The Best MLB Books 2025

1. October 1964, (Paperback)

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * THE BEST SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR "October 1964 should be a hit with old-time baseball fans, who'll relish the opportunity to relive that year's to-die-for World Series, when the dynastic but aging New York Yankees squared off against the upstart St. Louis Cardinals. It should be a hit with younger students of the game, who'll eat up the vivid portrayals of legends like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris of the Yankees and Bob Gibson and Lou Brock of the Cardinals. Most of all, however, David Halberstam's new book should be a hit with anyone interested in understanding the important interplay between sports and society." --The Boston Globe "Compelling...1964 is a chronicle of the end of a great dynasty and of a game, like the country, on the cusp of enormous change." --Newsweek "Halberstam's latest gives us the feeling of actually being there--in another time, in the locker rooms and in the minds of baseball legends. His time and effort researching the book result in a fluency with his topic and a fluidity of writing that make the reading almost effortless....Absorbing." --San Francisco Chronicle "Wonderful...Memorable...Halberstam describes the final game of the 1964 series accurately and so dramatically, I almost thought I had forgotten the ending." --The Washington Post Book World "Superb reporting...Incisive analysis...You know from the start that Halberstam is going to focus on a large human canvas...One of the many joys of this book is the humanity with which Halberstam explores the characters as well as the talents of the players, coaches and managers. These are not demigods of summer but flawed, believable human beings who on occasion can rise to peaks of heroism." --Chicago Sun-Times

October 1964, (Paperback) Author: Random House Publishing Group ISBN: 9780449983676 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1995-04-11 Page Count: 416

2. O Holy Cow!: The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto (Expanded), (Paperback)

Phil Rizzuto, famed shortstop and broadcaster extraordinaire for the New York Yankees, has waxed poetic on America's favorite pastime since the glorious days of Mantle and Maris. For more than a quarter century the Bard of the Booth has captured great moments in baseball - and effortlessly woven them together with essential and often hilarious insights into the human condition. Editors Tom Peyer and Hart Seely have forever captured Rizzuto's unmistakable voice in this collection, which gathers his funniest and most inspiring verses - from comments on Maris getting booed to explications of how the Red Sox control the weather. With an introduction by Roy Blount, Jr., and game stats following each poem, \"O Holy Cow!\" is a must for baseball fans, Scooter devotees, and everyone interested in major league fun.

O Holy Cow!: The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto (Expanded), (Paperback) Author: Ecco Press ISBN: 9780061567131 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2008-03-25 Page Count: 208

3. Black Dog of Fate (Paperback) by Peter Balakian

9780767902540. New condition. Trade paperback. Language: English. Pages: 289. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 289 p. Contains: Illustrations. A prize-winning poet explores the Armenian past that haunted his family's American identity--dark secrets marked by the Turkish government's extermination of more than a million Armenians in 1915.

9780767902540. New condition. Trade paperback. Language: English. Pages: 289. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 289 p. Contains: Illustrations. A prize-winning poet explores the Armenian past that haunted his family's American identity--dark secrets marked by the Turkish government's extermination of more than a million Armenians in 1915.

4. The Pacific and Other Stories

A dazzling collection of short stories by Mark Helprin, bestselling author of Winter's Tale, which is now a major motion picture starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, William Hurt, and Jennifer Connelly The Pacific and Other Stories is a collection of sixteen stories that display the remarkable scope, incomparable wit, and deft prose that have come to be Mark Helprin's signature. A British paratrooper jumps into occupied territory; the 1958 New York Yankees gain an unexpected teammate in a puny, teenaged Hasidic Jew; a September 11th widow receives an astonishing gift from the contractor working on her new apartment--these and other stories exhibit the constantly changing variety of the ocean itself, the peaks and troughs of life. Lighthearted, glittering fables are met with starker tales that sound the depths of sacrifice and duty. The Pacific and Other Stories is a resplendent, powerful collection of lasting substance and emotional import.

