The Glory of Their Times
Encyclopedia
The Glory of Their Times: The Story Of The Early Days Of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It is a book, edited by Lawrence Ritter
, telling the stories of early 20th century baseball
. It is widely acclaimed as one of the great books written about baseball.
, who had been regarded by many observers as the greatest player in the game's history. He was also influenced by the works of John and Alan Lomax
, who traveled the country in the 1930s and 1940s with tape recorders seeking out old and almost forgotten American folksongs.
Ritter realized that those who played baseball in the early years of the 20th century were now old men, and he resolved to interview as many of them as he could in order to record their memories. Ritter travelled 75,000 miles to interview his subjects, sitting for hours listening to them tell their tales into his tape recorder. The book retells their stories in the first-person, as they were told to Ritter.
A vinyl album containing some of the actual recordings of the interviews was released in the 1970s. More recently, with the burgeoning popularity of books-on-tape, longer versions of the recordings have been released on audiocassette and CD.
Crawford, Greenberg, Roush and Waner were already members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Coveleski, Goslin, Hooper and Marquard would be elected after the book was published, and Goslin and Marquard would directly credit Ritter's book. Toporcer, who lived on until 1989, was the last survivor among the interviewees. As part of Ritter's research, he interviewed many other ballplayers, baseball executives, and writers besides those who have chapters in his book. These individuals included Bill Veeck
, Billy Werber
, Benny Bengough
, Marty McHale
, Eliot Asinof
, Fred Lieb
, and George McBride
.
Lawrence Ritter
Lawrence S. Ritter was an American writer whose specialties were economics and baseball.Ritter was a professor of economics and finance, and chairman of the Department of Finance at the Graduate School of Business Administration of New York University. He also edited the academic periodical...
, telling the stories of early 20th century baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It is widely acclaimed as one of the great books written about baseball.
Preparation
Ritter got the idea for the book in 1961 upon the death of Ty CobbTy Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, who had been regarded by many observers as the greatest player in the game's history. He was also influenced by the works of John and Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
, who traveled the country in the 1930s and 1940s with tape recorders seeking out old and almost forgotten American folksongs.
Ritter realized that those who played baseball in the early years of the 20th century were now old men, and he resolved to interview as many of them as he could in order to record their memories. Ritter travelled 75,000 miles to interview his subjects, sitting for hours listening to them tell their tales into his tape recorder. The book retells their stories in the first-person, as they were told to Ritter.
Publication
The interviews were made between 1962 and 1966. The book was published in September 1966, following four years of research, interviews and preparation. An enlarged edition was issued in 1984, with the additions of George Gibson, Babe Herman, Specs Toporcer, and Hank Greenberg. A positive review by Wilfred Sheed in the New York Times Book Section helped propel the book, though it never hit the best seller list. This book has been in print for most of the last 35 years, selling 360,000 copies, with royalties of nearly a quarter million dollars. Ritter presented royalties to the 22 men in the original book and their estates, and continued to write them checks into the mid-1980s. Ritter himself earned less than $35,000 on this classic. Every player in the book, along with his wife, has since died.A vinyl album containing some of the actual recordings of the interviews was released in the 1970s. More recently, with the burgeoning popularity of books-on-tape, longer versions of the recordings have been released on audiocassette and CD.
Principals
- Jimmy AustinJimmy AustinJames Phillip "Jimmy" Austin was a professional baseball player and coach.-Early years:Austin was born in Swansea, Wales, the son of a shipbuilder. He was one of only three Major League baseball players to be born in Wales...
- Rube BresslerRube BresslerRaymond Bloom "Rube" Bressler was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1914 to 1916 and Cincinnati Reds from 1917 to 1920, before being converted to an outfielder and first baseman for Cincinnati from 1918 to 1927, the Brooklyn Robins from...
- Al BridwellAl BridwellAlbert Henry Bridwell was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the a number of teams in the early 20th century, most notably the New York Giants, when the team was managed by John McGraw. Bridwell hit the single which caused the crucial "Merkle boner" running error of the...
- Stan CoveleskiStan CoveleskiStanley Anthony Coveleski was a Major League Baseball player during the 1910s and 1920s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969....
- Sam CrawfordSam CrawfordSamuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....
- George Gibson
- Goose GoslinGoose GoslinLeon Allen "Goose" Goslin was a left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his powerful left-handed swing and dependable clutch hitting. He played 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until...
