|
Baseball Books
12 Lots
 Lot 300. “Connie Mack’s Baseball Book,” 1950 First Edition, and 2 Other Books. Dated April 17, 1950, this is Mack’s book on how to play baseball. Text after the date says “First & Second Printing Before Publication.” The hardback contains a foreword by Red Smith. Born Cornelius McGillicuddy, Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 through 1950. His teams won nine American League pennants and five world championships. His book is vg+ to ex in a g-vg dust jacket that has some small edge chips and tears and a couple of small scuffs. The book has Mack’s facsimile autograph on the flyleaf. In his foreword, Smith describes Mack as “a towering figure, with the humility of the truly great.” Mack entered the Hall of Fame in 1937. His book provides a perspective on playing baseball that results from 68 years as part of the game and who once said: “I have never known a day when I didn’t learn something new about the game.” This group includes two other books, one by Mack and the other, about him. The book by Mack is “My 66 Years in the Big Leagues,” 1950 stated first edition hardback from Universal House. The hardback has red boards with the title and Mack’s photo lithographed on the front. Vg, stain on the front cover, no dust jacket. Frederick Lieb tells the story of Mack’s life in “Connie Mack: Grand Old Man of Baseball,” 1945, apparent first edition, vg illustrated hardback, no dust jacket.
Winning Bid $20.
|
 Lot 301. 15 Gilbert Patten Baseball Novels – 8 as Frank Merriwell Novelist Burt L. Standish. Patten was a prolific writer of dime novels and other stories. One of his employees in the 1890s was Edward Stratemeyer, who subsequently managed an organization that produced numerous baseball novels for young adults. Ten books in this collection are hardbacks with pictorial covers; two have dust jackets, which are noted. Five books are Frank Merriwell softcovers published by Street & Smith, which produced pulp fiction and sports annuals until 1959. The books are first editions unless otherwise noted. Patten’s books under his own name are: “The Rockspur Nine,” 1900, price on the flyleaf, vg-ex, and “Clif Stirling: Captain of the Nine,” 1910, vg+. Patten also published as Morgan Scott: “Rival Pitchers of Oakdale,” 1911, g+ to vg, and “The New Boys at Oakdale,” 1913, name on flyleaf, vg. Three books by Patten as Burt L. Standish are not part of the Meriwell series: “Lefty O’ the Big League,” 1914, vg+; “Lefty O’ the Blue Stockings,” 1914 third printing, inscription on second inside page, vg+; and “Courtney of the Center Garden,” 1915, name stamped on flyleaf, vg+, f-g dust jacket. There are three hardback versions of the Merriwell books: “Frank Merriwell’s School Days,” 1901, inscription on flyleaf, g+ to vg; “Frank Merriwell’s Skill,” 1903, flyleaf removed, g-vg book and dust jacket; and Frank Merriwell’s Secret, 1904, g+ to vg. The Street & Smith softcovers are: “Frank Merriwell’s Faith,” No. 60, 1900, back cover missing, otherwise complete, p-f; Dick Merriwell’s Day, No. 114, 1904, g, nice front cover; “Frank Merriwell’s Marriage,” No. 125, 1905, f; “Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona,” No. 217, 1912, g-vg; and “Frank Merriwell’s Winners,” New Medal Library No. 476, 1902, g+.
Winning Bid $20.
