Lot 360. “Won in the Ninth,” a 1910 First Edition Hardcover Novel by Christy Mathewson. The 298-page book plus appendix is promoted as “the first of a series of stories for boys on sports to be known as THE MATTY BOOKS.” The future Hall of Fame pitcher dedicated the book to Henry Chadwick, “The Father of Baseball,” for “his relentless opposition to everything that savored of dishonesty and commercialism in connection with” baseball. Mathewson was educated at Bucknell University, where he played baseball, basketball and football. One of baseball’s greatest pitchers, he was among the first five original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The book is vg to near fine with some scuffs on the paste-down image on the cover.
Winning Bid $403
Lot 361. Vintage 1925 Edition of Ring Lardner’s “You Know Me Al: A Busher’s Letters.” In this 247-page vg hardback, Lardner tells baseball-related stories through letters from Jack Keefe, a fictional baseball player, to his friend in Indiana. Keefe has a strong pitching arm but, among many diminishing characteristics, is also arrogant, strong-willed, self-centered, gullible and “misundereducated.” Through letters that are barely literate, he details his life and experiences in and around professional baseball. The situations Keefe faces and the way he writes about them provide humorous, entertaining reading. The stories formed the basis of a “You Know Me Al” comic strip from 1922-25. Lardner was a sports columnist for the “Chicago Tribune,” satirist and short-story writer who was admired by Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They especially respected his gift for dialog, which is evident in this book.
Minimum Bid $10
Lot 362. Books by HoFers “Bucky” Harris and Mickey Cochrane and About John McGraw. All hardbacks with dust jackets. Stanley “Bucky” Harris, enshrined at Cooperstown in 1975 for his managerial success, authored “Playing the Game,” which was published in 1924 by Grosset & Dunlap. The book is ex. The colorful dust jacket is vg with clipped corners and a 2 ½” strip of tape on its inside near the spine. “Baseball The Fan’s Game” by Hall of Fame (1947) catcher Mickey Cochrane was published in 1939 by Funk & Wagnalls. The book is vg-ex with a name in pen on the flyleaf and stains, apparently from aging, inside the front and back covers. The dust cover is vg with a small chip in the lower right front corner and at the top on the back. Cochrane’s book is a stated first edition, while the Harris book is an apparent first edition. Frank Graham is the author of “McGraw of the Giants: An Informal Biography,” 1944 with 265 pages, vg book and g-vg dust jacket with inside corners clipped. G. P. Putnam’s Sons is the publisher. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937, McGraw has been described as baseball’s “best player to become a great manager.”
Winning Bid $113
Lot 363. Books by Connie Mack, Leo Durocher and Jack Coombs. Mack and Combs are Hall of Fame managers. John W. (Jack) Combs pitched for Mack’s World Series champion teams in 1910, 1911 and 1913. Later, he won baseball championships as the Duke University Coach; many of his players became major leaguers. All three books are hardbacks. Mack’s book is “My 66 Years in the Big Leagues,” subtitled “The Great Story of America’s National Game.” The 1950 hardback, a stated first edition, is vg+ to ex, published with an illustration of Mack on the front cover. The book is illustrated also with 31 pages of photos. An inscription is on the first page behind the flyleaf. A manager from 1894-1950, Mack won five World Series and holds the MLB record for wins, losses and games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937. Durocher wrote “The Dodgers and Me: The Inside Story,” 1948 apparent first edition, vg+ book with tight binding and some cover wear, g-vg dust jacket. As an infielder or infielder-manager, Durocher played for three All-Star Teams. He was a four-time World Series champion, twice as the manager of the New York Giants. He played for the Dodgers 1938-41, 1943 and 1945, and managed the team, 1939-46 and 1948. Tenth in career wins among mangers, Durocher was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994. The book has 16 pages of illustrations. Coombs is the author of “Baseball: Individual Play and Team Strategy,” second edition printed in 1949, vg book with a name and address on the flyleaf, underlining on some pages, no dust jacket. Coombs provides instruction on playing each position and more than 40 pages on baseball offense. He was the winningest pitcher in the American League in 1910 and 1911. He played also for the Brooklyn Robins and Detroit Tigers.
