Mark Allen Baker
Encyclopedia
Mark Allen Baker is a former business executive, and American author, historian, and writer of over 200 articles and 16 books[1].
Expertise in the area of historic manuscripts and artifacts has enhanced his passion for history and is exhibited in many of his earlier books - publications that center around sports and music. Baker's later work has placed a greater emphasis on regional events and investigative research. While passionate about his primary subjects, he has also written many articles in the areas of antiques, art, authors, computer graphics, finance, and forensic science.
Baker's work has been referenced in numerous periodicals including USA Today
[1a], Sports Illustrated
[1b] and Money
. Following his 1997 book, Goldmine's Price Guide to Rock & Roll Memorabilia[2], he appeared as a co-host on the VH-1 series Rock Collectors. Baker has also been a featured speaker at many events including the Hemingway
Days Festival & Writers Conference in Key West, Florida. He acts as a historian for many institutions including the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in Canastota, New York[2a] and was given a Lifetime Donor Membership by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York[2b] for the research in his first book.
His fascination with history began as a child and in his book Collector's Guide to Celebrity Autographs (2000), he shared the secrets of his 40-year experience in collecting historical artifacts[3]. "We collect celebrity autographs to preserve a moment, and to remind us of the human spirit that succeeds despite adversity," he explained. His book featured 7,000 address listings and more than 900 autographs[4].
Baker’s work, particularly as it relates to American history, continues to draw the attention of new readers, historians and researchers. In The Pen & Quill,[6] a trade journal for librarians and archivists, he examines the writing of Abraham Lincoln, including a stroke-by-stroke analysis of many of his key documents and major correspondence.[7] While his valuable contribution to the field of historical manuscripts remains undiminished, it is his research skills, exhibited through some of his recent titles, that continues to impress his readers.
His diverse and in-depth analysis is exemplified by the individuals who have contributed Introductions to his numerous books including: Joe Sewell
(Baseball Hall of Fame, Lou Gehrig’s roommate), Max Patkin
(Cleveland Indians coach, Clown Prince of Baseball, actor “Bull Durham”), and Kermit “Shine” Forbes (Ernest Hemingway’s boxing sparring partner ). Additional contributors have also included: Charles Gehringer (Baseball Hall of Fame), A. Barlett Giamatti (Baseball), Bobby Doerr
(Baseball Hall of Fame), Jeff Gordon
(Racing), Paul Newman
(Actor, Racing), Mario Andretti
(Racing) and Andrew Wyeth
(Art).[8]
Baker has also been the co-owner of numerous businesses including "Bleachers" of Liverpool, New York - an 8000 sq ft (743.2 m²). sports bar and museum. Opened in 1990, the popular restaurant hosted many famous and diverse events from a reception for "Stars on Ice" featuring Scott Hamilton
and Debbie Thomas to a Monday Night radio show hosted by Mike Tirico
. Tirico hosted his first show from WAER radio in Syracuse, NY, the radio station where he started this sports broadcasting career, on the campus of Syracuse University
. During the NFL football season it was broadcast live from Bleachers prior to Monday Night Football
.
The author examines the rich history of Boxing in Upstate New York in the award nominated “Title Town, USA " published by The History Press in May 2010. It is the first book to truly establish central New York as the epicenter of pugilism. The book's forward was written by Edward P. Brophy, Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in Canastota, New York. In October 2010, the author released "Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots" also published by The History Press. The book is an introduction to professional basketball in Syracuse and includes teams like (Vic Hanson's) All-Americans, the Syracuse Reds and the Syracuse Nationals
(1946–1963). Contributions to the work include over a dozen former NBA players, along with members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baker, a graduate from Fayetteville-Manlius High School
, attended the State University of New York at Oswego
. His post graduate work centered on digital imaging for his employer, the General Electric Corporation - Genigraphics Division; Art Director, Marketing Research Manager and Executive Assistant to the CEO. [9] Formerly Editor and Publisher (2007–2010) of "The Pen & Quill",[5]considered by many to be one of the finest journals for autograph and manuscripts, he now resides in Hartford, Connecticut. He has three children : Aaron (b.1985), Elizabeth (b. 1986) and Rebecca (b.1990).
Expertise in the area of historic manuscripts and artifacts has enhanced his passion for history and is exhibited in many of his earlier books - publications that center around sports and music. Baker's later work has placed a greater emphasis on regional events and investigative research. While passionate about his primary subjects, he has also written many articles in the areas of antiques, art, authors, computer graphics, finance, and forensic science.
Baker's work has been referenced in numerous periodicals including USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
[1a], Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
[1b] and Money
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
. Following his 1997 book, Goldmine's Price Guide to Rock & Roll Memorabilia[2], he appeared as a co-host on the VH-1 series Rock Collectors. Baker has also been a featured speaker at many events including the Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
Days Festival & Writers Conference in Key West, Florida. He acts as a historian for many institutions including the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in Canastota, New York[2a] and was given a Lifetime Donor Membership by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York[2b] for the research in his first book.
