Lot 569. 1991 The Life and Times of Nolan Ryan Four-Volume Set with Cards and Poster. This beautiful set, published by Tarrant and licensed by the MLB, contains four soft-cover books titled: The Alvin Years, Mets & Angels, Astros & Rangers and The Road to Cooperstown. In addition to the books, this issue includes a 17” x 22” “No-Hitter” poster and a set of four Nolan Ryan cards commissioned by Score. Mint sealed cards, nm set of four volumes, ex-m poster.
Minimum Bid $20.
Lot 570. 24 Baseball History Books - Giants, Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, Vought’s Trilogy. Twenty-two are hardbacks; paperbacks are noted. Some books provide a broad overview of the sport’s development, while others focus on a specific era or the game’s best teams. David Quentin Vought covers baseball from its origins through the 1960s in his three-volume American Baseball series. Nm-m books in ex dust jackets. Harold Seymour also offers a sweeping perspective on the game in his third volume, Baseball: The People’s Game, 1990 apparent first edition, nm-m book, ex-m dj. Two other general histories are from Fred Loeb, Baseball as I Have Known It, 1977 apparent first, vg-ex book, dj, and The New York Times Book of Baseball History, 1975, vg-ex book, dj. Team-centered highlights include: Peter Glenrock’s 1984 classic, Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, ex book, dj. Roger Kahn’s The Boys of Summer, 1972 stated first, ex book, vg-ex dj. George Higgins’ Progress of the Seasons: Forty Years of Baseball in Our Town (Boston), 1989 stated first, nm book, dj. Red Sox Fever by Ellery H. Clark, Jr., 1979 first, ex book, vg-ex dj. Bobby Thomson’s The Giants Win the Pennant!, 1991 stated first printing, ex-m book, dj. Other team-focused books are by Neil J. Sullivan (Dodgers), Noel Hind (Giants), Ralph Houk (1961 Yankees) and Sparky Lyle (Yankees). In addition, one of the paperbacks covers Baseball in Reading (PA), Charles J. Adams III, 2003 first, nm. Baseball history by era or year is provided in such books as: Playing for Keeps (1857-76), Warren Goldstein, 1989 first, nm book, dj. The Pitch that Killed: Carl Mays, Ray Chapman and the Pennant Race of 1920, Mike Sowell, 1989 first, nm book, ex dj. Real Grass, Real Heroes, Dom DiMaggio, 1990 first, nm book, dj. Other books are by George Will, Kahn (The Era 1947-1957, paperback), Harvey Frommer (Shoeless Joe), Benton Stark (1904). These books contain a wealth of information on many of the game’s best teams and seasons, and many of the authors are outstanding writers.
Winning Bid $68.
Lot 571. 9 Books of Baseball History Including a First Edition of Ken Burns’ Volume. To complement his television series, Burns wrote Baseball: An Illustrated History with Geoffrey C. Ward, who also worked with Burns in writing The Civil War. The 486-page book of baseball history is extensively illustrated. Originally published at $60, it’s a stated first edition, nm book and dust jacket. Also of special note is 75th Anniversary of the National League: Official History, edited by Charles Segar, 1951, vg+ to ex, no dj as published. Other hardbacks: The Story of Baseball, John M. Rosenburg, 1970, ex, no dj as published. The Ballparks, Bill Shannon, 1975 apparent first, vg+, no dj. World Series, John R. Tunis, 1941, vg. The Baseball Player: An Economic Study, Paul M. Gregory, 1956, vg book, vg-ex dj. Paperbacks: Baseball: The First 100 years, Don Smith, 1969, vg. The Unforgettable Season, G. H. Fleming, 1981, vg-ex. Baseball’s Greatest Teams, Tom Meany, 1950, vg. The Boys of Summer, Roger Kahn, 1973, vg.
Winning Bid $25.
Lot 572. Hardback: A Series for the World 1992: Baseball’s First International Fall Classic. With text by W. P. Kinsella, Furman Bisher and Dave Perkins, this 144-page official book from Major League Baseball provides detailed coverage of the 1992 World series between Toronto and Atlanta. This stated first printing coffee table book includes 300 color photographs and is nm in an ex-m+ dust jacket. The 1992 World Series was the first Series ever played outside the U.S. Toronto won the Series, 4 games to 2, marking the first championship ever by a team based outside the U.S. As one reviewer write, “Sports fans and lovers of fine writing and photography will cherish this collectors’ edition forever.”
Minimum Bid $10.
