Your audiobook is waiting…
Mint Condition
People who bought this also bought...
-
The MVP Machine
- How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players
- By: Ben Lindbergh, Travis Sawchik
- Narrated by: Josh Hurley
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 275
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 243
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 244
Instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A wonderful glimpse into the next level of player development
- By Bryan Eisenberg on 06-08-19
-
Cardboard Gods
- An All-American Tale Told through Baseball Cards
- By: Josh Wilker
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 17
Cardboard Gods is the memoir of Josh Wilker, a brilliant writer who has marked the stages of his life through the baseball cards he collected as a child. It also captures the experience of growing up obsessed with baseball cards and explores what it means to be a fan of the game. Along the way, as we get to know Josh, his family, and his friends, we also get Josh’s classic observations about the central artifacts from his life - the baseball cards themselves.
-
Ball Four
- The Final Pitch
- By: Jim Bouton
- Narrated by: Jim Bouton
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 946
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 852
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 850
When Ball Four was published in 1970, it created a firestorm. Bouton was called a Judas, a Benedict Arnold and a “social leper” for having violated the “sanctity of the clubhouse.” Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement saying the book wasn’t true. Ballplayers, most of whom hadn’t read it, denounced the book. It was even banned by a few libraries. Almost everyone else, however, loved Ball Four.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Three Ten Year Updates Give Bouton a 5th Star
- By Byron on 08-09-12
-
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches
- By: Tyler Kepner
- Narrated by: Tyler Kepner
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 159
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
From the New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than 300 people from Hall of Famers to the stars of today.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Perfect Baseball Book
- By Jordan on 05-21-19
-
The Glory of Their Times
- The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It
- By: Lawrence S. Ritter
- Narrated by: Lawrence S. Ritter, Fred Snodgrass, Sam Crawford, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 237
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 171
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
Baseball's Golden Age comes alive through the voices of men who were there. Selected from the original tapes on which Lawrence S. Ritter based his classic book of baseball history, The Glory of Their Times is a collection of wonderful tales that paint a vivid and evocative picture of a lively young America and the giants who starred on her ballfields, legends like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and many others.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Game Winning, Grand Slam!!!
- By Richard on 09-28-05
-
The Betrayal
- The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball
- By: Charles Fountain
- Narrated by: Bob Reed
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 105
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
In the most famous scandal of sports history, eight Chicago White Sox players - including Shoeless Joe Jackson - agreed to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for the promise of $20,000 each from gamblers reportedly working for New York mobster Arnold Rothstein. Heavily favored, Chicago lost the Series five games to three. Although rumors of a fix flew while the series was being played, they were largely disregarded by players and the public at large.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book
- By Nate Gilman on 02-25-16
-
The MVP Machine
- How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players
- By: Ben Lindbergh, Travis Sawchik
- Narrated by: Josh Hurley
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 275
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 243
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 244
Instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A wonderful glimpse into the next level of player development
- By Bryan Eisenberg on 06-08-19
-
Cardboard Gods
- An All-American Tale Told through Baseball Cards
- By: Josh Wilker
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 17
Cardboard Gods is the memoir of Josh Wilker, a brilliant writer who has marked the stages of his life through the baseball cards he collected as a child. It also captures the experience of growing up obsessed with baseball cards and explores what it means to be a fan of the game. Along the way, as we get to know Josh, his family, and his friends, we also get Josh’s classic observations about the central artifacts from his life - the baseball cards themselves.
-
Ball Four
- The Final Pitch
- By: Jim Bouton
- Narrated by: Jim Bouton
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 946
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 852
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 850
When Ball Four was published in 1970, it created a firestorm. Bouton was called a Judas, a Benedict Arnold and a “social leper” for having violated the “sanctity of the clubhouse.” Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement saying the book wasn’t true. Ballplayers, most of whom hadn’t read it, denounced the book. It was even banned by a few libraries. Almost everyone else, however, loved Ball Four.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Three Ten Year Updates Give Bouton a 5th Star
- By Byron on 08-09-12
-
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches
- By: Tyler Kepner
- Narrated by: Tyler Kepner
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 159
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
From the New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than 300 people from Hall of Famers to the stars of today.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Perfect Baseball Book
- By Jordan on 05-21-19
-
The Glory of Their Times
- The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It
- By: Lawrence S. Ritter
- Narrated by: Lawrence S. Ritter, Fred Snodgrass, Sam Crawford, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 237
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 171
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 171
Baseball's Golden Age comes alive through the voices of men who were there. Selected from the original tapes on which Lawrence S. Ritter based his classic book of baseball history, The Glory of Their Times is a collection of wonderful tales that paint a vivid and evocative picture of a lively young America and the giants who starred on her ballfields, legends like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and many others.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Game Winning, Grand Slam!!!
