Lot 87. Johnny Bench Signed Copy of Catch You Later, His 1979 Autobiography. Large gem mint 10 signature on the first title page, where Bench added, “Catch You Later.” Ex-m+ book and dust jacket. Bench wrote the book with William Brashler. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $20
Lot 88. Johnny Bench Autographed Copy of From Behind the Plate. This 176-page 1972 hardback consists primarily of George Kalinsky photos of Bench on and off the field accompanied by captions and supplied by Bench. Ex-m+ book in a vg dust jacket that has several tears, 3” or smaller, reinforced with tape. Bench’s signature on the first title page is large, bold and mint 9 to gem mint 10. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $20
Lot 89. Bob Feller Autographed Book, Booklet and Wheaties Stickers. Feller placed bold gem mint 10 signatures on: 1. The first title page of his autobiography, Bob Feller’s Strikeout Story, 1947 Grosset & Dunlap apparent first edition, vg book, dust jacket absent. 2. The first page of the 1956 booklet, Bob Feller: 20 years with the Cleveland Indians. 3-4. Two Fun ‘n Action 4” x 5” Wheaties “The Little Indians Club” stickers from 1983. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Current Bid $30
Lot 90. Ernie Harwell Autographed copy of Tuned to Baseball. Harwell’s large, gem mint 10 signature is on the flyleaf if his 1985 autobiography. Ex-m + book and dust jacket. Signature personalized and dated Aug. 2, 1985. The long-time Detroit Tigers broadcaster announced last September that he was suffering from an inoperable cancer. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Current Bid $15
Lot 98. 15 Books on Pete Rose, the Big Red Machine and Other Reds History. Key publications are four relatively scarce softcovers: Day by Day in Cincinnati Reds History by Floyd Conner, ex-m; The Cincinnati Game by Lonnie Wheeler and John Baskin, 1988 apparent first edition, nm; two books by Hal McCoy, The Relentless Reds, 1976 stated first, ex+, and The Royal Reds: Baseball’s New Dynasty, 1977 stated first, ex; and two hardbacks, The Cincinnati Reds, the Putnam history by Lee Allen, 1948 first edition, ex, and The Pete Rose Story: An Autobiography, 1970 stated first printing, nm book and ex dust jacket. Other books by or about Rose are two hardbacks, Pete Rose: My Story, 1989 apparent first, nm-m book and dj, and Pete Rose by Bob Rubin, 1975, ex-m to nm, no dj as issued, and two paperbacks, both by Rose, Countdown to Cobb, 1985 stated first, ex-m, and Pete Rose’s Winning Baseball, 1976, vg+. The 1970s Reds are the subjects of three books, The Big Red Machine, Bob Hertzel, 1976 apparent first, ex book and vg dj; Men of the Machine, Ritter Collett, nm book and dj, and a paperback, Cincinnati and the Big Red Machine, Robert Harris “Hub” Walker, 1988, ex+. The other books are a paperback, The Baseball Life of Johnny Bench, John Devaney, 1974, g-vg, and two hardbacks, Cincinnati Seasons, Earl Lawson, 1987, ex/vg-ex, and The Main Spark, Sparky Anderson, 1978 first, nm/ex-m+.
Minimum Bid $75
Lot 118. Pittsburgh Pirates Book, 9 1980s Spring Training Programs with 25 Autographs. Eight autographs are on the first title page of the 1980 book The Pirates: “We Are Family” by Lou Sahadi, 1980, ex-m book and vg-ex dust jacket. The signatures, all gem mint 10s, are by Mike Easler, Bob Skinner, Joe Lonnett, Al Monchak, Bill Madlock, Alvin Jackson and Harvey Haddix. The programs, which average vg+ to ex, include two each from 1982-85 and one from 1986. Signatures include: Chuck Tanner, Jason Thompson, Tony Pena and Dave Parker on one 1982 cover, and Manny Sarmiento, Odell Jones, Don Robinson, Madlock and Randy Nieman on the other; Easler, Skinner, Lonnett, Lee Tunnell and John Candelaria on a 1983 cover; Doug Frobel and Hedi Vargas on a 1984 cover, and George Foster of the Mets twice inside. The program signatures are 9s and 10s. There also are spring training schedules for 1982 (4), 1983 (3, 2 different) and 1984. Authenticated by Kevin Keating.