Winning Bid $20
Lot 364. Frank Graham Books on the New York Yankees and Lou Gehrig. Graham wrote three of the baseball team histories in the Putnam series, including “The New York Yankees.” He was a sportswriter or columnist for the “New York Sun” from 1915-43, and the “New York Journal-American,” from 1945-65. In 1971, he was posthumously recognized by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with the J. G. Taylor Spink Award and, in 1997, by the Boxing Writers Association of America with the A. J. Liebling Award. Each is the organization’s highest award. Graham’s book on the Yankees is the 1958 revised edition, ex hardback book with minor corner wear in a g dust jacket. In 1942, G. P. Putnam’s Sons published “Lou Gehrig: A Quiet Man.” This special edition hardback is from E. M. Hale and Co. Cadmus Books published by arrangement with Putnam. Produced without a dust jacket, it has an illustration of Gehrig on the cover. The book is vg with minor writing inside the front cover, tape and tape residue inside the back cover and some wear on the outside of the back cover.
Winning Bid $10
Lot 365. “Winning Baseball” by Ethan Allen, “The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams, 3 More Books. The Allen and Williams books provide important fundamentals on playing baseball. Allen’s book, a 1942 first edition, is a 64-page 9” x 12” softcover published by McGraw-Hill. It is vg-ex and extensively illustrated. Allen was a center fielder and .300 career batter who played for six Major League teams, 1926-38. Williams’ book is a 1971 first printing 94-page hardcover, vg+ book and dust jacket. Williams is the focus of another book, “The Ted Williams Reader,” 1991 softcover, vg+, edited by Lawrence Baldassaro. The book has more than 30 articles on Williams by such writers as Bob Considine, Grantland Rice, Arthur Daley, Red Smith and John Updike. A 164-page softcover contains the “Major League Baseball Players Benefit Plan as amended April 1, 1980,” 164 pages, vg. Text is in English and Spanish. Also, “The Official Baseball Atlas, 1993 Edition,” 1993 Rand McNally 178-page softcover, ex-m. And a four-page brochure for the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando, FL, vg+ to ex.
Minimum Bid $20
Lot 366. “Strikeout Story” by Bob Feller. This 1947 first-edition hardback tells the story of a farm boy who, through a combination of ability and hard work, became a star pitcher for the Cleveland Indians at the age of 17. It includes many anecdotes about his father’s influence, his first Major League game and his problems with Judge Landis. The book is ex-m in a g+ to vg dust jacket. Feller was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility, after a career that included leading the A.L. in wins six times and in strikeouts seven times. He achieved baseball’s pitching triple crown in 1940. During World War II, he missed three MLB seasons in the prime of his career. “The Sporting News” ranked Feller 36th on its list of 100 greatest players of the 20th century.
Winning Bid $35
Lot 367. 3 Negro Leagues Books, One on the Indianapolis Clowns, and Clowns “Fun Program.” 1. “The Negro Baseball Leagues: A Photographic History” by Phil Dixon with Patrick J. Hannigan, 1992 apparent first edition, ex+ book and dust jacket, 364-page hardback, 8.75” x 11.25” format. 2. “The Negro Leagues Book” edited by Dick Clark and Larry Lester, 1994 softcover first edition from SABR, vg+ to ex with one page loose, 380 pages of history and excellent reference material, 8.5” x 11.25” format. 3. “Some Are Called Clowns: A Season with the Last of the Great Barnstorming Baseball Teams” by Bill Heward with Dimitri V. Gat, 1975 first printing paperback, 320 pages, vg+ to ex. 4. “Ed Hamman’s Indianapolis Clowns Baseball Laffs,” undated eight-page program likely from the early 1970s with sports jokes, some information on the team and photos of “Outstanding Graduates” of the team – Hank Aaron and Paul Casanova. Vg.
