Diamond Classics

Mike Shannon is the co-founder and current editor-in-chief of Spitball magazine. The author of more than a dozen baseball books, he lives in Cincinnati.

“Mike Shannon is a name well known to serious baseball fans”—Sports Collectors Digest; “a remarkable survey of baseball literature.... For each [:] the content, author’s background, and the book’s significance—often with critical comments of others. A unique resource useful for selection, reference, and yes, fun reading”—Library Journal; “outstanding”—Choice.

• Table of ContentsIntroduction deletexiAmerican Baseball IAmerican Baseball IIAmerican Baseball IIIThe American Diamond delete 13The Annotated Casey at the Bat delete 16The Armchair Book of Baseball delete 21Babe: The Legend Comes to Life delete 23Ball Four delete 29Bang the Drum Slowly delete 34Baseball [photographs] delete 39Baseball: A Historical NarrativeBaseball AmericaBaseball as I Have Known itBaseball Between the LinesThe Baseball EncyclopediaBaseball I Gave You All the Best Years of My LifeBaseball Is a Funny GameBaseball When the Grass Was RealBaseball’s Best: The MVPsBaseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie RobinsonBaseball’s 100: A Personal RankingBeating the BushesThe Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe Bingo Long Traveling All-StarsBo: Pitching and WooingThe Boys of SummerThe Bronx ZooBums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn DodgersThe Bush LeagueCan’t Anybody Here Play the GameThe CelebrantThe Chrysanthemum and the BatClemente!A Day in the BleachersDestiny’s DarlingsDiamonds Are ForeverDock Ellis in the Country of BaseballDollar Sign on the MuscleEight Men OutA False Spring 160Fan PoemsFear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall StoryThe Fireside Book of Baseball 174The Second Fireside Book of Baseball 179The Third Fireside Book of Baseball 182Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion 186The Glory of Their Times 190Good Enough to Dream 195The Great American Baseball Card...Book 198The Great American Novel 202The Hidden Game of Baseball 207The Hot Stove League 211How Life Imitates the World Series 214I Don’t Care if I Never Come Back 218The Image of Their Greatness 221Insider’s Baseball 224Invisible Men 228It’s Good to Be Alive 232Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud 236The Long Season 240The Lords of Baseball 244The Man Who Invented Baseball 248Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever 251The Men in Blue 255Mighty Casey: All-American 260The Miracle at Coogan’s Bluff 264My Baseball Diary 268My Life in Baseball 272My Turn at Bat 275The Natural 279Nice Guys Finish Last  284Nobody’s Perfect 288One for the Record: Hank Aaron 292Only the Ball Was White 297Out of Left Field: Willie Stargell 301Out of My League 305Pennant Race 310The Pitcher 314Sandlot Peanuts 317Say It Ain’t So, Joe!A Season in the Sun 326Shoeless Joe 332Some Are Called Clowns 338Stengel: His Life and Times 342The Suitors of Spring 346The Summer Game 350Take Me Out to the Ballpark 356A Thinking Man’s Guide to Baseball 360This Great Game 366The Thrill of the Grass 369Topps Baseball Cards 373Ty Cobb 376The Ultimate Baseball Book 382The Umpire Strikes Back 386The Universal Baseball Association, Inc. 390Veeck as in Wreck 394Voices from the Great Black Baseball Leagues 400The Way It Is 404Why Time Begins on Opening Day 408Willie’s Time 412The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant 416You Know Me Al 422Index 427