The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It

This is by far the most impressive Baseball audio book that I have ever listened to. The words came to life and transported me back to a time when Baseball was such a huge part of the American life.

I have owned the book for many years and have long considered it one of the BEST. This is the story of a guy who went around in the 60's and made tape recorded interviews with the old ballplayers of 1900s to the 1920s. The Audible book is not narrated by a dramatic actor, but is the original recordings of those old ballplayers. They say what Babe Ruth was like when he first came up, talk about Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson. Probalby the best book in the audible library!

This has to be one of the top two audio books that I have ever had the joy of listening to! (The other was Reagan in His Own Words.) If you love baseball and its rich traditions and history, you will love this audio book, guaranteed! It was so interesting just to listen to these men talk about their day in the sun. There were certain players that all of them talked about like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Christie Mathewson. I came away with a lot more respect for these men and their brothers who played in the early 20th century. Another key point that comes across is how these men played for the pure enjoyment of the game and not the money as they do now. They didn't sit out a game even after getting what we would now call a serious injury. I don't see how the written book could even compare to the audio, because you can just hear the joy and enthusiasm that eminates from these guys even after 40 years! (This was recorded around 1964.)
My only regret is that the author couldn't find more players to interview for his book. Some of the men died within a year after his interview with them.
Buy it and enjoy it!

Fascinating. Listened in one sittig, wished that there was more.
Like an audio documentary. I really liked it.

I read "The Glory of Their Times" a few years ago and enjoyed it considerably. I decided to revisit the book through Audible and got a big surprise: the audio book is a collection of the original interviews recorded by author Lawrence Ritter. This audio book doesn't just give you a narrator reading the stories that baseball players told Ritter. You hear the original players talking. Some of the recordings are a little murky. Most were recorded well over 40 years ago. But it's an absolute delight to hear the voices of the players (who played during the '10s, '20s, and '30s). I give this audio book my highest recommendation. Even if you've already read "Glory of Their Times" (maybe especially if you've already read it) you'll want to listen to this superb collection of interviews.

Every fan of baseball writing is familiar with this book as it is often cited as the best book written about the game. I hesitated to download it as an audio file because it is abridged. I would have made a huge mistake not to get this audio book simply because it is abridged. It is a treasure to hear the voices of the men who established the game tell their stories.

Again and again...what a treat it was to hear stories of early 20th century baseball directly from the men who played the game

I read the book as a boy, but to hear the players tell their story brought the book to life.

just to hear so many say,

No... I chose to listen to one player tell their story, have it rattle in my brain for a while before moving on to the next...

I was not around to see these men play baseball... This was the next best thing...

As a lifelong fan of the game I just recently watched Ken Burns' documentary on Baseball and wanted to go a little more in depth into the early days of baseball. This book was exactly what I bargained for. I loved listening to the passion in the mens' voices as they talked about the game. I couldn't get enough of it. I'm already listening to it a second time!

Absolutely fantastic recording--truly, the only thing I would change about it is that I would make it ten times longer with ten times as many interviews. Otherwise, it's perfect.

I recommend this book, especially to my baseball friends, which most are. Being entertained for hours by former ballplayers recounting their glory days brought much joy. Starting with the reading of Ball Four in high school, the storytelling ability of former ballplayers continues to amaze me. That explains books on, or by, Lou, Babe, Stan, Willie, Sandy, Yogi, and Roberto lining my shelves. However, unlike Ball Four and most of the others, this book needs to be heard. The voices make the book come alive and place you right on the fields and in the dugouts.

Ball Four by Jim Bouton

The stories were told by former MLB players. You cannot beat that for authenticity.

I downloaded this book the day my brother and I drove to Cooperstown, New York to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in our 50+ years of life. The most moving part of the book came after reaching the Hall when names of the players whose stories we just heard came to life. Players we never knew before hearing the stories in this book appeared before our eyes in the halls of the Hall. Priceless!