The Baseball Timeline (DK American Original)
In this huge work, Solomon updates and expands his 1997 book of  the same name. As in the earlier edition, baseball events are  arranged chronologically, giving us a picture of the game from  1845 through the 2000 season. In addition to highlighting  significant games and team and individual milestones, he peppers  his work with boxes devoted to rules and equipment changes,  historical anecdotes, trivia, and the like and places the game  in its overall historical and cultural context. This is the  ultimate coffee-table book for the consummate baseball fan,  covering each day of the professional sport's existence.  Scholars, however, might have a few bones to pick. The index is  disappointing as, for instance, Bucky Dent's 1978 home run that  broke the hearts of Red Sox fans is recounted in the text but  (unlike Bobby Thomson's 1951 "shot heard 'round the world")  cannot be located by using the index. The same is true of  Carlton Fisk's historic blast that forced a game seven in the  1975 World Series. Still, it's enlightening to run across such  tidbits as the fact that Duke Snider debuted with the Dodgers  the same day as Jackie Robinson or to read Albert Spalding's  1881 quote: "Salaries must come down, or the interest of the  public must be increased in some way. If one or the other does  not happen, bankruptcy stares every team in the face." This is a  fun, well-researched book, but most libraries can make do with  Total Baseball (Total Sports, 2001. 7th ed.) or The Baseball  Encyclopedia (Macmillan, 1996) for stats and The Ballplayers (LJ  4/1/90. o.p.) or Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia (LJ  7/15/00) for biographical sketches. This exciting sports  chronology is recommended for larger public libraries.  Jim Burns, Ottumwa P.L., IACopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.