October 1964

By: David Halberstam

Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto

Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-seller.

David Halberstam, an avid sports writer with an investigative reporter’s tenacity, superbly details the end of the 15-year reign of the New York Yankees in October 1964. That October found the Yankees going head-to-head with the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series pennant.

Expertly weaving the narrative threads of both teams’ seasons, Halberstam brings the major personalities on the field - from switch-hitter Mickey Mantle to pitcher Bob Gibson - to life. Using the teams’ subcultures, Halberstam also analyzes the cultural shifts of the '60s. The result is a unique blend of sports writing and cultural history as engrossing as it is insightful.

"Compelling.... 1964 is a chronicle of the end of a great dynasty and of a game, like the country, on the cusp of enormous change." (Newsweek)

"Wonderful.... Memorable.... Halberstam describes the final game of the 1964 series accurately and so dramatically, I almost thought I had forgotten the ending." (The Washington Post Book World)

©1994 The Amateurs Limited (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"October 1964 should be a hit with old-time baseball fans, who'll relish the opportunity to relive that year's to-die-for World Series, when the dynastic but aging New York Yankees squared off against the upstart St. Louis Cardinals. It should be a hit with younger students of the game, who'll eat up the vivid portrayals of legends like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris of the Yankees and Bob Gibson and Lou Brock of the Cardinals. Most of all, however, David Halberstam's new book should be a hit with anyone interested in understanding the important interplay between sports and society." (The Boston Globe)

"Halberstam's latest gives us the feeling of actually being there - in another time, in the locker rooms and in the minds of baseball legends. His time and effort researching the book result in a fluency with his topic and a fluidity of writing that make the reading almost effortless.... Absorbing." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Superb reporting.... Incisive analysis.... You know from the start that Halberstam is going to focus on a large human canvas.... One of the many joys of this book is the humanity with which Halberstam explores the characters as well as the talents of the players, coaches and managers. These are not demigods of summer but flawed, believable human beings who on occasion can rise to peaks of heroism." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Vastly entertaining study of a great World Series

Fascinating anecdotes and insights on the players, managers, owners and changing times in World Series American Baseball, 1964.

EXCELLENT STORY/POOR NARRATION

This fascinating portrait of baseball culture and the compelling personalities of the 1964 season is hampered by weak narration with many mispronounced names. I absolutely recommend the book. The Audible version? Not so much.

Excellent!

I enjoyed the writing and the narration very much. So glad I got this, will listen to again and again.

Great book but lots of mispronounced names

Here's an idea: When you are going to produce an audiobook about baseball, hire a narrator who is familiar with pronunciation of the baseball names (e.g., Reuss, Cepeda, Belanger). This book had more mispronunciations than other books. It's too bad because it is a wonderful book by Mr Halberstam. He's a great author who deserves better.

Halberstram Delivers!!!

This book is not only about baseball but about American social history in 1964. Back then the World Series was played in the afternoon. Transistor Radios were carried by fans . “Cards 6 0” said Joe Conway during a lunch recess. Epic book.

Timeless classic

A great book!
Places the World Series of 1964 in a much broader context. This is a historical inflection point and signals the end of one era and the beginning of another. In reading about Mickey mantle I could only think Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Johnny Keane was the hero behind the hero whose life ended much too soon. He enabled his two young stars to flourish— Gibson and Brock. Amazing that the Cardinals were vilified for what would come to be seen as one of the worst trades in baseball history. How could the Cubs have let Brock get away? Also the underrated sacrifice of Curt Flood.

Nice book!

Not a Yankee fan, but you don’t need to be. Lots of great stuff especially on topics of race, and I learned a lot about Bob Gibson, which was great. Glad I read this book

A Good Listen

For those interested in baseball history, especially this critical time for the Yankees, this is a good listen.

It was the end of an era for those who grew up on and/or appreciated the Yankees of the 50s.

It was also a good account of other big teams of the time, especially the Cardinals.

The book does a good job of analyzing the increasing role of African Americans in the game and the impact on teams that did a better or worse job of accelerating that role.

Finally, it was nice to get the in-depth treatment of the major players and figures in baseball at the time.

I wish there had been more time and attention to the actual end of the season in 1964. I had expected much more of this from the title.

But it was a good experience.

Excellent book

This is just a wonderful book. It's about so much more than the title suggests. The early 1960s was a pivotal period in the evolution of baseball, The game expanded to the West Coast, became racially integrated, began an amateur player draft, began to rely on tv contracts for revenue -- the old ways of doing things was ending, and new patterns were emerging. This is a must read book for any baseball fan.

an excellent baseball book

Loved it! Well, extensively researched book; good narration. I highly recommend this. Great story of baseball & American society influencing each other in the 50s & 60s. The book focuses its primary attention on the Cardinals & Yankees teams (understandably so) and the story jumps around a lot going back and forth from player stories/biographies to covering the '64 season. But aside from that nit-picky critique, don't let that turn you away from enjoying this great baseball book.