The League of Outsider Baseball - by Gary Cieradkowski (Hardcover)

Number of Pages: 240
Genre: Sports + Recreation
Sub-Genre: Baseball
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Atria Books
Age Range: Adult
Book theme: History
Author: Gary Cieradkowski
Language: English

Book Synopsis

From an award-winning graphic artist and baseball historian comes a strikingly original illustrated history of baseball's forgotten heroes, including stars of the Negro Leagues, barnstorming teams, semi-pro leagues, foreign leagues, and famous players like Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and Joe DiMaggio before they achieved notoriety.

From a young age, Gary Cieradkowski had a passion for baseball's unheralded heroes. Inspired by his father and their shared love of the sport, Cieradkowski began creating "outsider" baseball cards, as a way to tell the little-known stories of baseball's many unsung heroes--alongside some of baseball's greatest players before they were famous. The League of Outsider Baseball is a tribute to all of those who've played the game, known and unknown.

Shining a light into the dark corners of baseball history--from Mickey Mantle's minor league days to Negro League greats like Josh Gibson and Leon Day; to people that most never knew played the game, such as Frank Sinatra, who had his own ball club in 1940s Hollywood; bank robber John Dillinger, who was a promising shortstop and took time out between robberies to attend Cubs games; and even a few US presidents--this book is a rich, visual tribute to America's pastime.

Meticulously researched, beautifully illustrated using a unique, vintage baseball-card-style, and filled with a colorful and rich cast of characters, this book is a prized collector's item and will be cherished by fans of all ages.

Review Quotes

"The League of Outsider Baseball can be read as a reclamation project, although it is also more than that. The illustrations, rendered in vivid throwback style, recall the beautiful old tobacco cards that were manufactured at the turn of the century.' Based not on photographs but rather on research and imagination, they offer a new lens through which to look at, or think about, these players, a way of bringing them to life.--David L. Ulin, LA Times

"Cieradkowski might be baseball's Van Gogh."-- "MLB.com"

"What began as a formof therapy has become this season's most beguiling and idiosyncratic book."-- "Chicago Tribune"

"Every few years, a baseball book comes along that isn't quite like anything before it. The latest candidate for the oddball baseball hall of fame book is The League of Outsider Baseball, a hugely enjoyable volume filled with so many jaw-dropping facts that you will want to start reading from cover to cover."--Allen Barra, Dallas Morning News

"Cieradkowski's work leaps into my top 5 nonfiction baseball books."--Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer

"Cieradkowski's artwork is able to capture the player far better than the photos you find in a typical baseball card. These players are more alive, more real than any faded photo. I almost expect them to leap off the card and demand $50 in exchange for an autograph."--Jim Caple, ESPN

"Gary Cieradkowski is to me the most interesting artist working in baseball today. His bold graphic style recalls America's poster kings of yore--Edward Penfield, J.C. Leyendecker, Fred G. Cooper--and his love of the game breathes new life into heroes long gone."--John Thorn, Official Historian for Major League Baseball

"Gary Cieradkowski's colorful and nuanced baseball art and cards are a romantic and captivating journey into the game's glorious past delivered from a unique and detailed perspective."--Charlie Vascellaro, Author of Hank Aaron: A Biography