Winning Bid $50
Lot 368. 6 Baseball Books Including Biographies of Babe Ruth, Moe Berg and Andrew Dawson. Also, a book on the business of baseball by Marvin Miller and two books with brief profiles of hundreds of players. The biographies and Miller’s book are hardbacks. 1. “Babe Ruth: His Life and Times” by Paul Adomites and Saul Wisnia, 1995 first edition, 240 illustrated pages on Ruth’s life and career marking the 125th anniversary of his birth. Nm-m book and dust jacket. 2. “Moe Berg: Athlete, Scholar, Spy” by Louis Kaufman, et al., 1974 second printing, classic book on the catcher who had a modest MLB career in 1923 and from 1926-39 with five different teams. He then served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Ex+ book with the owner’s name on the flyleaf and inside the back cover; vg+ dust jacket. 3. “Hawk” by Andre Dawson with Tom Bird, foreword by Ernie Banks, 1994 first edition, ex-m to nm book, ex-m dj. Dawson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. 4. “A Whole Different Ball Game: The Sport and Business of Baseball” by Marvin Miller, preface by Studs Terkel, introduction by Bill James, 1991 first edition, vg-ex book and dj with damage to the book covers, nm-m pages. Under Miller’s leadership as executive director from 1966-82, the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) became one of the nation’s strongest unions. Red Barber called him, after Babe Ruth, “the second most influential man in the history of baseball.” Miller was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. 5. “Aaron to Zuverink” by Rich Marazzi and Len Fiorito, 1984 Avon first printing, 526 pages, more than 1,000 profiles of 1950s MLB players, vg softcover. 6. “Aaron to Zipfel” by Rich Marazzi and Len Fiorito, 1985 Avon first printing, 594 pages, profiles of 1960s players, vg softcover.
Winning Bid $15
Lot 369. 9 Baseball Biographies – Cobb, Joe Jackson, Koufax, Berg, Snider, and Spahn. Unless otherwise noted, these books are softcovers. Two books tell Ty Cobb’s story: “Ty Cobb: His Tumultuous Life and Times” by Richard Bak, 1994, ex-m. The other “Ty Cobb” book, by Norman Macht, is a hardcover from the Baseball Legends series, 1993, ex+, published without a dust jacket. Two other hardbacks are from the series, “Sandy Koufax” by John Grabowski, 1992, vg+ to ex, and “Duke Snider” by Peter Bjarkman, 1994, ex. These books are apparent first editions that never had dust jackets. Two books with the same title focus on Joe Jackson: “Say It Ain’t So, Joe” by Donald Gropman, 1979 first printing, Lynx edition, ex+. And the revised and updated 1992 version, a first edition from Carol Publishing, vg+ to ex. The other softcovers are: “The Warren Spahn Story” by Bob Cutter, 1964, magazine format, 24 illustrated pages, vg+. “Moe Berg: Athlete, Scholar…Spy” by Louis Kaufman et al., 1976 Ballantine first printing, vg. The final book, “Baseball Stars of 1967,” edited by Ray Robinson, has profiles of many players, 1967 Pyramid first edition, vg+.