Minimum Bid $20
Lot 120. Spanish Language Publication Featuring Roberto Clemente. Titled Los sonadores, this 64-page 8” x 11” softcover book from Houghton Mifflin (1997) has features on Clemente, Walt Disney and Marian Anderson. Eighteen illustrated pages are devoted to Clemente. Vg-ex.
Current Bid $10
Lot 193. 3 Baseball Books, Including The Warren Spahn Story by Milton J. Shapiro. Desirable and somewhat scarce biography, especially with the dust jacket, of baseball’s winningest left-hander. Second edition, 1959, ex hardback in a vg+ to ex dj that has a ¾” tear on the back. The other books are: They Played the Game, Harry Grayson, 1944, vg+ hardback, inscribed flyleaf, dj missing. Dedicated to Major Billy Southworth, “first professional ball player to enlist in World War II,” the book presents brief biographical sketches of more than 50 great players and three teams. From behind the plate, Johnny Bench, 1972 apparent first edition, ex book, vg-ex dj.
Current Bid $15
Lot 194. 42 Different Baseball (Auto)Biographies – Clemente, DiMaggio, Mantle, Ruth, Etc. Excellent collection of predominantly individual biographies in hardback form. The books average ex-m to nm to ex dust jackets. Titles follow; first editions are indicated by a +, and ex-library copies by an *: Hank Aaron 715 (Scarce magazine-format 1974 64-page publication from Pinnacle Books and UPI.) Alston and the Dodgers*+, Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat*+ (Red Barber), Vida (Blue), Manager-Player* no dj (Boudreau), Ball Four (Bouton), Carew+, Who Was Roberto?*+ (Clemente), Cosell, Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?+, Nice Guys Finish Last+ (Durocher), Dock Ellis*+, The Way It Is (Flood), Baseball Is a Funny Game (Garagiola), From Ghetto to Glory (Bob Gibson), The High Hard One (Kirby Higbe), The Gil Hodges Story*+, Reggie+ (Jackson), Kiner’s Korner+, Judge Landis and 25 Years of Baseball+, The Mick+ (Mantle), Willie Mays, The Stan Musial Story* no dj as issued, Me and the Spitter+ (Perry), Out of My League (Plimpton), Putting It All Together (B Robinson), My Life is Baseball+ (F. Robinson), Babe Ruth: His Life and Legend+, Tom Seaver: Baseball’s Superstar+, The Duke Snider Story*+, The Hustler’s Handbook (Veeck), and My Turn at Bat+ (Ted Williams). Besides the individual biographies, there are a number of anthologies: The Suitors of Spring, Pat Jordan, 1973; The Artful Dodgers, Tom Meany, 1958, no dj as issued; Baseball Hall of Fame Greats, Mac Davis, 1975, no dj; Super Stars of Baseball, Bob Broeg, 1971, dj absent; The Baseball Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary, Gerald Astor, 1988 first edition, price clipped dj, and How I Would Pitch to Babe Ruth, Tom Seaver, 1974. Four paperbacks average vg: The Greatest in Baseball, Mac Davis, 1962; Baseball: Hall of Fame Stories of Champions, Sam and Beryl Epstein, 1966; The Home Run Kings: Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Clare and Frank Gault, 1974, and The All Star Legend, Joe Reichler, 1977.
Current Bid $70
Lot 195. 10 Baseball Books by Players and Batboys – Uecker, DiMaggio, Schacht, Etc. The least common of these books are Catcher in the Wry by Bob Uecker, 1982, ex book in an ex price-clipped dust jacket, and Clowning through Baseball by Al Schacht, 1941 apparent first edition with some toning on the first inside pages and a very nice vg+ dust jacket with some tape reinforcement inside. Other books by player-authors are: The Long Season, Jim Brosnan, 1960 apparent first, vg-ex book, g-vg dj. Baseball by Jack Coombs, 1947 edition, vg and dj missing, and 1967 edition, vg-ex/vg. Baseball for Everyone, Joe DiMaggio, vg+ book, dj absent. You Can’t Steal First Base, Jimmie Dykes, 1967 first edition, ex/vg. My Turn at Bat, Ted Williams, 1969 first, vg+. The batboy books are: Batboy of the Braves, Paul Wick, 1957, ex book, no dj. Bat Boy of the Giants, Garth Garreau, 1948, vg/g. Also, Baseball’s Great Moments, Joseph Reichler, 1981, nm book, ex-m dj.
