Baseball: A History of the National Pastime (The Watts History of Sports)

Gr 7-10-Solid historical overviews with particular emphasis on off-the-field developments. Each book offers a wealth of information for even the most knowledgeable fans, especially about the game's early days. Stewart does an excellent job of demonstrating how social, financial, and organizational issues influence sports. In Baseball, he examines the labor-management conflicts that have been an important part of the game from its earliest days and shows how profoundly free agency has altered the sport. Soccer takes a candid look at the failure of this sport to flourish in the U.S. and lays much of the blame on organizational problems and petty squabbling. Both offerings are chock-full of outstanding full-color and black-and-white photos. There is strong coverage of memorable contests and individuals and the statistical appendixes are useful. The books' main value, however, lies in the exploration of the ways the sports both mirror and respond to changes taking place in the larger society.-Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT

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