Minimum Bid $20
Lot 370. Boggs and Mack Autobiographies and 4 Books of Inside Baseball Stories and History. In 1950, Connie Mack published his “My 66 Years in the Big Leagues.” His 88-page stated first edition softcover book is g-vg with the covers held together with several small pieces of tape. The pages have an ex appearance. Wade Boggs’ 96-page autobiography, “Boggs!” is an apparent first edition softcover from 1986, vg-ex, with pages better than the cover. The third book with an autobiographic perspective is “The American Diamond” by Branch Rickey with Robert Riger, 1965 stated first printing, vg+ to ex hardcover with a stain on the front cover, dust jacket missing. Rickey provides a 204-page personal history and perspective of the game. The three other books provide players’ stories as told to various authors: “My Greatest Day in Baseball” as told to John P. Carmichael and others, 1945 first edition hardback, ex-m book, vg-ex dust jacket. “Conversations with Baseball Greats” by Art Rust Jr., 1989 hardback, ex-m book, ex dj. And “Teenagers, Graybeards and 4-F’s, Volume 1, The National League” by Harrington Crissey Jr., 1981 first edition softcover signed by the author as Kit Crissey, ex-m. These books present the stories of such stars as Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Satchel Paige, Christy Mathewson, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, as well as lesser known players such as Connie Ryan, Bobby Bragan, Swish Nicholson, Joe Nuxhall, Bucky Walters, Andy Seminick and Harry Walker.
Minimum Bid $30
Lot 371. 7 Baseball Histories Focusing on the A.L., N.L., World Series, Pre-1920s and Black Sox. Two histories are official league publications: 1. “American League Golden Anniversary 1901-1951,” edited by Earl Hilligan, 16-page softcover, ex. 2. “The Official History of the National League” edited by Charles Segar, 96-page extensively illustrated hardcover, ex-m book and ex dust jacket. 3. Pre-1920 baseball is the subject of Robert F. Burk’s “Never Just a Game: Players, Owners & American Baseball to 1920,” 1994 first edition hardback, ex book and dj. 4. Harvey Frommer picks up where Burk left off in “Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball,” 1992 ex-library copy, vg book and dust jacket with library markings. 5. “The World Series: A Pictorial History…10 of the Best” is a 48-pages softcover by John Devaney et al. that promotes Nabisco products, ex-m. Baseball history is covered more generally in: 6. “Album of Baseball: A Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary” by Harvey Frommer, 1988 ex-library hardcover without a dust jacket, g+ to vg. And 7. “The Baseball Anthology: 125 Years of Stories, Poems, Articles … and Other Memorabilia” by Joseph Wallace, 1994, ex-library with limited markings, otherwise ex book and vg-ex dj.
Minimum Bid $15
Lot 372. 9 Books – 8 on Baseball’s Best and 1 on Unsung Heroes. 1. “Baseball’s Greatest Players from Ty Cobb to Willie Mays” by Tom Meany, 1955 softcover with “true-life stories of the game’s immortals,” vg+ to ex. 2. “The Sluggers: Those Fabulous Long Ball Hitters” by John Holway, 1989 hardback, vg+ to ex, made without a dust jacket. 3. “Baseball’s Hall of Fame” by Ken Smith, 1970 revised edition, paperback, ex. 4. “The Greatest in Baseball” by Mac Davis, 1969 softcover, g-vg. 5. “Great Pitchers” by Greg Scott, 1989 softcover, ex+. 6. “Great Rookies” by Greg Scott, 1989 softcover, ex-m. 7. “Baseball’s Greatest Hitters” by S. A. Kramer, 1995 hardback without a dj, ex+. 8. “Daguerreotypes of Great Stars of Baseball” by Paul MacFarlane, 1968 softcover with 242 pages of career statistics for baseball’s greatest players, ex+. 9. A book with both “greats” and above average players, “Unsung Heroes of the Major Leagues” by Art Berke, 1976 hardcover without a dj, vg. Subjects include Phil Niekro, Billy Williams, Tony Perez, Thurman Munson, Joe Rudi, Bill Melton and others. 10. Also, a booklet, “Baseball’s All Time Great Stars Vol. 1,” no publisher, eight pages, images of 18 players including Ruth, Williams, Gehrig and Wagner, 1960s or 1970s, ex-m.