Minimum Bid $35
Lot 196. 6 Books on the New York Mets. Four hardcovers: The Amazing Mets, Jerry Mitchell, 1964, Willard Mullin cartoons, vg+ to ex, no dust jacket, as issued. Amazing: the Miracle Mets, Joseph Durso, 1970, ex book, dj absent. Joy in Mudville, George Vecsey, 1970, ex/ex price-clipped dj. Backstage at the Mets, Lindsey Nelson, 1966, vg+/vg+. Paperbacks: Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game? by Jimmy Breslin, 1963, vg. And The Year the Mets Lost Last Place, Paul Zimmerman, 1969, vg+ to ex.
Minimum Bid $15
Lot 197. Random House Publishing 1960s-70 Baseball Book Series of 24. Authors such as Jim Brosnan, Furman Bischer and Frank Graham Jr. wrote these hardback books for youth and young adult readers. All but one of the books are anthologies focusing on such themes as great moments, the greatest World Series, great pitchers, great hitters, zaniest stars, strange stories and unsung heroes. The lone book with a single focus is a 1975 biography of Pete Rose by Bob Rubin. Numbered from 1 through 24, the books have photographic covers and, as produced, lack dust jackets. They average ex-m; some have minor writing inside, and five have a Random House stamp along the bottom edge.
Minimum Bid $20
Lot 198. 10 Books, Primarily Team Histories – Dodgers, Orioles, Indianapolis Clowns, Etc. Hardbacks unless otherwise noted. Although these books focus overwhelmingly on major league teams, one of the more interesting reads is Bill Heward’s Some Are Called Clowns, a season in the life of the barnstorming Indianapolis Clowns. This 1974 book, an apparent first edition, is ex in a similar dust jacket. The other team-related books are: Birds on the Wing: The Story of the Baltimore Orioles, Gordon Beard, 1967 paperback, vg-ex. The Boys of Summer, Roger Kahn, 1972 stated first edition, vg+ book and dust jacket. Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Peter Golenbock, 1984, ex-m/ex-m. A Flag for San Francisco, Charles Einstein, vg+ book, g-vg dj. The Complete Record of Detroit Tigers Baseball, George Sullivan, 1985 PB, ex. Kiss It Goodbye, Shelby Whitfield, 1973, ex/g-vg, book on the Senators-Rangers. Two general books are Baseball: The First 100 Years, 1969 PB, f, and Baseball’s Great Moments, Joseph Rechler, 1985, nm book, ex-m dj. Also, a novel, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, Douglass Wallop, 1954 apparent first edition, ex book g-vg dj with Willard Mullin artwork, and The Original Baseball Facts 1962 booklet, ex.
Current Bid $15
Lot 199. 20+ Baseball Histories, References, Readers and Guides. Interesting assortment with these general histories (hardbacks unless otherwise noted): Baseball, Robert Smith, 1970 stated first printing, ex-library with minimal markings, vg-ex book and dust jacket. The National League Story, Lee Allen, 1961, vg+, no dj. Baseball, Earl Schenck Miers, 1973, vg-ex with a Reds logo sticker added to the front cover. This Great Game, Rutledge Books, 1972, nm/ex-m. Baseball’s Great Moments, Joseph Reichler, 1982, ex-m/ex-m. General baseball reading, including history, is contained in: A Century of Baseball Lore, John Thorn, 1980, nm book and dj. The Baseball Reader, Charles Einstein, 1989, nm/ex+. The Fireside Book of Baseball, Einstein, 1956, ex/vg+. The Baseball Catalog, Dan Schlossberg, 1980, ex-m/ex-m. References include: Take Me Out to the Ball Park, Lowell Reidenbaugh, 1983 stated first, nm-m book and dj. The World Series: A Complete Pictorial History, John Devaney1972, both ex-m+. Also, the 1984 and 1984 Bill James Baseball Abstract, both ex. One of the more entertaining publications is Butchered Baseball by F. S. Pearson, 1952 apparent first edition, ex book with some pencil notations on the flyleaf, vg-ex dj. There are four guides: Whitman’s 1941 Major League Baseball with Bob Feller and the owner’s name on the cover, vg; Baseball Facts 1961, The Original Baseball Facts 1962, and Don Schiffer’s 1963 Major League Baseball Handbook, all ex. Other titles, all softcovers, are: The Summer Game, The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball (1974), The Vest-Pocket Encyclopedia of Baseball, Strange But True Baseball Stories, Baseball: The First 100 Years, Baseball Stars of 1971 and Baseball Access, a 1984 publication by R. S. Wurman.
Minimum Bid $25
