Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Baseball Research Journal, published by University of Nebraska Press on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 3733 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Lou vs. Babe in life and in "Pride of the Yankees".(Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth)(Biography)
Author: Frank Ardolino
Publication: The Baseball Research Journal (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Volume: 31Page: 16(5)

Article Type: Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Amazon.com

The spectacular events of the '98 baseball summer forced some people's imaginations to ponder both undreamed-of numbers and a pair of immense shadows cast from the Yankee past. If Roger Maris's 61 in '61 was the stuff of legend, that the mighty Ruth had clobbered his inconceivable 60 in 1927 entered immediately into the national consciousness as the stuff of full-blown myth. Indeed, so much myth swirls around the Babe that reality is often captive to the fable. Not here, though. Relying heavily on contemporary newspaper accounts of the daily progress of the '27 season, Robertson goes to bat for the truth in this fascinating and well-conceived compendium of research and analysis that also examines Ruth's complex and often testy relationship with teammate Lou Gehrig. Every game in which Ruth popped one comes with a full box score and some kind of historical and baseball context attached. The whole year, in fact, resonates with the larger context of Lindbergh, Coolidge's decision not to run, the Sacco and Vanzetti executions, and The Jazz Singer's heralding the talkies. Such perspective carries with it immediacy; as Ruthian as the Ruth fable is in the end, Robertson makes it feel like it happened just yesterday. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GOOD JOB DESCRIBING THE CHASE FOR 60
THE AUTHOR DOES A VERY JOB DESCRIBING BABE'S ASSULT ON 60 HOMERS IN 1927. HE GIVES US MANY FACTS ON TEAMATES, PENNANT RACE, AND BASEBALL IN GENERAL DURING THIS SEASON. ALSO SOME FACTS ON THE BABE'S LIFE ARE ALSO PRESENTED. MR ROBERTSON DOES A GREAT JOB, AND THIS IS WELL WORTH READING BY HISTORIANS AND YANKEE FANS. THE ONLY REAL NEGATIVE IS I HAD HOPED IT CONTAINED SOME PICS, BUT STILL HIGH QUALITY READING.VERY RECOMMENDED. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Babe on Balance
This biography, although scholarly, is entertaining throughout and easily read. Smelser was a life long baseball fan and his love of the game animates every page. As an undergraduate at Notre Dame, I studied under the author. Now deceased, he was a professor of history. Smelser demanded from his students the thorough research he displays in this book. But he was also a wonderful storyteller. Both qualities are apparent in this work. Like the best biographers, the author has only mild affection for his subject. The Babe's qualities and failings get equal attention. But today, when the word "superstar" is wildly overrused, you see the extraordinary level of fame this man achieved. If you really want to understand the Babe's life, read this book.

not the best ruth bio
A better Ruth biography is Robert Creamer's "Ruth: The Legend Comes to Life." Smelzer's book is a little too scholarly. He treats his subject as if it were a frog to be dissected. As I read on, I found myself skipping over the parts where the authors opinionated observations began to get in the way of his believability. After a while they just became tiring, and I put the book down.

Babe Ruth - what more can you say!
Some legends are larger than life. Some legends are made up. Then there's Babe Ruth, than man by which all other baseball players are measured, even today. George Herman Ruth comes to life in this riveting, yet easy to read biography by Marshall Smelser.

You follow the bambino from his early days at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys to his early days with the Boston Red Sox. You read about his turmoil with the fans, his trade to the New York Yankees, that later became the curse of the Bambino.

Smelser's accounts of Ruth's life from his first wife to the run ins with Yankees manager Miller Huggins to the called shot in the 1934 World Series and so many others, will have laughing on minute and on the brink of tears the very next.

I have always been a great Babe Ruth fan; so reviewing this book was a no brainer. Smelser writing style made it easy for me to read along and finally get a true picture of the man so many either loved or hated. I would highly recommend this book to any serious baseball fan!

A look into the life no one knew.
It is a book about a hero that evrybody thought was perfect. In this book you get to see the life behind the face. There are so many legend and this book so the truth and tells you the miths.

incredibly good
every sentence filled with facts. research done is tremendous. best sports book i ever read. ... Read more

Book Description

Although certainly not ignored, his beginnings in major league baseball-five plus seasons with the Boston Red Sox tend to be somewhat glossed over. The extent of Ruth's accomplishments on the field with Boston, as his enormous popularity in that period, have never been fully appreciated In addition, there are dozens os interesting incidents and anedotes still left to be told. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Must Have For Any Baseball Fan
There have been numerous publications that give us Ruth the "Yankee." Having read most of what has been offered this particular book shed's light on the George Ruth few have ever had an opportunity to realize. From his day's in a boys home to his assent into the "Bigs." As well as his community service with children to the obligation that he felt to keep the local pubs in business. Ruth set the stage for athletes to give back and be yourself in the process. You'll also discover the truth behind "The Curse of The Bambino." This is truly an "In Depth Chronicle" of his start in the majors. A Great Read!!!!!!!!!!!

