Baseball Americana
"Baseball Americana has some fascinating illustrations and photos that document the game in a visually accessible way. This is the kind of book that leaves you wanting more of that good stuff, and also let’s your imagination dream of the stories behind the pictures." - John Zajc, Executive Director, Society for American Baseball Research.
Check out this short YouTube video clip produced by Harper Collins Publishing:
“Baseball Americana”: My Personal Magical Mystery Tour at the Library of Congress
My own journey within the Library that is popularly called “the peoples library” began when I was a ninth grader living in Alexandria, Virginia. It was then that I had my first “real” research assignment. I drifted down to the main reading room in the Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress to, as my mom admonished, “do it right”. I was amazed, if not flat out overwhelmed, at the sheer scope and breadth of the place. The largest collection of printed matter, including the rarest of books, in the world!! Are you kidding?
For one who already was developing a love of history, books and museums, well, I was smitten!
Fast forward some years. My attraction to history and the printed word took the form of a major in college (political science and history) then a career in the law, but throughout it all, another personal passion of mine, the game of baseball, stuck with me as well. “America’s Game”, as Walt Whitman once said, was always more than a simple bat and ball game to me. Now, into my fifth decade on earth, I have finally had the privilege of merging my love of the Library along with my passion for baseball. How? Well, at the invitation of some kind folks who I have had the pleasure to know at the Library, I was able to roll up my sleeves and help unearth some of the baseball treasures squirreled away within that great institution. Better yet, I was also invited to co-author a book that would showcase what we would discover.
Wow! What an adventure. My own Magical Mystery Tour would begin!
Thus, I would begin a two year journey delving into the nooks and crannies at the Library. Where did we go and what did we see? You name it! We uncovered baseball prints, photographs, illustrations, posters, sheet music, film, post cards, newspapers, comics and ephemera of every kind and type. And we only scratched the surface!! I invite you to take that journey with me and leaf through the pages of our book: “Baseball Americana: Baseball Treasures At the Library of Congress”. And, borrowing another phrase popularized in song, I have no doubt whatsoever that “a splendid time is guaranteed for all”.
Frank J. Ceresi