ISBN: 9780143035763 Condition: New Trade paperback Language: English Pages: 384 Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. This collection of 16 stories displays the remarkable scope, incomparable wit, and deft prose that have come to be Helprin's signature. Lighthearted, glittering fables are met with starker tales that sound the depths of sacrifice and duty.

5. The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of America's First Mountain Soldiers and the Assault on Hitler's Europe, (Paperback)

When World War II broke out in Europe, the American army had no specialized division of mountain soldiers. But in the winter of 1939-40, after a tiny band of Finnish mountain troops brought the invading Soviet army to its knees, an amateur skier named Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole convinced the United States Army to let him recruit an extraordinary assortment of European expatriates, wealthy ski bums, mountaineers, and thrill-seekers and form them into a unique band of Alpine soldiers. These men endured nearly three years of grueling training in the Colorado Rockies and in the process set new standards for both soldiering and mountaineering. The newly forged 10th Mountain Division finally faced combat in the winter of 1945, in Italy's Apennine Mountains, against the seemingly unbreakable German fortifications north of the Gothic Line. There, they planned and executed what is still regarded as the most daring series of nighttime mountain attacks in U.S. military history, taking Mount Belvedere and the sheer, treacherous face of Riva Ridge to smash the linchpin of the German army's lines. Drawing on unique cooperation from veterans of the 10th Mountain Division and a vast archive of unpublished letters and documents, The Last Ridge is written with enormous warmth, energy, and honesty. This is one of the most captivating stories of World War II, a blend of Band of Brothers and Into Thin Air. It is a story of young men asked to do the impossible, and succeeding.

The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of America's First Mountain Soldiers and the Assault on Hitler's Europe, (Paperback) Author: Random House Trade ISBN: 9780375759512 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2004-11-09 Page Count: 336

6. The Pride and the Pressure : A Season Inside the New York Yankee Fishbowl 9780385520867

This riveting account from "New York Post" writer Morrissey takes readers inside the clubhouse of the 2006 New York Yankees and reveals what really goes on behind the hype, the media glare, and the roar of the fans surrounding the most fabled organization in the world of professional sports. ISBN: 9780385520867 ISBN10: 0385520867 Contributors: Causi, Anthony J., Morrissey, Michael,

The Pride and the Pressure : A Season Inside the New York Yankee Fishbowl (Hardcover) 9780385520867

7. Squeeze Play, (Paperback)

Inspired by the author's career as a sportswriter for the Washington Post, Squeeze Play tells the story of female reporter A. B. Berkowitz, who is assigned to cover the men of the Washington Senators -- the worst team in major league baseball. Life in the locker room shows her not just the players'...um...assets but also their all-too-human frailties. Love for the game and love for the newspaper business are the stars in this hilarious and heartbreaking novel that \"will have you singing a rousing chorus of 'Take Me Out to the Locker Room'\"(People).

Squeeze Play, (Paperback) Author: Harper Perennial ISBN: 9780060567743 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2003-08-14 Page Count: 400

8. Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio : Stones, Symbols and Stories (Paperback)