|
 Lot 302. 21 Early Baseball Novels by Zane Grey, Horatio Alger, Harold Sherman, Other Writers. In the early 1900s, baseball truly was the U.S. National Game. To serve a public that couldn’t get enough of the sport, publishing houses annually turned out dozens of novels targeting young adults, but appreciated by adult readers as well. Typically, these novels reinforced the values of commitment, perseverance and hard work. Unless otherwise noted, the books in this collection are first edition hardbacks with pictorial covers and without dust jackets. One novel in this collection by Horatio Alger’s “Bound to Rise or Up the Ladder” has baseball content; 1908, pencil writing inside, g+. Zane Grey is best known for his western stories, but he cashed in also on the nation’s fascination with baseball: “The Short-Stop,” fourth printing, 1914, vg+ book, g+ dust jacket; “The Read Headed Outfield and Other Baseball Stories,” 1920 edition, vg; and “The Young Pitcher,” 1939 edition, inscription inside front cover, vg-ex book and vg dust jacket. Seven books are by Harold M. Sherman, six from his “Home Run Series,” which is complete. Many topics attracted Sherman’s attention. He wrote self-help books, books on psychic phenomena and ESP, two plays that were produced on Broadway, and movie and TV scripts. Three of his Home Run Series books were published in 1928: “Safe!” vg-ex book and dust jacket; “Bases Full!” vg+ to ex book and dj; and “Hit by Pitcher,” vg+ to ex/vg. The other books from the series are: “Hit and Run!” 1929, vg+/g-vg; “Batter Up!” 1930, flyleaf inscription, vg+/g-vg; and “Double Play!” 1932, vg-ex/vg. The other Sherman book is the pocket-sized “Last Man Out,” 1937, vg from Saalfield Publishing. The other authors and their books are: Etta Anthony Baker, “The Captain of the S.I.G.s,” 1911, vg; George Barton, “The Bell Haven Nine,” 1914, vg+; Matthew M. Colton, “Frank Armstrong: Captain of the Nine, 1913, vg; A. T. Dudley, “With Mask and Mitt,” 1906, g-vg; J. W. Duffield, “Bert Wilson’s Fadeaway Ball, 1924 edition, vg; Hugh S. Fullerton, who had a central role in uncovering the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, “Jimmy Kirkland and the Plot for a Pennant,” 1915, dedicated to Charles A. Comiskey, g-vg; MacGregor Jenkins, “Shiner Watson,” 1929 stated first edition, ex; Owen Johnson, “The Varmint,” 1910, vg; Edward Stratemeyer, “Dave Porter at Oak Hall,” 1905, ex-library, flyleaf inscription, otherwise vg; and Charles E. Van Loan, “Score by Innings,” 1919, flyleaf inscription, g-vg.
Winning Bid $25.
|
 Lot 303. 19 Books on How to Play Baseball or Manage. Three books are by major league players: “Baseball and Your Boy,” Al Rosen, 1967 stated first edition hardback, nm book, vg dust jacket. “The Art of Hitting .300” by Charley Lau, 1980 softcover, ex with owner’s inscription inside. “Strength Training for Baseball,” Jose Canseco and Dave McKay, 1990 softcover, vg-ex. In addition, Bob Cluck, pitching coach for the Oakland A’s, wrote “Play Better Baseball,” 1994 softcover, nm. Other hardbacks: “Baseball” by Robert R. Spackman, 1963, U.S. Naval Institute, ex book, owner’s name inside, dj missing. This book is extensively illustrated with St. Louis Browns players. The other hardbacks are: “Baseball,” edited by Frank F. DiClemente, 1966 and 1969 editions, ex, no dj as issued. “Make the Team in Baseball,” Clary Anderson, 1960, vg-ex book with owner’s name inside, vg dj with edge tears and a spine chip; also, a 1971 edition, ex book, no dj, apparently as issued. “How to Play Winning Baseball,” Arthur Mann, 1953, vg, no dj, apparently as issued. Other softcovers: “How to Improve Your Baseball,” Dick Siebert, 1960s, g-vg. “Sports Illustrated Book of Baseball,” 1966, vg-ex. “Sports Illustrated Baseball,” 1972, ex. “Power Baseball,” Mel Didier, 1972, vg-ex. “Tough Calls,” Zach Rebackoff, 1984 first Avon printing, ex. “Baseball: You Are the Manager,” two copies, and “Baseball: It’s Your Team,” both by Nate Aaseng, 1983 and 1985, respectively, ex. “Managing Little League Baseball,” Ned McIntosh, 1985, ex. And “Play Book! Baseball, You are the manager, you call the shots,” by Michael Teitelbaum, 1990, from “Sports Illustrated for Kids,” ex.
