I still have my dingy 1989 copy, which helped me get through a boring summer that year! (I was only 14 at the time)

Still, all these years later, even though some of the records have changed, and there are new ballparks and teams, I still refer to my old copy all the time, especially in December and January, when it seems like spring training will never arrive!

Not just a trivia book (though fear not; you will certainly find plenty of that, such as the last wood stadium, the best one-eyed players, the toughest batter to strike out on Tuesday when the bells ring)- more of a baseball history book, humorously told and colored with fabulous stories- truth is crazier than fiction, after all. I am overjoyed to see that this book has been updated... can't wait for the 2001 copy.

A great book!

I've picked up four editions of this book over the years, including the 1999 one. It's interesting to me, and fun, to watch how Nemec manages to incorporate new records and new developments in the game and at the same time maintain the book's basic structure. He even added a new era a couple of years ago--but so neatly I wasn't even aware of it at first. It also brought out the first study I've ever seen on pitchers' batting records. I'd guess there'll be another new edition in 2000, and it'll be interesting once again to see how all the wild new developments in this past season are interwoven.

This is a great book to take to a game with you. I do and read it between innings or, like today, during rain delays. Some unusual stuff here that's new to me anyway. Like "The 10 Worst Pinch Hitters". Only one ex-Oriole, Woody Held. Never realized he was that bad until I saw him in this book.

This is quite simply one of the best coming-of-age novels I've ever encountered, especially in its unique explorations of what it feels like to be a young athlete with good but not exceptional ability who has aspirations of stardom. The scenes between Ben and his father are so frank at times they're almost too painful to read. The author is also right on target in each and every relationship he depicts between Ben and a coach or a so-called "male" adviser.

Nemec is one the most unappreciated fiction writers we have. Every one of his books is gutsy and passionate and full of strange twists. This book combines accurate, unsentimental pictures of growing up in the 50's in tight concentric circles with the drama and risk of breaking out of those circles into manhood.

Fantastic novel! I read it once quickly and then had to reread it to savor the exquisite subtleties. It caught the trials and tribulations of a boy growing up in the mid-1950s perfectly. Ben's story brought back the poignancy of my high school years all too clearly: the yearning for those cute coeds that I was too painfully shy to talk to, much less ask for a date, and that secret longing for a mysterious older woman of the world who would initiate me into the wonders of manhood. Well done.

Stonesifer is a voice we really have to heed. He seems so much your average disappointed middle-aged guy at first. But after being in his head awhile I really started to get very tense. This might have been what Ted Bundy would have sounded like if he had ever told his own true story. The thing is Stonesifer makes such a powerful case for why he's become what he has. Thankfully this isn't a true story, but you certainly get the feeling it could be.

I have to admit I get suspicious when I read so many great reviews online about a book I've never heard of or seen reviewed in major publications. But in this case the reader reviewers are really right. Stonesifer is a wonderful book of its type. I guess I wouldn't really call it a mystery, but it certainly is a mystery why it doesn't have tons of readers. I would think this author would have a huge audience if people just knew about his book. It really has some amazing insights about the present state of affairs in the battle between the sexes. Plus, a lot of fascinating takes on San Francisco and the New York publishing scene.

I happened to buy this book in San Francisco while I was there this July. Whee!!! Does it ever capture what it's like to be in SF in the summer. It also captures what it feels like a lot of the time now if you're a man approaching middle age without nearly as much as you'd hoped for to show for your years. This author really knows San Francisco and his character. I actually read part of this book on Ocean Beach on a day so cold it was nearly empty. Just about every day while I was there was like that, but I hardly noticed what it was like around me while I was reading. The author really pulls you right inside his character from the get-go and keeps you there the whole way. A great read.

This book is very accurate description of the first 100 years of baseball in the U.S. THe book follows the major leagues in incriments of 10 years up until 2000. Moreover, the book adds important information about how important times in history effected the game. For example- racism and the depression of the 1920's. This book is a MUST read for any serious baseball fan or "history buff."

