Epic Season: The 1948 American League Pennant Race

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining, absorbing addition to baseball history.
Review: David Kaiser's excellent book recaptures the era of the late forties and early fifties, when the major leagues consisted of only 400 players on sixteen teams - most of whom were familiar to any serious young student of the game. His detailed descriptions of the teams, the players, and the season regenerate fond memories of afternoon games, All-Star game ballots cut from the newspaper, and hours of studying season statistics in the Sunday newspapers.

For those of you are old enough to remember the time, the book faithfully recalls the suspense of the season and the games that made it that way. To those who have known only pampered stars with million-dollar salaries, the book provides a window into a purer form of baseball.

The writing carries the reader through the season just as it happened, the suspense is allowed to build, and the foibles of the teams and players are described and analyzed. The research is excellent, and the organization crisp. The season's end leaves the reader satisfied that the winner rose to the occasion and the almosts gave a good accounting of themselves.

This reader can offer only one disappointment. The author obviously came to be very familiar with the players that made it all happen. Had he weaved into the text a more detailed set of profiles that captured more of the players' personal essence, the richness of the read would have been greater.

In summary, the book was well written, makes a serious contribution to the written history of baseball, and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys the national pastime.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough, insightful, well-organized, densely packed
Review: This analysis of the 1948 American League pennant race has several strengths. Author David Kaiser has gone to great lengths to gather all possible information about the events of the year, and left no stone unturned (statistical or historical) in finding ways to place the story of the season in context for us. This wealth of material requires a sure hand to organize and present in a coherent way, and Kaiser is equal to the task.

The writing, itself? It's not bad. It won't make anyone forget Thomas Boswell, but it is clear and orderly and doesn't get in the way of the story.

The book isn't a casual read. There is so much to tell about the '48 season that you actually have to pay attention to the abundance of detail in order to take in everything there is to take in.

In other words, it doesn't have that great a beat, but you can still dance to it... I give it a 68.

And if you're specifically interested in the Indians of that era, or the '48 race itself, then of course the book is completely indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: PLEMTY OF DETAIL
Review: THIS BOOK IS A GREAT READ. A DAY BY DAY ACCOUNT OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT RACE OF 1948. MR. KAISER HAS DONE HIS HOMEWORK ON THIS VERY FACT FILLED NOVEL. I FELT LIKE I WAS BACK IN 1948 ENJOYING THIS GREAT RACE. HE HAS MUCH DETAIL AND ANALYSIS FOR EACH TEAM IN THE RACE. IT IS THRILLING FOR AN INDIAN'S FAN, AND HEARTBREAKING FOR A REDSOX FAN. A GREAT WRITING ABOUT A GREAT SEASON IN AMERICAN LEAGUE HISTORY. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.