Rating: 
Summary: Among the best baseball fiction ever written
Review: "The Southpaw" begins the great four book series on the career of New York Mammoth pitcher Henry Wiggen. Full of comedy, memorable characters and all the trials of a rookie in the major leagues. This is truly one of the best pieces of baseball fiction ever written, along with Philip Roth's "The Great American Novel", and I didn't want it to end. If you're a baseball fan you can't go wrong with this hilarious and loving tribute to the game.
Rating:
Summary: Among the best baseball fiction ever written
Review: "The Southpaw" begins the great four book series on the career of New York Mammoth pitcher Henry Wiggen. Full of comedy, memorable characters and all the trials of a rookie in the major leagues. This is truly one of the best pieces of baseball fiction ever written, along with Philip Roth's "The Great American Novel", and I didn't want it to end. If you're a baseball fan you can't go wrong with this hilarious and loving tribute to the game.
Rating: 
Summary: Book Shows It's Age
Review: As an avid baseball fan but a first-time baseball novel reader, I was disappointed with Southpaw. I didn't think twice about when the book was written (50 years ago) when I bought it. As I read through, the age of the book was obvious; not because of the style of baseball described, but because of the laughable simplicity of the characters. Some will rejoice that this book takes us "back to the good old days", but if you're looking for a more realistic novel of the game with thrilling twists and turns of a drive for the pennant, this book is not for you.Also, if you know little about baseball, the book will be hard to follow when it describes game action.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book( when I was a teen)
Review: I read this book at least once a year when I was growing up in the early 60's. The first few times were for the baseball, but that became less & less important. I insisted my fiance read it before we were married so she could understand "where I was coming from". I'm here(at Amazon.com) now to buy copies for some friends of mine. I wish it was still available in hardcover! I couldn't recommend it more highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly enjoyable and humorous
Review: I truly enjoyed this book the more and more I read it. I am a baseball fan so I definitely got caught up in the pennant race, but what captured my imagination was the essence of the story. The story features characters and events and descriptions that just feel so real and they are in the eyes of Henry Wiggen. It's strange that Henry gives us all this information and details of his early baseball career, but yet he needs to figure out what is really important in his life. I commend Harris for fabricating a story that felt genuine and did not cheat the main character by straying off the plot which is to be about Henry Wiggen. I also appreciate the breaking down of the baseball mystique of its players - reading about Sad Sam Yale and Dutch made me realize even more how far baseball players really are separate from heroes.
Rating:
Summary: Highly enjoyable and humorous
Review: I truly enjoyed this book the more and more I read it. I am a baseball fan so I definitely got caught up in the pennant race, but what captured my imagination was the essence of the story. The story features characters and events and descriptions that just feel so real and they are in the eyes of Henry Wiggen. It's strange that Henry gives us all this information and details of his early baseball career, but yet he needs to figure out what is really important in his life. I commend Harris for fabricating a story that felt genuine and did not cheat the main character by straying off the plot which is to be about Henry Wiggen. I also appreciate the breaking down of the baseball mystique of its players - reading about Sad Sam Yale and Dutch made me realize even more how far baseball players really are separate from heroes.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: if you care anything at all about baseball, you must read this book. the pennant race is captivating. the dialogue is so refreshing. the time so simple, that it is really a breath of fresh air in a time of $17 million dollar a year salaries.
Rating:
Summary: Baseball as Americana
Review: Mark Harris wrote perhaps the finest baseball novel ever with "The Southpaw." The book portrays the coming of age of a young left-handed pitching prodigy, Henry Wiggen, as he tries to make his mark in the majors in the 1950s. The book is written as a memoir by Wiggen himself after his rookie season with the New York Mammoths. The Mammoths are chasing a pennant and Wiggen is seeking to become "an immortal" and a man. Laconic, wry, amusing and gripping all at the same time, Wiggen's memoir slowly but surely draws in the reader. I had to get up at 5 in the morning to finish the last 100 pages to find out what happened to Henry and the Mammoths. Truly a "perfect game" for Harris.
Rating:
Summary: Baseball as Americana
Review: Mark Harris wrote perhaps the finest baseball novel ever with "The Southpaw." The book portrays the coming of age of a young left-handed pitching prodigy, Henry Wiggen, as he tries to make his mark in the majors in the 1950s. The book is written as a memoir by Wiggen himself after his rookie season with the New York Mammoths. The Mammoths are chasing a pennant and Wiggen is seeking to become "an immortal" and a man. Laconic, wry, amusing and gripping all at the same time, Wiggen's memoir slowly but surely draws in the reader. I had to get up at 5 in the morning to finish the last 100 pages to find out what happened to Henry and the Mammoths. Truly a "perfect game" for Harris.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book on Baseball and Life
Review: Mark Harris' first installment in the Henry Wiggen series (there are four books total) is one of the finest baseball novels written. "The Southpaw" is the story of left-handed pitching phenom Henry Wiggen and his early career as a professional baseball star. The novel is told in the form of Henry Wiggen's diary and the writing does take some getting used to as Henry's prose isn't particularly high caliber. It is, however, very real and its simplicity adds to the novel's sense of realism. Henry begins by talking about his father's (also a pitcher) career and then proceeds to discuss (briefly) his own high school career, his brief minor league career, and finally (in much more detail) his first season as a major leaguer. The novel takes place in the early 1950s and as you read Henry's account you will be transported back in time to when ball players' contracts were in the $1K range and pitchers pitched 16-inning ball games and pitched on two-days rest. It's a great baseball book in that it gives some insight into the art of pitching and being a ballplayer in general, but it's much more than that. And those without an extensive knowledge of the wonderful game of baseball won't be lost or confused in reading it (it's not overly technical). Henry's essentially a young adult (early twenties at the end of the novel) and his growth experiences are listed (by Henry) right alongside his baseball experiences. "The Southpaw" is a fascinating read and provides a nice glimpse into baseball life (and life in general) in early 1950s America. A great book and highly recommended reading--particularly for fans of baseball.
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