Treasures of the Baseball Hall of Fame:The National Baseball Hall Of Fame And Museum
The Hall of Fame is baseball's mecca; every true fan should make the pilgrimage to Cooperstown at least once in a lifetime. And whileTreasures, officially sanctioned by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, can't replace the real thing, it can certainly whet appetites, rekindle memories, and fire up imaginations. Large in size and packed with illustrations, it is great show-and-tell; scores of beautifully photographed artifacts are on display with accompanying text to explain their significance. Flip the pages and you'll find Ruth's and Mantle's locker, Cobb's spikes, Shoeless Joe's shoes, Mays's glove, Aaron's bat--and that barely scratches the horsehide. Besides batracks of expected (and unexpected) Major League memorabilia, other treasures include relics from the Negro Leagues, the minor leagues, and the All-American Girls Baseball League as well as momentos from the press box, the library, the movies, and the art gallery. Sweeping from the mythic Doubleday ball to the present--Treasureswould have benefitted from some more recent remembrances--it celebrates the game with affection and bravura, and through its very celebration, offers tangible insight into the National Pastime's firm grip on the national consciousness.--Jeff Silverman