The Story of Baseball: In 100 Photographs

by Sports Illustrated, Kostya Kennedy (lead contributor)

A New York Times Bestseller

Through 100 Evocative, often stunning photographs, as well as the stories that accompany them, Sports Illustrated visits the great arc of baseball, America’s past time.
From the dawn of the professional era, through the days of Babe Ruth, the westward expansion and the thrilling championships of today, baseball’s rich and remarkable history is here. Inspiring events such as Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color barrier, Lou Gehrig’s Luckiest Man speech and one-handed pitcher Jim Abbott’s 1993 no-hitter live in a continuum with stirring photos of the game’s most beloved and largest personalities such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Cal Ripken Jr., Bryce Harper and many more. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s unmatched storytelling is in high form in a book that renders exquisite anecdotes, and explores baseball’s cultural heritage and uniquely American character, all in unforgettable style.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Photography, History, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published November 13, 2018

Reviews

[Scott]

Baseball and Sports Illustrated go together hand-in-glove . . . or is it mitt? America's sturdy 'national pastime' graced the full-color photo-cover of the magazine's inaugural issue way back-back-back in the summer of '54. (On a further note of trivia: it was a shot of the New York Giants playing at the Milwaukee Braves, long before the teams relocated to San Francisco and Atlanta, respectively.)

100 photographs may not do the sport complete justice, so this is a small but solid collection. It has the personalities (Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente, Cal Ripken Jr., etc.), the action (Jackie Robinson stealing home in the '55 World Series; Don Larsen pitching his 'perfect' game; Ozzie Smith in mid-backflip on the field) and the support staff (Dodgers' broadcaster Vin Scully, who held the job for an incredible 67 seasons; the scoreboard operators at Fenway Park; the Phillie Phanatic). In a way it's sort of like a 10' x 10', 200-page miniature version of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

[Jessica Fellows]

Nice read. Fun to walk down memory lane.

[Peter]

First half is better than the last half. It starts out with some interesting stories and photos. However, some of the stories aren't about the actual photo, just about similar or an earlier story in someone's Baseball career. I also wish they included "normal" photo description. You know...who's who from left to right etc. and where they are. Not just the city they are in at the time of the photo.
Sometimes after reading the story I'm confused as to who/what I'm actually looking at in the photo since they mentioned so many different people and so many different years.
Definitely some fun stuff though.

[Don Heiman]

In 2018 the New York Times best selling book of the year “Story of Baseball in 100 Photographs” by Sports Illustrated was published by Time Inc Books. This exceptional book highlights the historical legacy of U.S professional Major League Baseball from 1869 to 2018. The book has exceptional photographs and wonderful narratives that present why 8 generations of Americans love tthe game; and the significant baseball historic events that unite the generations. These generational bridging events include the legacy of great players like Babe Ruth, Ernie Banks, Stan Musial, Satchel Paige, and Willie Mays to mentioned a few. The book also features the wisdom of African-American, Asian, South American, Caucasian, and European social value sets that permeate the game. The book narratives and pictures present core principles of teamwork, the economic advancements that promote individual worth, and social values that unite 150+ years of American generations. It is a wonderful book. (G/P)

[Nancy Byron]

This was a very well envisioned and enjoyable book with one large photo and a one-page write-up to go with each, organized chronologically in sections. My father, who has failing vision but is a HUGE baseball fan, thoroughly enjoyed being able to see the photos and the headlines that went with them while I read the text aloud. He did a lot of reminiscing throughout the book, which made for great conversation starters. Highly recommend!

[Mark]

The book is a collection of 100 short Sports Illustrated style essays of about 250 words each. Each essay is accompanied by a usually great relevant quotation and a very good and sometimes extraordinary photograph. The editors of Sports Illustrated did a great job of providing a history of baseball in a nutshell, especially if you are already familiar with the game.

[Paul Carr]

This book is exactly what the title says, as it tells the sport’s story through pictures. Most all the top stories are covered, even though the most iconic images aren’t always included. I thought there might be more on the photographs themselves; instead, the text focuses on the stories and legends that have defined baseball.

[Barbara]

First I must admit that baseball is my favorite sport. Even if that wasn’t true, I’d be displaying this beautiful book on my small coffee table. Photos and text are arranged by date from The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 to the World Series champs of 2016, the Chicago Cubs. Definitely, this book is 223 pages of pure baseball bliss.

[Pamela]

This is a beautiful coffee table book that any baseball fan would love. But consider giving it a look even if you are a casual fan at best. It does a remarkable job of showing America's history as reflected through baseball with the lovely paragraph-long essays that accompany each photo along with a quotation from someone associated with the subject of the picture.

[Roger]

Remarkable achievement and a must for anyone who loves baseball.

The combination of iconic and esoteric photographs, each with their own superbly written essay, makes for a delightful look at, what is still for many, "America's Pastime").

[Brandon Kopceuch]

Great photos accompanied by succinct, well-written explanations made this book a breeze. An excellent addition to any coffee-table collection. Note: As an editor though, I couldn’t help but notice an overabundance of typos and grammatical errors. SI can and should do better.

[Josh Davis]

Really neat review of baseball history using some of the most memorable an iconic sports photos ever taken. Probably not a ton of new information for hard-core baseball fans, but beautiful pictures to see and enjoy.

[Robert]

A nice coffee table baseball book, with some recognizable great historical photos and very interesting and compelling stories.
Five stars if they had not used a handful of politically correct chapters - which could have been filled with more stories about the game.
A fun book.

[Adam]

Really nice coffee table book. Great for any fan of the game.

[Russ Bertetta]

Great combination and great essays on the Game. A must for all baseball fans.

[Michael]

Pretty enough

[Steve]

Come for the pictures ....stay for the stories

[Mike]

Excellent essays on 100 superb photos of baseball, going back to the 1800s. Terrific.

[Bradley]

A great short history of baseball. With only 100 photos, of course they missed some players, events and scenarios but the 100 photos sure did paint a picture of what baseball means to the people.

[Brian White]

I love books like this. Great pictures- nice recaps. Very well put together. And I still subscribe to SI!!

[Richard Canale]

some great photos and even better quotes. a great book for controversy but fun library check out