- Hank GreenbergHank GreenbergHenry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
- Heinie GrohHeinie GrohHenry Knight "Heinie" Groh was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball who spent nearly his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants. He was the National League's top third baseman in the late 1910s and early 1920s, and captained championship teams with the Reds and ...
- Babe HermanBabe HermanFloyd Caves "Babe" Herman was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who was best known for his several seasons with the Brooklyn Robins ....
- Harry HooperHarry HooperHarry Bartholomew Hooper was a Major League Baseball player in the early 20th century. Hooper batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Hooper was born in Bell Station, California. A graduate in engineering at Saint Mary's College of California, he broke into the majors with the Red Sox in 1909,...
- Davy JonesDavy Jones (baseball)David Jefferson "Davy" Jones , nicknamed "Kangaroo", was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played fifteen seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Rebels...
- Sad Sam JonesSad Sam JonesSamuel Pond "Sad Sam" Jones was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played in the American League with the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox . A native of Woodsfield, Ohio, Jones batted and threw...
- Willie KammWillie KammWilliam Edward Kamm was an American professional baseball player. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball from to . Kamm played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox before finishing his playing days with the Cleveland Indians...
- Tommy LeachTommy LeachThomas Andrew Leach was a baseball player during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Leach participated in the first modern World Series in 1903 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting four triples to set a record that still stands...
- Hans LobertHans LobertJohn Bernard "Hans" Lobert was an American infielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball.Lobert was born in Wilmington, Delaware...
- Rube MarquardRube MarquardRichard William "Rube" Marquard was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s...
- Chief MeyersChief MeyersJohn Tortes "Chief" Meyers was a Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins from 1909 to 1917. He played on the early Giants teams under manager John McGraw and was the primary catcher for Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson...
- Lefty O'DoulLefty O'DoulFrancis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul was an American Major League Baseball player who went on to become an extraordinarily successful manager in the minor leagues, and also a vital figure in the establishment of professional baseball in Japan.-Player:Born in San Francisco, California, O'Doul began his...
- Bob O'FarrellBob O'FarrellRobert Arthur "Bob" O'Farrell was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 21 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants. O'Farrell also played for the Cincinnati Reds, albeit briefly...
- Edd RoushEdd RoushEdd J. Roush was a Major League Baseball player who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He played the majority of his career in center field....
- Fred SnodgrassFred SnodgrassFrederick Carlisle "Snow" Snodgrass was an American center fielder in Major League baseball from 1908 to 1916 for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. He played under manager John McGraw and with some of the game's early greats, including Christy Mathewson...
- Specs ToporcerSpecs ToporcerGeorge Toporczer [played as Toporcer] was a professional baseball player and executive. He served primarily as a utility infielder during his eight seasons in Major League Baseball, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1921 through 1928. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
- Bill WambsganssBill WambsganssWilliam Adolf Wambsganss was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 through 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Athletics...
- Paul WanerPaul WanerPaul Glee Waner , nicknamed "Big Poison", was a German-American Major League Baseball right fielder.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
- Joe WoodSmokey Joe WoodHoward Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians during the early part of the 20th century...
Crawford, Greenberg, Roush and Waner were already members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Coveleski, Goslin, Hooper and Marquard would be elected after the book was published, and Goslin and Marquard would directly credit Ritter's book. Toporcer, who lived on until 1989, was the last survivor among the interviewees. As part of Ritter's research, he interviewed many other ballplayers, baseball executives, and writers besides those who have chapters in his book. These individuals included Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
, Billy Werber
Billy Werber
William Murray Werber was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Boston Red Sox , Philadelphia Athletics , Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants...
, Benny Bengough
Benny Bengough
Bernard Oliver "Benny" Bengough was a major league baseball catcher who played for ten seasons for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns. He was born in Niagara Falls, New York...
, Marty McHale
Marty McHale
Martin Joseph McHale was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for six seasons for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball-Biography:...
, Eliot Asinof
Eliot Asinof
Eliot Asinof was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction best known for his writing about baseball. His most famous book was Eight Men Out, a nonfiction reconstruction of the 1919 Black Sox scandal.-Biography:...
, Fred Lieb
Fred Lieb
Frederick Lieb was an American sportswriter and baseball historian. He and his wife Mary were especially close to Lou Gehrig. Walter Brennan's character in the movie The Pride of the Yankees was loosely based on him...
, and George McBride
George McBride
George Florian "Pinch" McBride is a former shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Washington Senators from 1901 to 1920. He started off with the short-lived Milwaukee Brewers , but he only had 12 at-bats in three games...
.