This book is a great review of the first century of major league baseball. Not only is it extremely accurate, but it shows how baseball changed due to the problems facing the U.S.- ie the depression and racism. This is a must read for any baseball fan.

The absolutely most amazing thing about this book is that apparently only one mind is responsible for putting it together. The second absolutely most amazing thing is that it was done over 20 years ago.

Baseball More Than 150 Years is a must for the baseball fan. The co-authors David Nemec and Saul Wisnia did a wonderful job covering baseball from the very first game on June 19, 1846 through the 1900's. I myself am a baseball lover and I have never read or seen anything about the game that is more in depth than this book. This book goes into every year from1846 through 1995 giving pictures of the first teams, early uniforms and the first games. It also talks about all the major changes and breakthroughs in baseball every year. Also in this book starting in 1900 it gives information about one player who is the player of the year in the eyes of the authors.
This book is split up into 12 parts: the early years, the turn of the century, the 1900's, the 1910's and so on until the 1990's. My personal favorite chapter is the 1960's section, because I love reading and watching things about the M&M boys or Roger Maris, and Mickey Mantle. Another thing that I like about the 1960's is the year 1960 was "The greatest hitter of all times" last year that is Ted Williams if you didn't know.
I also like reading about the 1940's, because those were Ted William's glory days, he really made a name for himself in the 40's. This chapter also goes in depth of Jackie Robinson's first years after he broke the color barrier, and it talks about his struggles he had to go through just so he could play the game. Even though he was not the first African-American to play professional baseball he was the first to make a name for himself, which is why he is such a big person in this book.
I like to read about the 70's too, because I am a Cincinnati Reds fan the 70's were the years they dominated as Tony Perez, Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr., Joe Morgan, and Johnny Bench led the " Big Red Machine". Also in the 70's were the years possibly the best player of all time had his best years. That man is Roberto Clemente. Plus in 1974 The all time career home run record was broken by Hank Aaron.
All though I was not born yet to see all these things happen I still love to read and see about them. All though I like reading about the 40's through the 70's I also enjoy reading about the 90's too. I enjoy ready about Cal Ripkin breaking Lou Gehrig's "Iron Man" record of 2,130 games.
Enough about my opinion, I suggest you go out to your local library or to the nearest book store and buy this book. Baseball More Than 150 Years, especially if you are a baseball fan you will love this book

I think I know a lot about baseball until I meet up with another one of Nemec's trivia books. Along about the second page I remember that there's a lot more than I don't know. Nemec's stuff isn't really trivia. He's very good at making you feel that you're always learning something about your favorite game as you have fun doing battle with his many great questions about it.

After reading Nemec's recent Stonesifer, I was compelled to try to find his earliest novels. Not easy. I finally found The Systems of M.R. Shurnas via interlibrary loan. It's readily apparent why this book is relatively unknown. Nemec was way, way ahead of his time when he wrote it. His approach here to his protagonist is also much more European than American. Shurnas is nevertheless as memorable a character in his way as Stonesifer, and the book is a hidden classic.

For some reason, 1900/1901 seems to be a magical boundary for baseball history books. There are two possible reasons for this. First, 1900 or 1901 (depending on how you look at it) marked the beginning of the twentieth century, and, in the eyes of many, the "modern era" of baseball. Second, 1900 was the inagural season of the American League, the renamed incarnation of Ban Johnson's Western League. In 1901, the American League elevated itself to major-league status, initiating the two-league format that exists to this day.

While those are certainly convenient benchmarks, they arbitrarily overlook what came before as somehow "irrelevant" or not "modern". David Nemec's book proves that baseball is a story of gradual evolution, rather than an overnight coming of age. It can be argued that modern baseball began in 1871, the year that the first professional baseball (or Base Ball) league began play. The National Association of Base Ball Players officially recognized baseball as a business -- even if the Supreme Court still refuses to do so. Players were openly paid to play what many had argued was an amateur sport of gentlemen, clubs, exercise, and grand feasts. The NA had its share of problems -- gambling, contract-jumping, rowdiness, and organizational chaos. Teams came and went -- Philadelphia had three separate teams in 1875. One team, the Boston Red Stockings, was dominant in a field of teams with questionable talent. All a team needed to do was pay a $10 fee and they were in the association. Hence teams from Chicago and Boston were forced to play squads from Middletown (Connecticut), Fort Wayne (Indiana) and Keokuk (Iowa).