Lot 573. Baseball Novels Spanning the 20th Century – One by Zane Grey. Although he specialized in Western fiction, Grey wrote several sports novels, including The Young Pitcher. Offered here is a 1911 hardback edition from Grosset & Dunlap, blue covers with red and black printing, nice vg-ex with an inscription on the front end-page. The other books are hardback first editions. 1. “The High School Rivals” by Frank V. Webster, 1911, ex to ex+ book in vg dj. 2. “Batter Up! The Home Run Series” by Harold M. Sherman, 1930, vg book, no dj. 3. “Pinch Hitter” by Dick Friendlich, 1965, ex-m book, vg-ex dj. 4. “Murder at Ebbets Field” by Troy Soos, 1995 stated first, nm-m book, nm price-clipped dj. 5. “Castro’s Curveball: A Novel” by Tim Wendel, 1999, ex-library, last end-page removed, dust jacket taped to book; otherwise, interior of book has an ex-m appearance, as does the dj. Six books with plenty of entertaining reading.
Winning Bid $30.
Lot 574. 10 Books of Baseball Personalities and Trivia – McGraw, Durocher, Bonds, Etc. Perhaps the most uncommon book in this collection is Hy Gittlitz’ Do You Know Your Baseball? In this self-published 1995 paperback, Gittlitz covers the rules of baseball in great detail in a question-and-answer format. Vg. The Sporting News Baseball Trivia Book is a more typical trivia book. TSN published this first edition in 1983, vg. They Played the Game by Harry Grayson also is somewhat more difficult to find; 1945 hardback, vg+ to ex book, no dj. Grayson provides interesting brief biographies of Ruth, Gehrig, Wagner, Cobb and other baseball greats. Other hardbacks: The Days of Mr. McGraw, Joseph Durso, 1969, vg book, vg-ex dj. The Second Fireside Book of Baseball and The Third Fireside Book of Baseball, Charles Einstein, 1958 and 1968, respectively, both vg. Paperbacks: Nice Guys Finish Last, Leo Durocher, 1976, vg-ex. Baseball’s Hall of Fame, Ken Smith, 1978, vg. Barry Bonds-Roberto Alomar, Bob Woods, 1994, ex-m+. Strange But True Baseball Stories, Furman Bisher, 1972, ex+.
Minimum Bid $20.
Lot 575. Rare Enos Slaughter Autobiography: Country Hardball. Published by a small company in North Carolina, this 1991 autobiography is extremely hard to find. In 208 pages, Slaughter provides anecdotes from his Hall of Fame career and offers his opinions of Musial, Williams, Mantle and others. Nm stated first edition, ex-m dj. Beautiful, scarce copy.
Winning Bid $20.
Lot 576. 43 (Auto)Biographies - Ruth, Mantle, Williams, Aaron, DiMaggio, Mays, Oh, Etc. Published primarily from the early 1960s through the late 1980s, these 42 hardbacks cover the lives and careers also of Alexander Cartwright, Belinsky, Berg (2 different, one paperback), Bouton, Cartwright, Cobb, Dean, Durocher, Feller, Figueroa, Ford, Freehan, Higbe, Greenberg, Howe, Hunter, Kirksey, Kuhn, Judge Landis, LeFlore, Luciano, Mack, MacPhail, Billy Martin, Mathewson, McCarver, McGraw, Paige, AG Spalding, Winfied and Yastrzemski. Highlights include: Christy Mathewson by Ronald A. Mayer, 1993 first edition, ex-m book, no dj as issued. I Had a Hammer by Hank Aaron, 1991 stated first, nm book and dj. My 66 Years in the Big Leagues by Connie Mack, 1950 stated first, vg-ex book, vg dj. Sadaharu Oh by Oh, 1984 apparent first, nm book, dj. Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever by Satchel Paige, 1962, ex book, dj. The High Hard One, Kirby Higbe, 1967 apparent fist edition, vg-ex book, dj. The Story of My Life, Hank Greenberg, 1989 stated first, nm book, ex+ dj. The books on Ruth are Babe: The Legend Comes to Life, Robert W. Creamer, 1974, apparent first edition, ex book, dj absent., and Babe: A Life in Pictures, Lawrence S. Ritter, 1988 apparent first, ex-m book, dj. The other hardbacks average ex to ex-m in vg-ex to ex dust jackets. There also is a Gaylord Perry paperback. What a coup to find this collection of so many top players all in one place! Avoid the leg work of putting it together a book at a time!
Winning Bid $61.
