Baseball's Best Books

Some fiction, some non, but all favorite books about America's favorite past time.
Updated September 19, 2022
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The natural
Malamud, Bernard
Paper Book
The classical novel (and basis for the acclaimed film starring Robert Redford) now in a new edition Introduction by Kevin Baker The Natural, Bernard Malamud's first novel, published in 1952, is also the first--and some would say still the best-...
Shoeless Joe
W. P. Kinsella
Ebook
The novel that inspired Field of Dreams: "A lyrical, seductive, and altogether winning concoction." --The New York Times Book Review   One of Sports Illustrated's 100 Greatest Sports Books   "If you build it, he will come."...
The Brothers K
David James Duncan
Ebook
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK   Once in a great while a writer comes along who can truly capture the drama and passion of the life of a family. David James Duncan, author of the novel The River Why and the collection River Teeth, is just such a writer....
Moneyball : the art of winning an unfair game
Lewis, Michael
Paper Book
Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. Following the low-budget Oakland Athletics, their larger-than-life general manger, Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts, Michael Lewis has written not only "the single most influential baseball book ever"...
The art of fielding : a novel
Harbach, Chad
Paper Book
A disastrous error on the field sends five lives into a tailspin in this widely acclaimed tale about love, life, and baseball, praised by the New York Times as "wonderful...a novel that is every bit as entertaining as it is affecting." 
We are the ship : the story of Negro League baseball
Nelson, Kadir.
Paper Book
In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues! Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award ...
The only way is the steady way : essays on baseball, Ichiro, and how we watch the game
Forbes, Andrew
Paper Book
Essays about baseball's past, present, and future--and the wisdom of Ichiro Suzuki The Only Way Is the Steady Way is a baseball memoir in scorecards and baseball cards, a recollection of the game's biggest stars and outlandish personalities, and introspective letters to a...
The last hero : a life of Henry Aaron
Bryant, Howard
Paper Book
In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron's reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five...

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