The National League of 1876 changed all of that. Unlike its predecessor, it centered around teams, not players. It instituted reforms such as the hated reserve clause and territorial rights and market threshholds. Gambling was not tolerated. Nor were Sunday games or beer at the park.

Baseball evolved over the following decades into the "modern" game that historians pick up from 1900. Batters were no longer out if their hits were caught after one bounce. Three strikes -- not four -- resulted in an out, while four balls -- instead of nine -- lead to a walk. Home plate became five-sided, and the pitcher's box was replaced by the familiar mound. This compensated for the move of the pitcher from 45 to 60 feet, 6 inches from the plate.

Nineteenth-century baseball also had its share of heros and characters. Cap Anson, who became the first player to amass 3,000 hits, was the primary figure behind the drawing of the racial color line to haunt the game for decades. Other greats included Dan Brouthers, Cal McVey, "King" Kelly, Wilbert Robinson, and so on.

Nemec's book captures the development of the game quite well through his season-by-season accounts from 1871 to 1900, showing the evolution of the rules of the game and the major events of each season. The book is liberally peppered with rare team and player photographs. Most importantly, the book is a virtual clearinghouse of statistics for nineteeth-century players.

Now for a few criticisms. While Nemec's style is chatty, with plenty of sidebars detailing unusual characters and trivia about nineteeth-century episodes, the text clearly reflects Nemec's passion for statistics. Some episodes revolve around debates over batting averages or pitching numbers that occured over a century after the fact. Nemec focuses on his personal disputes with accepted statistics, which is fine to a point, but he gets carried away with his "findings".

Also, while he spends a good deal of time on the changing nature of the rules of the game from year to year -- which is quite eye-opening -- he spends little time on some of the other, more subtle changes off the record books that were equally important. No mention is made of the development of modern equipment, such as masks or gloves, or how this affected the game or led to the changing of the rules. No discussions involved the way in which ballparks evolved, how baseball coverage changed, or how baseball became a truly modern business with expanding numbers and types of fans.

Having said all this, this is the most comprehensive and systematic treatment of nineteenth-century baseball yet compiled. If nothing else, this book's significance may lie in forging the path for other books to follow and expand upon its scope.

A teriffic account of the begining of professional base ball. Every season from 1871 - 1900 is reviewed accompanied by numerous photographs. A pitchers and players index for all 19th century ball players is included and an all-time records section is also compiled.
A very thorough work on 19th century base ball.

A true treasure house of information regarding an era that has been overlooked for WAY too long------my congrats to Mr. Nemec

The best baseball book I've ever bought sight unseen. When I started leafing through it I couldn't believe my eyes. There are photos in here that I doubt even the Hall of Fame knows exist. A team picture of the 1890 Columbus Solons? And with all the players identified? But the photo and caption about the days when gloves still could be left on the field was my favorite. A really neat book.

I have to take exception to the last reviewer even though I'm not really a big fan of the 19th century either. This book takes you on a complete journey throughout baseball history unlike most similar type books that would have you believe everything that happened before 1900 doesn't count. Sure it counts, and Nemec's book convinces you--okay, me anyway--that every player and record he cites in it is important from 1871 to the present. I will agree, though, that the answer section leaves something to be desired. My solution was to insert a kind of permanent bookmark so I could turn to it easily. Anyway, I really liked it a lot even if I too didn't exactly bat 1.000 on all the questions.

If you have a teenage son, as do I, I don't see how you can go wrong here if he likes baseball. My older son got this book for his birthday and that was the last we saw of him for about a week. He still loves it so much and is so possessive of it that I now have to get another copy to give my younger boy for Christmas. P.S. Their father might just wind up getting one too.