The Forgotten Career of Babe Ruth
Well he didn't spend much time here, but for the short time that he was here, he was the most feared two-way player in all of baseball.I mean he pitched well and he hit well, with being the best pitcher in all of baseball and setting the Major League record of 29 home runs in 1919, the last year with the Red Sox. I'm sure that everyone knows that Ruth was probably the greatest hitter with the Yankees, but people always tend to forget the great career that he had with the Boston Red Sox. I hope that many people read this book and see how truly good he was, not only as a great hitter, but how amazing of a pitcher he was.

Game by game details of the Babe's first major league team
I've read about 12 books on Babe Ruth, and I've always believed that his best years were with the Red Sox. This book covers that era of his career in more detail than I've found elsewhere. There was nothing really new, except for a few pictures I had not seen. However, it acknowledges the accomplishments by the Babe before going to the yankess, which is often forgotten.

An excellant book on the Babe's early career
An excellant work that traces The Babes early career with the Boston Red Sox. Takes you on a game by game journey through his years with the Sox. ... Read more

Book Description

Unparalleled by any other baseball star in history, Babe Ruth was a lively character remembered for his dramatic herioism on the baseball diamond and in his life.

Kal Wagenheim illustrates this larger-than-life athlete in his book Babe Ruth: His Life & Legend, and describes him as both a product of his childhood in Baltimore and of his formative years as a New York Yankee.He struggled desperately with the drastic contrast between the poverty of his youth and the glamour and stardom that his famed career brought him, and although his name became synonymous with wooing women and abusing alcohol, they didn't prevent him from becoming one of history's great est athletes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good book for any baseball fan
I really enjoyed this book. As a baseball fan (and a NYY fan), I had to read about Ruth. A great person from some aspects, this book took a look at the Babe from every point of view. It showed Ruth from his private and public life, his love life to his Saturday night (to Sunday morning)life. This was a very good book. ... Read more

Book Description

Known to young readers, booksellers and librarians around the world, the Champion Sports Biography Series captures the life story of popular atheletes both today and the colorful history of sport.Not limited to simply male, big league sporting figures, the Champion Series also focuses on top female athletes (the Williams sisters for example) and athletes who`s appeal is international (Michael Schumacher or Ronaldo).Written in an accurate yet exciting narrative style, these books are ideal young adult readers in their vocabulary and sentence structure levels of difficulty. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There's something about the Babe. He continues to mesmerize long after the retiring of #3, and it's his enduring familiarity that makes this spruced-up family album assembled by his daughter such alluring fun. The Bambino was certainly one of the most willingly photographed individuals of his time, but A Daughter's Portrait goes beyond the staged and hyped--though the staged and the hyped are displayed in full glory--to offer some lovely images of a man of minimal privacy just being himself: fishing and hunting with the guys, missing a putt, reading the paper, at ease with his family. Some of the photo captions suffer from saccharine overdose, and others are factually incomplete or inaccurate, but that only conspires to make this whole seductive enterprise more personal, endearing, and folksy. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a woman's questions
i am not understanding how julia babe's adopted daughter wrote a book about him and his adopted daughter dorothy had nothing to do with it is dorothy dead or she just doesn't wanna talk about it. I'd really like to know about it because it just left me hangin and i did like the book it was very good and there are lucky to have a father like babe ruth i think there the luckiest kid's in the world to have been adopted by george herman ruth jr. it most take alot to open up about your father who lost his battle with throat cancer.i am so sorry for your father's death i lost my mom at the age of twelve of nasalpharonyx cancer it was hard but i am making it today with 1 beautiful son andrew his my gift from god thanks for letting me explain ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~anonymous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures that speak to you!
This book is fantastic for all baseball lovers. It puts you in touch with the real person that Babe Ruth was and how caring he was. I found out stuff that I never really knew about him, such as his rough childhood and how interested he was in several different sports. This book is great for people who like to look at pictures, but if you want to read more than see, then this book is not for you. It provides great picturely information about his life but it could use more pictures of him with his baseball team. ... Read more