Here is America's national pastime, celebrated and chronicled through the works of generations of artists and writers in this lavish and beautiful volume. Baseball: A Treasury of Art and Literature not only pays tribute to the game this country has loved for more than 150 years, but also affirms the unique relationship between America and baseball.Enthusiasts can experience, through words and pictures, all facets of the baseball diamond, from the first versions of the game played in Colonial days, through baseball's skyrocketing popularity in the 1800s, to its final form, firmly established by the start of the 20th century as the institution so highly recognized and beloved today.The book's 131 colorplates and nearly 100 black-and-white reproductions of magnificent paintings, drawings, sculpture, and photographs capture the images and depict the moments that have defined baseball as an indelible part of the American landscape. The exploits of great players such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Satchel Paige, Bob Feller, Jackie Robinson, Henry Aaron, Nolan Ryan, and Reggie Jackson are brought to life. The book transports fans to ballparks all across America, from the Elysian Fields, the first professional baseball grounds; to Ebbets Field, the martyred home of the fabled Brooklyn Dodgers; to the Astrodome, the game's first domed stadium and the "Eighth Wonder of the World"; to Oriole Park at Camden Yards; to the small town parks in America that are baseball at its purest. Also included in the book are reproductions of the more than 200 plaques honoring the members of the Hall of Fame, the permanent home of baseball's legends.Baseball: A Treasury of Art and Literature features a selection of 90 essays, poems, letters, and documents on the game, many by notable authors such as Mark Twain, Ring Lardner, Red Smith, Roger Angell, Roger Kahn, Bernard Malamud, John Updike, William Kennedy, Gay Talese, and W.P. Kinsella. The collection contains such timeless classics as Ernest L. Thayer's "Casey at the Bat" and the complete lyrics to the national pastime's anthem, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."The book's introduction, written by editor and baseball devotee Michael Ruscoe, traces the history of the game, and examines how it continues to reflect our national values and identity. A delight for both the casual enthusiast and the most ardent fanatic, Baseball: A Treasury of Art and Literature will both warm the coldest winter night with the undying glow of the game, and make every summer night feel like your team has just clinched its long-awaited pennant. Read Less