Minimum Bid $5.
|
 Lot 304. 14 Hardback Baseball Books from Random House Major League and LL Libraries. From the mid-1960s to mid-1970s, Random House commissioned and published several series of sports books written for young adults. These two series provided informative and entertaining reading for young adult and adult readers alike. Published without a dust jacket, each book has a photographic cover. These books span 1965-72 and average vg-ex with generally ex-m or better pages. The books in each series are numbered. We have provided the number, the title and the author. Major League Library: 1. “Greatest World Series Thrillers” by Ray Robinson 3. “Great Baseball Pitchers” by Jim Brosnan, former major league pitcher. Sandy Koufax cover. 7. “Great Pennant Races of the Major Leagues” by Frank Graham Jr. 14. “Star Pitchers of the Major Leagues” by Bill Libby. Bob Gibson cover. 15. “Baseball’s Zaniest Stars” by Howard Liss. 17. “Great Infielders of the Major Leagues” by Dave Klein. Little League Library: 2. “Secrets of Big League Play” by Robert Smith. 4. “Strange But True Baseball Stories” by Furman Bisher. 5. “Baseball’s Most Valuable Players” by George Vecsey. Mickey Mantle cover. 8. “Heroes of the Major Leagues” by Alexander Peters. Frank Robinson cover. 9. “Great No-Hit Games of the Major Leagues” by Frank Graham Jr. Cover image with Yogi Berra and Don Larsen celebrating the pitcher’s World Series perfect game. 10. “Little League to Big League” by Jim Brosnan. 11. “Great Hitters of the Major Leagues” by Frank Graham Jr. Willie Mays cover. 12. “Great Catchers of the Major Leagues” by Jack Zanger.
Winning Bid $20.
|
 Lot 305. 17 Books Covering the History of Baseball. All hardbacks with dust jackets unless otherwise noted. Ex-library books are noted with an asterisk (*). Five books provide an overview of the game: “The Glory of Their Times,” Lawrence Ritter, 1969, vg-ex book, f-g dust jacket; “The Ultimate Baseball Book,” Daniel Okrent, 1988 softcover, ex; “The Story of Baseball,”* Lawrence Ritter, 1968, no dj as published; “The Image of Their Greatness,” Ritter and Donald Honig,” 1979, vg+ book, no dj; and “The Way We Were: Baseball,” Lew Freedman, 2008, nm-m/ex-m. Six books deal with selected periods: “American Baseball: From Gentleman’s Sport to the Commissioner System,”* David Quentin Voigt, 1966 stated first edition; “Baseball: When the Grass Was Real,”* Donald Honig, 1975; “Eight Men Out,” Eliot Asinof, 1963 paperback, vg; “Baseball Memories 1930-1939,” Mark Okkonen, 1994, ex-m+/ex; “The Boys of Summer,” Roger Kahn, 1972 stated first edition, ex/vg; and “Men at Work,” George Will, 1990, vg+ to ex book and price-clipped dust jacket. Two books offer special insights to the game: “The Diamond Appraised,” Craig R. Wright, 1989, ex book and dust jacket, and “This Great Game,” edited by Doris Townsend, 1971, ex in a price-clipped vg+ dj. The four other books are: “Baseball Complete,” Russ Hodges, 1952 apparent first edition, vg book, no dj; “Baseball’s Great Moments,” Joseph Reichler, 1983, ex+/vg+, and 1954 and 1955 copies of the “Mutual Baseball Almanac,” edited by Roger Kahn, vg to vg-ex.
Winning Bid $10.
|
 Lot 373. Scarce Autobiography of Baseball Pioneer and Hall of Fame Player Cap Anson (HoF). The Hall of Fame first baseman didn’t spare any words in creating a title for his book: “A Ball Player’s Career: Being the Personal Experiences and Reminiscences of Adrian C. Anson, Late Manager and Captain of the Chicago Baseball Club.” First edition hardback, 1900, from Era Publishing. The book is complete. Water has slightly to moderately warped the pages throughout. Owners’ names are inside the front cover, on the flyleaf and on the first title page. Toward the front, a page with a photo of Anson is loose and chipped, warped and stained. Water damage is more pronounced in the first 20 pages than in the rest of the book. The covers are faded and stained, and the top of the spine shows a tear. The book won’t win any awards for beauty, but it is complete and fully readable. It offers significant insights on Anson’s view of baseball and life. In a 22-season career, he collected 3,012 hits, drove in 1,880 runs and batted .331. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.
Winning Bid $68.
|
|
