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, Hans Lobert, others

Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

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. From the wildly hilarious to the achingly poignant, these stories tell it like it really was.

©1998 Lawrence S. Ritter (P)1998 Neal McCabe, Henry W. Thomas, and Lawrence S. Ritter; 1961 -65 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Inc. and the University of Notre Dame Library Recording; 16 9

Critic Reviews

"Almost perfect...vivid, gentle, and humorous." (The New Yorker)

A Game Winning, Grand Slam!!!

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.

Fantastic!

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!

hear the ballpayers

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.

Wow!

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!

Wow

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

The Joy of Baseball

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.

The Greatest Baseball Audiobook Imaginable

I stumbled on this title while searching for biographies of 19th and early 20th century ballplayers. What a gem! This is not only one of the greatest treasures for any baseball fan (particularly those interested in the games formative years, when titans like Ty Cobb, Christy Matthewson, Walter Johnson, Joe Jackson, and the Babe were playing), but this is a treasure of American history. Lawrence S. Ritter took his tape recorder and visited some of the oldest living ballplayers in the 1960s. The result is pure magic for the baseball fan. Imagine spending an afternoon sitting and sipping iced tea, listening to first-hand accounts of Ty Cobb's tirades, the sound of Walter Johnson's fastball as it buzzes by, the antics of Hal Chase, tales of John McGraw, and more. That's what listening to this book is like--It feels as if you're sitting at the feet of a baseball legend, listening to their stories of the legendary days of baseball. It is a collection of recordings of actual players in their twilight years, not dry, third person historical reportage.

Some of the audio from this book is included in Ken Burns' majestic documentary "Baseball". If you even have a passing interest in the game and a desire to know more about the people who made it America's Pastime, this audiobook is not to be missed.

tales from a different era

Would you listen to The Glory of Their Times again? Why?

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

What did you like best about this story?

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

Which scene was your favorite?

just to hear so many say,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

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...

Any additional comments?

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

Amazing stories

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!

Awesome Audible Book!

This was an Awesome Audible Book! I love the way the antique sounding piano set the mood for the interviews.

The most beautiful recording

I have loved this book since I first read age 11 more than 35 years ago. I had not realized original recordings existed and this was an amazing treat. Any fan of baseball or American history must listen.

Wow, to hear these great baseball players.

Just Magical from start to finish. Takes you back to a different world, don't miss out.

Glorious!

A wonderful jewel of a narrative made particularly special because it is told by the actual men who experienced the early days of organised baseball and the famous and infamous characters they played with and against. There is something very special about their personalities and the way they speak that places the listener right back to these now legendary days of baseball lore. It's travelling back and being placed right there amongst them.