- By Richard on 09-28-05
-
The Betrayal
- The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball
- By: Charles Fountain
- Narrated by: Bob Reed
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 105
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
In the most famous scandal of sports history, eight Chicago White Sox players - including Shoeless Joe Jackson - agreed to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for the promise of $20,000 each from gamblers reportedly working for New York mobster Arnold Rothstein. Heavily favored, Chicago lost the Series five games to three. Although rumors of a fix flew while the series was being played, they were largely disregarded by players and the public at large.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book
- By Nate Gilman on 02-25-16
-
Power Ball
- Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game
- By: Rob Neyer
- Narrated by: Rob Neyer
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 118
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 116
The former ESPN columnist and analytics pioneer dramatically recreates an action-packed 2017 game between the Oakland A’s and eventual World Series champion Houston Astros to reveal the myriad ways in which Major League Baseball has changed over the last few decades.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Solid overview of Baseball in 2018
- By Tyler Burch on 11-21-18
-
For the Good of the Game
- The Inside Story of the Surprising and Dramatic Transformation of Major League Baseball
- By: Bud Selig
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
The longtime commissioner of Major League Baseball provides an unprecedented look inside professional baseball today, focusing on how he helped bring the game into the modern age and revealing his interactions with players, managers, fellow owners, and fans nationwide.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Bud's heartfelt tribute to himself
- By Buretto on 08-12-19
-
Astroball
- The New Way to Win It All
- By: Ben Reiter
- Narrated by: Ben Reiter
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 817
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 728
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 724
Astroball is the inside story of how a gang of outsiders went beyond the stats to find a new way to win. When new Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and his top analyst, the former rocket scientist Sig Mejdal, arrived in Houston in 2011, they had already spent more than half a decade trying to understand how human instinct and expertise could be blended with hard numbers. Astroball is the story of the next wave of thinking in baseball and beyond, at once a remarkable underdog story and a fascinating look at the cutting edge of evaluating and optimizing human potential.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
More About the Story than the Process
- By Boyd Tschaggeny on 07-16-18
-
The Hall: A Celebration of Baseball's Greats
- In Stories and Images, the Complete Roster of Inductees
- By: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin, Nick Omana, Mark Comstock, and others
- Length: 19 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
Never before has the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum published a complete registry of inductees with plaques, photographs, and extended biographies. In this unique, 75th anniversary edition, read the stories of every player inducted into the Hall, organized by position. Each section begins with an original essay by a living Hall of Famer who played that position
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The Almost Complete Roster of the Hall of Fame
- By Tony E. on 04-08-15
-
I Want My MTV
- The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
- By: Craig Marks, Rob Tannenbaum
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 667
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 615
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 612
It was a pretty radical idea - a channel for teenagers, showing nothing but music videos. It was such a radical idea that almost no one thought it would actually succeed, much less become a force in the worlds of music, television, film, fashion, sports, and even politics. But it did work. MTV became more than anyone had ever imagined. I Want My MTV tells the story of the first decade of MTV, the golden era when MTV's programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched religiously to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at parties.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Most Entertaining Book of the Year
- By David on 10-24-12
-
Tales from the Deadball Era
- Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History
- By: Mark S. Halfon
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
The Deadball Era (1901-1920) is a baseball fan's dream. Hope and despair, innocence and cynicism, and levity and hostility blended then to create an air of excitement, anticipation, and concern for all who entered the confines of a major league ballpark. Cheating for the sake of victory earned respect, corrupt ballplayers fixed games with impunity, and violence plagued the sport. At the same time, endearing practices infused baseball with lightheartedness, kindness, and laughter.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Enlightening History
- By Ray R. on 09-17-19
-
Ty Cobb
- A Terrible Beauty
- By: Charles Leerhsen
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 570
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 526
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 525
Ty Cobb is baseball royalty, maybe even the greatest player who ever lived. His lifetime batting average is still the highest of all time, and when he retired in 1928, after twenty-one years with the Detroit Tigers and two with the Philadelphia Athletics, he held more than ninety records. But the numbers don't tell half of Cobb's tale. The Georgia Peach was by far the most thrilling player of the era: "Ty Cobb could cause more excitement with a base on balls than Babe Ruth could with a grand slam," one columnist wrote.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Two Cobb Books, One Review of a Maligned Legacy
- By Jonathan Love on 05-17-16
-
Football for a Buck
- The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 237
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 222
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 221
The United States Football League was the last football league to not merely challenge the mighty NFL but also to cause it to collectively shudder. It spanned three seasons, featured as many as 18 teams, secured multiple television deals, drew millions of fans, and launched the careers of legends - but then it died beneath the weight of a particularly egotistical and bombastic owner, a New York businessman named Donald Trump. Jeff Pearlman draws on more than 400 interviews to unearth all the salty, untold stories of one of the craziest sports entities to have ever captivated America.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
You have to hear it to believe it. Incredible!
