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Rating: 
Summary: A forever treasure
Review: Beautiful, brilliant and witty. Once you have the book, you'll never forget it, and you'll probably keep wanting to show parts of it to fellow fans. However, in the name of humor, the book is a little cruel to some players -- for example, "Hal Griggs was to pitching as Wayne Causey was to hitting -- that is to say, nothing." Even as a kid I was made uncomfortable by things like that. But, some of those things, I just LOVED, like the teasing about how ugly Don Mossi was and about how lousy a hitter Hank Aguirre was ("...I mean to tell you, he couldn't even come close..."). So, where should they have drawn the line? Heck if I know. Also, the book seems to show a bias toward players from Boston and Philadelphia, giving them more space than they deserve, and a lot more kindness. But actually I enjoyed that, since, as a New Yorker, I've always been embarrassed about the disproportionate attention that is usually given to the Yanks and Mets. It's nice to see a couple of other towns getting their turn.
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Summary: I've worn this book out. Twice.
Review: I can't imagine what the meeting must have been like between the original publishing agent and the authors of this book. They want to do a book about WHAT? How Bubble Gum and Baseball Cards became intertwined? And then you want to fill the book with sarcastic comments about some of the lesser-known (for the most part) players to make it to the Major Leagues? Oh, yeah, the public will just EAT that up. Well, they got their book. First in hardcover, and then in Pocket-Book style softcover, which is where I first found it in 1974. I carried this book with me religiously whereever I lived; through college and into married life, always going back to read my favorite parts again and again. Finally, the book was reprinted a few years ago in "deluxe" paperback style. Just in time, too--my original copy had lost its cover and several pages. Now I see that the replacement copy is falling apart from overuse, too. Could somebody please republish this book and keep it available forever as a public service? Amongst the highlights: Boyd & Harris's recollections of Smokey Burgess, Choo Choo Coleman, Sherm Lollar and many more; their collection of bizarre baseball nicknames, which covers two whole pages of the book; and some of the strangest baseball cards anywhere, with pithy comment to match (the guy with the baseballs nailed to the bat is still one of my favorites). Spend what you must to get this book and guard it with your life. Oh, and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Christmas treasure
Review: I received this as a Christmas gift one year and was initially disappointed. I had only heard of a few of the guys that were showed on the cards and I set it aside, figuring on sticking it up on my bookshelf with the other boring books that I had and never bothered with. Several days after Christmas we went on the annual family gift return, a day I truly hated. In desperation I grabbed this book off of my pile and took my accustomed place in the back of the station wagon. For the rest of that day and night the only time I put the book down was to eat, and then only briefly. This is a completely irreverent look at baseball as a whole, and the thing that really sealed the deal for me was the card of Whammy Douglas and the comments made by the author. I tried to get my dad to read it because I figured he would get more out of it than I did, (I'm 41 and consider myself to be on the trailing edge of those who might "get it",) but he wasn't interested. Maybe I'll try again. This book might have a limited range of interest, but if you have fond memories of baseball in the 50's and 60's, I think you'll fall right into that range.
Rating:
Summary: Christmas treasure
Review: I received this as a Christmas gift one year and was initially disappointed. I had only heard of a few of the guys that were showed on the cards and I set it aside, figuring on sticking it up on my bookshelf with the other boring books that I had and never bothered with. Several days after Christmas we went on the annual family gift return, a day I truly hated. In desperation I grabbed this book off of my pile and took my accustomed place in the back of the station wagon. For the rest of that day and night the only time I put the book down was to eat, and then only briefly. This is a completely irreverent look at baseball as a whole, and the thing that really sealed the deal for me was the card of Whammy Douglas and the comments made by the author. I tried to get my dad to read it because I figured he would get more out of it than I did, (I'm 41 and consider myself to be on the trailing edge of those who might "get it",) but he wasn't interested. Maybe I'll try again. This book might have a limited range of interest, but if you have fond memories of baseball in the 50's and 60's, I think you'll fall right into that range.
Rating:
Summary: Memory Lane
Review: I remember ordering this book when I was in elementary school. The book arrived and I couldn't put it down. The book was so worn from all the flipping through it that it nearly fell apart. I have since found a newer copy to "preserve" with my collection of cards. This book is great in that it provides a neat pictorial look into numerous assorted cards as well as a commentary written in the form of someone who actually loved the collecting! I highly recommend this book to ANYONE who loves to sort through their cards for hours of fun...
Rating:
Summary: "Goodnight Sibi Sisti, Wherever You Are"--From The Book
Review: This book is a treasure. I think if I had to pack one bag of books for a long stay on a desert island, this would be one of the first ones included. Like one of the other reviewers, I have worn out more than one copy and find myself puzzled why it's been allowed to go out of print. "The Great American Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Card Book" has three principal sections. The first, "Where Have You Gone VINCE DiMaggio" is a warm and very witty recollection of the co-author's childhoods in the 1950s and the central role that baseball cards played in them. Part two, "This Kid Is Going To Make It," is a look at how the baseball card business operated circa 1973, the date of the book's original publication. As entertaining as these openers are, the best (and largest) part of the book is the one simply called "Profiles." Reproduced in full color are hundreds of cards from the early 1950s to the late 1960s, accompanied by the author's observations about the players immortalized on them. You'll find greats on these pages, like Richie Ashburn, Stan Musial and Ted Williams...but the real joy is the rediscovery of the men on the fringes of the game's glory...."immortals" like Chris Cannizzaro, Frank Leja, Foster Castleman, Clyde Kluttz and Coot Veal. It's tempting to quote from the book at length, but that would spoil the fun. Just to give you a sense of the flavor though, I opened at random to the page featuring Hector Lopez, poor-fielding third baseman for the Yankees and Kansas City A's. After judging Lopez not to be just a bad fielding third baseman for a baseball player, but for a human being, they declare, he did not "simply field a ground ball, he attacked it. Like a farmer trying to kill a snake with a stick." This is a wonderful book for any baseball fan, and should especially be treasured on those short, cold winter days when the crack of the bat and the warm blue skies and green grass of summer seem oh-so-far away.--William C. Hall
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Summary: A great book for baby boomin' baseball card lovers!
Review: This is a fantastic book! It took me back 40 years! What's actually great about this book is the interview with Sy Berger, the head of the Topps Sports Chewing Gum Department. It gives a brief history of Topps and reveals some information that can not be found today. What's even more precious about this book is that it helped me prove that one of the hobby's self-proclaimed experts doesn't know what he's talking about. A must have book!
Rating:
Summary: Baseball purity at its best
Review: This is a great book that will appeal to the "litle boy that spent hours sorting through his cards" in each of us. Scipio Spinks where are you?
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