Lot 577. Negro Leagues Reference Books, Reprint of Sol. Whites Official Base Ball Guide. Great collection of Negro League reference books, including Blackball Stars: Negro League Pioneers by John B. Holway, 1988 stated first edition, nm book, dj in mylar. The Negro Leagues Book, edited by Dick Clark, 1994 SABR paperback, ex. The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James A. Riley, 1994 first, ex-m book, vg-ex dj. The real gem here is a 1984 Camden House Library of Baseball Classics brown leather reprint of Sol. White’s Official Base Ball Guide. White had a long baseball career, playing for the Pittsburg Keystones, Cuban Giants and Philadelphia Giants. He experienced the color barrier first-hand and spoke out publicly when Cap Anson refused to play against a team with two black players. Published originally in 1908, this book became the first history detailing black involvement in the sport, proving extremely valuable as a reference given its rare viewpoint. Faithful reproduction, numbered 491 of 500, nm.
Winning Bid $45.
Lot 578. 16 Books: Reference, Inside Baseball, Relief Pitchers, Umpires, Abstracts, Etc. Twelve are hardbacks. Highlights include The Hidden Game of Baseball, John Thorn, 1974 stated first edition, ex book, vg dj. This Time Let’s Not Eat the Bones, Bill James, vg-ex book, ex dj. Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century, Marc Okkonen, 1991 hardback, ex book, dj. The Dodgers Way to Play Baseball, Al Campanis, 1954 stated first, vg book with owner’s name inside, vg-ex dj. The Imperfect Diamond, Lee Lowenfish, 1980, ex book, vg-ex dj. Pen Men, Bob Cairns, 1992 stated first, ex-m book, dj. The Men in Blue, Larry R. Gerlach, 1980 first, ex book, dj. This collection also includes the 1990 Baseball Encyclopedia (8th edition), National Geographic’s Baseball As America, the beautifully illustrated Diamonds Are Forever: Artists and Writers on Baseball paperback, Ralph Andreano’s No Joy in Mudville, Gerald Scully’s The Business of Major League Baseball and a 290-page book on the World Series.
Winning Bid $20.
Lot 592. Roberto Clemente Memorabilia Including Phil Musick’s Reflection’s on Roberto. Musick was an excellent Pittsburgh sportswriter, and his book on Clemente is an outstanding, insightful read. Softcover, 1994, nm. Clemente speaks for himself on a 33 1/3 rpm record album, “A Conversation with Roberto.” Vg jacket, nm album. Also: Two different first day envelopes with the 20-cent Clemente stamp; canceled on Aug. 17, 1984. An 8” x 10” collectible from Spectrum, #2218 of 5000, is titled “Roberto Clemente Collects 3,000th Hit in Final At-Bat,” nm-m. It has two images of Clemente at bat. There also is a 1970 Topps Poster #21, g.
Winning Bid $30.
Lot 595. Pittsburgh Pirates, Roberto Clemente Books. For the Pittsburgh fan. 1974 first edition, Who Was Roberto: A Biography of Roberto Clemente by Phil Musick, ex+ book and dj. Few sportswriters have ever brought more talent to a keyboard than Musick. 1990 first edition, The Pittsburgh Pirates by Bob Smizik, ex-m book, dj. Nicely illustrated history.
Winning Bid $20.
Lot 601. The Detroit Tigers by William M. Anderson Signed by Kaline, Gibson, Others. This 1992 oversized coffee table book is attractive in every way. It is full of vintage images, and it is ex-m inside a similar dust jacket. What makes it even better is that our consignor obtained the autographs of the author and seven Tigers: Tom Monaghan, the team’s owner, Al Kaline, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Jim Northrup, Dave Rozema, Dan Petry and Willie Horton. The autographs are all 10s on the title page or the facing page.
Winning Bid $45.
Lot 602. Autographed Copy of Rowdy Richard by Dick Bartell. Subtitled A Firsthand Account of the National League Baseball Wars of the 1930s and the Men Who Fought Them, this book received favorable reviews when it was published in 1987. The first edition book is ex-m, and so is the dust jacket. In a career that spanned 1927-43, Bartell played shortstop for Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago in the NL and Detroit and New York in the AL. An outstanding fielder and .284 lifetime hitter, he nevertheless was traded frequently because of his fiery personality, which teams typically could handle for only two or three years. He died in 1995. Bartell signed the front end-page. The signature is a solid personalized 10, and he added “With my best wishes.” The personalization could be matted out.
Minimum Bid $20.