A guide to more than 150 cemeteries and memorials in 15 counties throughout Northeast Ohio. Shares the fascinating stories of Cleveland's most notable permanent residents, including celebrities, villains, patriarchs, and just plain folks. Gives details about where and when to visit, historical facts, oldest graves, and more. Meet hundreds of Northeast Ohio's most interesting permanent residents. This entertaining guide describes more than 150 cemeteries and memorials, the final resting place of celebrities, villains, heroes, inventors, tycoons, and just plain folks. Their stories range from strange disasters to noble achievements--and just about everything in between. Come stroll among the markers and meet ... Royalty, including "Polka King" Frankie Yankovic, "True Queen of the Gypsies" Lizzie Ely, and "Prince of Pickpockets" Louie Finkelstein "World's Strongest Man" Stanley Radwan, who once bit in half a 5/8-inch-thick piece of steel "International word sleuth" David Guralnik, the editor who added "ain't" to the dictionary John Malvin, who arrived as a freed slave and became the first American ship owner to bring his vessel through the port of Cleveland Aviatrix Mildred Natalie Stinaff, who set a record with 42 inside loops in 1930 and later died in her biplane The giant Captain Martin Van Buren Bates, discharged from the army because they couldn't find a uniform large enough to fit him Mob boss Angelo "Big Angie" Lonardo, who became the highest-ranking crime figure to testify on behalf of the federal government Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous--twelve steps lead up to the entrance of his house Gertrude Anna Harrison, the country's first women's golf pro and inventor of the golf-ball-return machine "World's richest man" John D. Rockefeller, on whose 400,000-pound(!) monument visitors still place shiny new dimes Ray Chapman, the only major league baseball player killed by a pitch The "Father of the American Christmas Tree" ... the inventor of the traffic light ... Buffalo Bill's grandfather ... the relic bones of St. Christina ... And hundreds more!

Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols and Stories (Paperback)

9. The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump (Paperback)

Ever since the ill-fated trade of Rocky Colavito to Detroit in 1960, Indians fans have watched their team stumble through an extraordinary array of misdeeds, misfortunes, and outright tragedies. This series of funny, fond, and irreverent vignettes captures the frustration, anger--and undying optimism--of baseball's worst team. Photos. "The year's funniest and most insightful baseball book." -- Chicago Tribune A classic look at those years of baseball futility and frustration that make the rare taste of success so much sweeter. Any team can have an off-decade. But three in a row? Only in Cleveland. No sports fans suffered more miserable teams for more seasons than Indians fans of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Terry Pluto takes a fond and often humorous look at "the bad old days" of the Tribe and finds plenty of great stories for fans to commiserate with. Other teams lose players to injuries; the Indians lost them to alcoholism (Sam McDowell), a nervous breakdown (Tony Horton), and the pro golf tour (Ken Harrelson). They even had to trade young Dennis Eckersley (a future Hall-of-Famer) because his wife fell in love with his best friend and teammate. Pluto profiles the men who made the Indians what they were, for better or worse, including Gabe Paul, the underfunded and overmatched general manager; Herb Score, the much-loved master of malaprops in the broadcast booth; Andre Thornton, who weathered personal tragedies and stood as one of the few hitting stalwarts on some terrible teams; and Super Joe Charboneau, who blazed across the American League as a rookie but flamed out the following season. Long-suffering Indians fans finally got an exciting, star-studded, winning team in the second half of the 1990s. But this book still stands as the definitive story of that generation of Tribe fans--and a great piece of sports history writing.

The Curse Of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look At A Thirty-Year Slump

10. Take Me Out to the Ballpark : An Illustrated Tour of Baseball Parks Past and Present

Featuring hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations of every Major League ballpark, famous stadiums from the past, and dozens of Minor and Negro league parks, Take Me Out to the Ballpark has surely earned its place as one of the most beloved baseball books. New stadiums in this completely revised and updated edition include Citizens Bank Ballpark (Philadelphia), PETCO Park (San Diego), and the newly renovated RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) home to the Washington Nationals. Crammed with the statistics baseball fans love, Take Me Out to the Ballpark will hit a home run with legions of new readers this fall.

Featuring hundreds of full-color photographs and illustrations of every Major League ballpark, famous stadiums from the past, and dozens of Minor and Negro league parks, Take Me Out to the Ballpark has surely earned its place as one of the most beloved baseball books. New stadiums in this completely revised and updated edition include Citizens Bank Ballpark (Philadelphia), PETCO Park (San Diego), and the newly renovated RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) home to the Washington Nationals. Crammed with the statistics baseball fans love, Take Me Out to the Ballpark will hit a home run with legions of new readers this fall.