A Game of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball: The Game Behind the Scenes - A Game of Inches (Hardback)

Peter Morris (author)

£21.99

Hardback 416 Pages / Published: 17/10/2006

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Synopsis

The Game Behind the Scenes continues and concludes Peter Morris's superb encyclopedia of the national pastime. The initial volume, The Game on the Field, was called by Library Journal "charming, densely packed, yet entirely accessible.... This is heaven for fans of the game and a required addition to all baseball collections." Endlessly fascinating, impeccably researched, and engagingly written, this treasure trove will surprise, delight, and educate even the most knowledgeable fan by dispelling cherished myths and revealing the source of many of baseball's features that we now take for granted. Together, both volumes of A Game of Inches contain nearly a thousand entries that illuminate the origins of items ranging from catchers' masks to hook slides to intentional walks to cork-center baseballs to the reserve clause of baseball's Basic Agreement. The volume on The Game Behind the Scenes concentrates on ballparks, fans, marketing, statistics, the building of teams, and other related aspects of the game-but this is much more than just a reference guide. Award-winning author Peter Morris explains the context that led each new item to emerge when it did, and chronicles the often surprising responses to these innovations. Of few books can it genuinely be said that once you start reading, it's hard to put it down, but A Game of Inches is one of them. It belongs in the pantheon of great baseball books, and will give any reader a deeper appreciation of why baseball matters so much to Americans. Praise for Peter Morris's Volume One: The Game on the Field

Publisher: Ivan R Dee, Inc
ISBN: 9781566637053
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 803 g
Dimensions: 243 x 171 x 36 mm

MEDIA REVIEWS

A treasure trove of detail....Owners of the other books must have this, but it stands alone well on its own as a serious baseball fan's guide to behind-the-scenes business concerns. * Midwest Book Review *
Morris' remarkable volume may have set [the] standard for this season and several to follow. -- John Marshall * Seattle Post-Intelligencer *
Morris combines learning, precision, and devotion to produce this charming book...This is heaven for fans of the game. -- From the Baseball Roundup * Library Journal *
Offering fascinating information on every page, this is a unique resource for baseball historians and serious fans. * CHOICE *
Absolutely fantastic.... There is no end to the historical detail, the delightful anecdotes, and the clear explanations. -- Dr. John D. Elgenauer * Super70s.Com-Baseball *
Wonderful baseball anecdotes...a comprehensive volume of who-did-what-first adding a necessary human dimension to baseball facts and figures. * Philadelphia City Paper *
Truly amazing. -- Rob Neyer * The Griddle *
A splendidly entertaining book. -- Donald Honig
Peter Morris's A Game of Inches is the one that every serious baseball fan must have. * ESPN the Magazine *
It's an everything you ever wanted to know reference source for anyone who truly loves baseball. * Albany Times Union *
An encyclopedic effort....interesting observations. -- John Monaghan * Providence Journal *
Majestic in their detail and exemplary in their dedication to scholarship, these books will leave the reader...exhilarated. * CHOICE *
An astonishingly well-researched history....You could never do better. -- Keith Olbermann * Msnbc *
An astonishingly well-researched history.... You could never do better than...Peter Morris' A Game of Inches. -- Keith Olbermann * Msnbc *