His fascination with history began as a child and in his book Collector's Guide to Celebrity Autographs (2000), he shared the secrets of his 40-year experience in collecting historical artifacts[3]. "We collect celebrity autographs to preserve a moment, and to remind us of the human spirit that succeeds despite adversity," he explained. His book featured 7,000 address listings and more than 900 autographs[4].
Baker’s work, particularly as it relates to American history, continues to draw the attention of new readers, historians and researchers. In The Pen & Quill,[6] a trade journal for librarians and archivists, he examines the writing of Abraham Lincoln, including a stroke-by-stroke analysis of many of his key documents and major correspondence.[7] While his valuable contribution to the field of historical manuscripts remains undiminished, it is his research skills, exhibited through some of his recent titles, that continues to impress his readers.
His diverse and in-depth analysis is exemplified by the individuals who have contributed Introductions to his numerous books including: Joe Sewell
Joe Sewell
Joseph Wheeler Sewell was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees...
(Baseball Hall of Fame, Lou Gehrig’s roommate), Max Patkin
Max Patkin
Max Patkin was an American baseball player and clown, best known as the Clown Prince of Baseball ....
(Cleveland Indians coach, Clown Prince of Baseball, actor “Bull Durham”), and Kermit “Shine” Forbes (Ernest Hemingway’s boxing sparring partner ). Additional contributors have also included: Charles Gehringer (Baseball Hall of Fame), A. Barlett Giamatti (Baseball), Bobby Doerr
Bobby Doerr
Robert Pershing Doerr is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox . He led American League second basemen in double plays five times, tying a league record, in putouts and fielding percentage four times each, and...
(Baseball Hall of Fame), Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
(Racing), Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
(Actor, Racing), Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
(Racing) and Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
(Art).[8]
Baker has also been the co-owner of numerous businesses including "Bleachers" of Liverpool, New York - an 8000 sq ft (743.2 m²). sports bar and museum. Opened in 1990, the popular restaurant hosted many famous and diverse events from a reception for "Stars on Ice" featuring Scott Hamilton
Scott Hamilton (figure skater)
Scott Scovell Hamilton is an American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist. He won four consecutive U.S. championships , four consecutive World Championships and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics....
and Debbie Thomas to a Monday Night radio show hosted by Mike Tirico
Mike Tirico
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
. Tirico hosted his first show from WAER radio in Syracuse, NY, the radio station where he started this sports broadcasting career, on the campus of Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. During the NFL football season it was broadcast live from Bleachers prior to Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
.
The author examines the rich history of Boxing in Upstate New York in the award nominated “Title Town, USA " published by The History Press in May 2010. It is the first book to truly establish central New York as the epicenter of pugilism. The book's forward was written by Edward P. Brophy, Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in Canastota, New York. In October 2010, the author released "Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots" also published by The History Press. The book is an introduction to professional basketball in Syracuse and includes teams like (Vic Hanson's) All-Americans, the Syracuse Reds and the Syracuse Nationals
Syracuse Nationals
The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...
(1946–1963). Contributions to the work include over a dozen former NBA players, along with members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baker, a graduate from Fayetteville-Manlius High School
Fayetteville-Manlius High School
Fayetteville-Manlius High School is a comprehensive New York public high school on East Seneca Turnpike in the Town of Manlius, serving grades 9-12 in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District. It is the only high school in the district, and is the successor to both Wellwood Middle School...
, attended the State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, is a public university in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario...
. His post graduate work centered on digital imaging for his employer, the General Electric Corporation - Genigraphics Division; Art Director, Marketing Research Manager and Executive Assistant to the CEO. [9] Formerly Editor and Publisher (2007–2010) of "The Pen & Quill",[5]considered by many to be one of the finest journals for autograph and manuscripts, he now resides in Hartford, Connecticut. He has three children : Aaron (b.1985), Elizabeth (b. 1986) and Rebecca (b.1990).
Selected Books
- Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots (2010) ISBN 978-1-59629-983-2
- TITLE TOWN, USA, Boxing in Upstate New York (2010) ISBN 978-1-59629-769-2
- The Official Autograph Collector Price Guide (2004) ISBN 0-9669710-9-4
- Celebrity Autographs, SECOND EDITION (2000) ISBN 0-87341-838-7
- Advanced Autograph Collecting (2000) ISBN 0-87341-632-5
- The Standard Guide to Collecting Autographs (1999) ISBN 0-87341-613-9
- Goldmine's Price Guide to Rock & Roll Memorabilia (1997) ISBN 0-87341-490-X
- Celebrity Autographs (1996) ISBN 0-87341-464-0
- Auto Racing (1996) ISBN 0-87341-437-3
- All-Sport Autograph Guide (1994) ISBN 0-87341-316-4
- Team Baseballs (1992) ISBN 0-87341-316-4
- Baseball Autograph Handbook, SECOND EDITION (1990) ISBN 0-87341-169-2
- Baseball Autograph Handbook (1990) ISBN 0-87341-125-0