Minimum Bid $15
Lot 373. 11 Books, Mostly Baseball, with 2 Covering Other Sports as Well. The multi-sport books are: 1. “Sports in the Movies” by Ronald Bergan, 1982 softcover apparent first edition, 160 pages, ex-m with a cover price sticker partially removed. The book discusses movies related to sports ranging from auto racing to tennis, including baseball, boxing, cricket, football, horse racing and more. 2. “Pictorial History of American Sports from Colonial Times to the Present” by John Durant and Otto Bettmann, 1952 apparent first edition, 280 illustrated pages, vg, published without a dust jacket. At least 26 sports receive some attention, from auto to yacht racing. The other books focus solely on baseball: 3. “The Pros Say It’s O.K. to Say NO to Drugs!” by Susan Amerikaner, 1986 softcover coloring book, 48 pages with illustrations of 44 baseball players, unused, ex-m. 4. “The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading, and Bubble Gum Book,” Brendan Boyd and Fred Harris, 1973 softcover; a Ted Kluszewski photo on back-to-back pages (119-120) is cut out but present, otherwise vg-ex. 5. “Diamonds Are Forever: Artists and Writers on Baseball” edited by Peter H. Gordon et al., 1987 first edition softcover, ex-m with paintings and other artwork by a broad range of baseball artists. 6. “The Great American Baseball Scrapbook” by A. D. Suehsdorf, 1978 hardback, ex-m+ book, vg+ dust jacket. 7-8. 2 copies, “The Vest-Pocket Encyclopedia of Baseball” by Hy Turkin and S. C. Thompson, 1956 paperback, 320 pages, vg. 9. “The Official History of the National League” edited by Charles Segar, 96-page extensively illustrated hardcover, g-vg book, dust jacket absent. 10. “The Baseball Anthology: 125 Years of Stories, Poems, Articles … and Other Memorabilia” by Joseph Wallace, 1994, g cover, ex-m complete interior, dj missing. 11. Also, “Gene Mack's Hall of Fame Cartoons of Major League Ball Parks” by Gene Mack, 1947, f softcover, covers missing, all 32 pages present, large chip in the lower right corner, all text and illustrations present and complete, small tear on the Shibe Park illustration.
Minimum Bid $15
Lot 374. 7 Books, 1 on Football, and the Premier Issue of SABR’s “The National Pastime.” Two publications are from SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research: “The National Pastime: A Review of Baseball History,” Premier Issue, Fall 1992, ex, and “Baseball for the Fun of It” by Mark Alvarez et al., 1997, extensively illustrated, ex. The initial issue of “The National Pastime” has articles by Lawrence Ritter, Mark Rucker and Lew Lipset, and Bob Carroll, and articles on Ray Dandridge, Cool Papa Bell, 19th century baseball and many other topics. Red Grange selected the articles for the football book, “My Favorite Football Stories,” 1955 paperback, vg-ex. The book offers one story by Grange and others by such writers as Grantland Rice, Damon Runyon and Knute Rockne on important players and events. Five of the other baseball books are softcovers. The hardback, published without a dust jacket, is “Strange But True Baseball Stories” by Furman Bisher, 1974 printing, vg-ex with a touching inscription on the flyleaf. One book contains 45 perforated baseball cards, nine to a page – “More Little Big Leaguers: Amazing Boyhood Stories of Today’s Baseball Stars” by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, ex-m. The cards, which are nm or better, show such stars as Ken Griffey Jr., Kirby Puckett and Don Mattingly as Little League players. Also: “Big-Time Baseball” by Michael H. Hart, 192 pages of entertaining baseball stories with player photos and cartoons, vg with ex pages. Nash and Zullo are also the authors of “The Baseball Hall of Fame,” 1985, ex+ with a price sticker on the front cover. Also, “My Greatest Day in Baseball as told to John P. Carmichael,” 1948 printing, g+ to vg. And “Who Was Harry Steinfeldt & Other Baseball Trivia Questions” by Bert Randolph Sugar, 1976, g-vg.
Minimum Bid $20
