Baseball, Geoffrey C. Ward
Baseball, Geoffrey C. Ward
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Baseball

Author: Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns

Narrator: Ken Burns

Abridged: 6 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/21/2010


Synopsis

The companion to Ken Burns’s magnificent PBS television series—updated and expanded to coincide with the broadcast of a new, two-part Tenth Inning directed with Lynn Novick.
 
The authors of the acclaimed and bestselling The Civil War, Jazz, and The War turn to another uniquely American phenomenon: baseball. Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns’s moving and fascinating history of the game goes beyond stolen bases, double plays, and home runs to demonstrate how baseball has been influenced by, and has in turn influenced, American life. The audiobook covers every milestone of the game: from the rules drawn up in 1845 by Alexander Cartwright to the American League’s introduction of the designated hitter in 1973; from the 1924 Negro World Series to Jack Roosevelt Robinson’s major-league debut, from the first curve ball in 1867 to Nolan Ryan’s seventh and last no-hitter in 1991. This new edition brings the authors’ monumental work into the twenty-first century: steroids, home-run records, the rise of Latino players, the long-awaited Red Sox World Series victory, and so much more. Baseball is an audiobook that speaks to all Americans.

About The Author

Geoffrey C. Ward is a historian and biographer and the author of fourteen books. He won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1989 and the Francis Parkman Prize in 1990. He is also the winner of five Emmys and two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work for public television. He lives in New York City.Ken Burns’s films include The National Parks, Jazz, Baseball, and The Civil War, which was the highest-rated series in the history of American public television. His work has won numerous prizes, including the Emmy and Peabody Awards, two Academy Award nominations, and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He lives in Walpole, New Hampshire.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jose on January 15, 2023

(2nd review) Baseball is the most beautiful sport whose history parallels both the amazing and tragic parts of American history, this book doesn’t shy from either. Like the first time I read it, I cried a couple times. Jackie Robinson’s / Cal Ripken Jr’s / the 94 strike/ and Ichiro’s stories just cu......more

Goodreads review by Steven on September 14, 2009

This volume contains a lot that is very good. Its structure is a bit forced (nine innings, or periods, of baseball history). The 9th inning, as others have noted, covers a large time frame compared with earlier "innings." I'm not sure that the decade is the best way of organizing baseball history, e......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on August 14, 2014

Enjoyed......more

Goodreads review by Katy on February 05, 2017

Great review of Baseball history--including details on major players, managers, owners, and movements in the game. Surprised the most of the book was about what seemed to happen off the field rather than on it. Learned a lot that I hadn't known before. The 10th Inning addition was disappointing--fel......more

Goodreads review by Zach on March 08, 2025

(Listened to the audiobook multiple times) While I love the stories and history tied to our National pastime, this reading made me a little disappointed as I wonder if baseball best years are behind us. It’s not because the talent isn’t there, but because the frenetic energy of our society really goe......more


Quotes

“A rich concoction of narrative, essays, and photos [that] dazzles the eye.... In so many ways you are reminded that rooting for baseball is like breathing.” —The New York Times

“Stirring and reflective.... A beautiful book that stands on its own in any league.” —David E. Jones, Chicago Tribune

“Glorious nuggets are set amid the clear, warm narrative and hundreds of classic images.... Highest marks for browseability, but the true reward comes from the longer essays by folks still smitten by the game.” —USA Today