- By Tanya White on 09-27-18
-
The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told
- Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond
- By: Jeff Silverman
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain, Hillary Huber
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 68
At a 1931 barnstorming exhibition game in Tennessee, a 17-year-old pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back to back. Her name was Jackie Mitchell - "organized baseball's first girl pitcher." In July 1970, a stripper rushed onto the field at Riverfront Stadium to kiss Johnny Bench, temporarily disrupting a game attended by President Nixon and his family. These are just some of the great, quirky, and comic moments in the annals of baseball recorded in The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not what I was expecting... at all
- By keith on 04-16-17
-
The Baseball Codes
- By: Jason Turbow, Michael Duca
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 233
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 178
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 177
Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. What truly governs the Major League game is a set of unwritten rules, some of which are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), and some of which only a minority of players are even aware of (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box).
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Anyone who loves the game
- By Patrick on 02-03-11
-
Baseball
- By: Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns
- Narrated by: Ken Burns
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 66
The authors of the acclaimed and best-selling The Civil War, Jazz, and The War turn to another uniquely American phenomenon: baseball. Geoffrey C. Ward's and Ken Burns’s moving and fascinating history of the game goes beyond stolen bases, double plays, and home runs to demonstrate how baseball has been influenced by, and has in turn influenced, American life.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Just OK
- By Richard on 05-18-11
-
The Man Who Solved the Market
- How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution
- By: Gregory Zuckerman
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,040
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 889
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 889
Jim Simons is the greatest money maker in modern financial history. No other investor - Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, Ray Dalio, Steve Cohen, or George Soros - can touch his record. Since 1988, Renaissance's signature Medallion fund has generated average annual returns of 66 percent. The firm has earned profits of more than $100 billion; Simons is worth 23 billion dollars.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good general history, some personal overtones but easily teased out
- By Luc on 11-18-19
Publisher's Summary
When award-winning journalist Dave Jamieson's parents sold his childhood home a few years ago, he rediscovered a prized boyhood possession: his baseball card collection. Now was the time to cash in on the investments of his youth. But all the card shops had closed, and cards were selling for next to nothing online. What had happened?
In Mint Condition, his fascinating, eye-opening, endlessly entertaining book, Jamieson finds the answer by tracing the complete story of this beloved piece of American childhood. Picture cards had long been used for advertising, but after the Civil War, tobacco companies started slipping them into cigarette packs as collector's items. Before long the cards were wagging the cigarettes. In the 1930s cards helped gum and candy makers survive the Great Depression. In the 1960s royalties from cards helped transform the baseball players' association into one of the country's most powerful unions, dramatically altering the game. In the '80s and '90s, cards went through a spectacular bubble, becoming a billion-dollar-a-year industry before all but disappearing, surviving today as the rarified preserve of adult collectors. Mint Condition is charming original history brimming with colorful characters, sure to delight baseball fans and collectors.
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars37
-
4 Stars6
-
3 Stars4
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Performance
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars36
-
4 Stars6
-
3 Stars2
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Story
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars32
-
4 Stars9
-
3 Stars2
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars0
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Lutz
- 07-17-16
Great Book
I am almost finished with this book, and so far it has been great. Gives an accurate account of the history of Baseball cards, and as a new collector it is very interesting. I would definitely recommend it to a baseball fan or even just a regular sports fan.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- dominic escajeda
- 05-21-19
Really informative
Great story about baseball cards and their beginngs till what the hobby has become today.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. O.
- 01-21-20
Perfect in every way!
This book absolutely caught my imagination. I highly tout this book every chance I get. From the history, the stories and the performer this couldn't be any better.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. P. HIGBED
- 10-06-18
One for those who “were there “
Oh boy! This brought back so many memories. Highly recommended for readers who used to collect, trade, and flip cards. It chronicles the 150 year rise of cads. And the startlingly quick collapse. In lots of “fan-boy” detail.
Warning : people who weren’t card owners may find the detail dreary and excessive.