As a contributor to this book, I must say that this is one of the best collections of baseball writing I have seen. W.C. Madden has gone through great lengths to make this book successful and I am proud to be a part of it and the greatest game played.

Don't buy this book if you want an exhaustive review of the first-year player draft. While the book's advertising, and cover, promise a list of every player drafted by each club since the draft was instituted since 1965, all you get is a list of players who made the majors. This isn't that helpful, especially for those of us who do research. Add to that a high price tag and typographical and factual errors pockmarking nearly every page, and you have a disaster. While I hate to heap such invective on a simple book, honesty compels.

Right now I am performing a large independent study for my graduate program on Baseball's First Year Player Draft. My study only goes back to 1991 - and the amount of work is absolutely killing me. So, I know how difficult it must have been for Mr. Madden to research a book on the draft all the way back to 1965.

Despite this fact, I have found it to be a very unreliable resource.

Another reviewer pointed out that consumers -might- be mislead into to thinking that this book will list every player who has ever been drafted, when in fact the book only lists (and SOMETIMES describes) players who made it to the majors.

That's true, but I'll take it one step further. There are some players who were drafted and DID make it to the major leagues that are omitted from the book (in case the writer reads this... Shawn Barton, Philadelphia Phillies drafted in the 21st round in 1984 who made it to the majors in the 90's is one example).

There are essays at the beginning of the book on the history and future of the draft that I did find interesting and somewhat useful. However, due to the omission of players in the other sections of the book, I am unwilling to accept this history as accurate without confirmation from outside sources.

Back around 1990, Baseball America Published a study on the draft which is - in my opinion - still the standard by which all draft guides are measured. I heard some of their writers say on mlb.radio that they are considering doing an updated one in the next year or so. I hope that information is accurate, as I will be first in line to buy it.

Mr. Madden gets a B+ for effort, because I know this type of research isn't easy (Stats, Inc. and other companies, for example, keep track of where retired players went to high school and college. They will charge you mightily for such information. Your only other alternative is to purchase old baseball registers and look players up one by one) but Mr. Madden a C- or worse for results.