The Baseball Almanac 2025” (Baseball America, 528 pp., $32.95), by the editors of Baseball America.
“Baseball Prospectus 2025” (Baseball Prospectus, 576 pp., $34.95), by the BP editorial staff.
“San Francisco Giants: a Curated History of the Franchise” (Triumph, 256 pp., $25.20), by Alex Pavlovic.
“Big Loosh: the Unruly Life of Umpire Ron Luciano” (Nebraska, 220 pp., $32.95), by Jim Leeke.
“Baseball at the Dawn of the Seventies: the Major Leagues in Transition” (McFarland,, 199 pp., $39.95), by Paul Hensler.
“Baseball Before We Knew It: a Search for the Roots of the Game, 20th anniversary edition” (Nebraska, 348 pp., $29.95), by David Block, forewords by Tim Wiles and John Thorn.
“The Integration of Minor League Baseball: a History and Player Register, 1946-1959” (McFarland, 500 pp., $49.95), by Rick Swaine and Gary C. Fink.
“The Franchise: Toronto Blue Jays: a Curated History of the Jays” (Triumph, 256 pp., $28), by Keegan Matheson.
“The Mustache Gang Battles the Big Red Machine” (McFarland, 268 pp., $29.95), by John G. Robertson and Carl T. Madden.
“3000: Baseball’s Elite Clubs For Hits & Strikeouts” (McFarland, 232 pp., $35), by Douglas J. Jordan.
“Leveling the Playing Field” (Morgan James Publishers, 226 pp., $19.95), by Al Lautenslager.
“Baseball Obscura 2025” (McFarland, 209 pp., $18.95), by David J. Fleming
“Diamond Vols: How Tennessee Seized NCAA Baseball’s Ultimate Gem in the 2024 College World Series” (Pediment, 160 pp., $39.95), by the Staff of KNOX News and Tennessean.
“Let There Be Baseball: the 60-Year Battle to Legitimize Sunday Play” (McFarland, 292 pp., $49.95), by Arthur G. Sharp.
“Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups” (Rowman & Littlefield, 272 pp., $24.95), by John Nogowski.
“Movies and the Church of Baseball” (McFarland, 198 pp., $55), by Jonathan Plummer.
“Baseball Like It Oughta Be” (August Publications, 208 pp., $18.95), by Tom Alesia.
— Dan Schlossberg, a long-time SCD contributor, wrote Hank Aaron biographies 50 years apart, with “Hammerin’ Hank: the Henry Aaron Story” in 1974 and the “Home Run King: the Remarkable Record of Hank Aaron” by Skyhorse. Contact Dan at ballauthor@gmail.com.
