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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Historically important snapshot of baseball, March 16, 1999
Were Charles Conlon still alive, I would track him down and kiss his feet for capturing in such vivid detail the historic giants of baseball. The book features remarkable photos of the greatest baseball players of most of the first half of this century. Suitable for framing, the photos typically depict individual players and small groups, often in game action. The well preserved photographs provide an important window on a truly beautiful game and its players in an era when outfield fences were optional, and a "baseball club" was just that. My favorite of Conlon's gems shows Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner gripping his bat. Under his fingernails is Pennsylvania coal dust. His chipped, oversized piece of lumber looks unwieldy by today's standards. And his sinuous forearms are testament to the power that we remember him by. Other photos are paired to show the dramatic impact of age and the outfield sun on players of yesterday. Picture Wes Chandler spunky at 25 and then battle weary at about 50 and you'll understand why so many players strive so hard for a moment in the sun: they want to enjoy it before it's all gone.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
WHERE IS THE SEQUEL??!!!, April 11, 1999
This marvellous collection of the greatest baseball photographs ever taken qualify as one of the very best contributions to both baseball literature and serious photography. The consummate images of rough-hewn blue-collar stock named Wagner or McGraw or Overall silhouetted against rickety hardwood bleachers, rusty wire screens, and smoke-baptised brick houses; unmown grass and pock-marked infields beneath them; the smell of pancake mitts and hickory bats and unwashen wool uniforms in their nostrils; coal-dust and farm soil and blistering summer sun etching character into their faces. These, I say, seem to me the very breath and blood of the grand ol' game of baseball, all gloriously frozen in time in its purest splendor by the sensitive eye of Charles M. Conlon. These indelible images from the tool of a genius ARE NOT JUST BASEBALL PHOTOGRAPHS! Who can shake the documentary immediacy, mental peace, or aesthetic excitement aroused by the breath-taking images of Bob Rhoads warming-up his soupbone, shadowed by the hand-operated scoreboard at the wood-and-spit Hilltop Park? Or a flailing Tommy Leach squinting a pop-up into the merciless Brooklyn sun? Or Ty Cobb, his jaw curled into a fist, ruthlessly showering dirt and hellfire into a helpless third-sacker? Or muscular Tim Jordan gracefully balancing a heavy-weight stroke of his massive war-club? As the authors state, Conlon deserves to be ranked with Ansel Adams and Walker Evans, and compared with Eugene Atget. His undying images provide a unique look at a time and way of life gone by. P.S.: What I want to know is, WHERE IS THE SEQUEL? Conlon left 8000 negatives; and many of his most extraordinary--such as Russ Ford warming up by the Hilltop's trumpet-clutching "p.a. announcer"; or Hank Gowdy burnishing in the sunlight, warming-up on a Polo Grounds sideline in 1917--have been reproduced in a baseball card set, the discontinued "Conlon Collection," issued by the Sporting News. But the reproduction of these wonderful photographs in the set are inferior to Constance McCabe's sensitive care; and are much smaller, besides. Neal, if you're reading this, PLEASE put together another volume of Conlon's brilliant images!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Oh Magnificent!!!, December 4, 1998
The centerpiece of all baseball photography books. You read about them. You marvel at their feats and accomplishments. So few photographs exist about them. What do they look like? Charles Conlon did history a service by just following his hobby. Truly a magnificent masterpiece. Not just photo's...History! We are all so very lucky to be blessed with such a collection. For those interested, there is a collection of hundreds of baseball cards featuring the photographic genius of Conlon. They are out of print now, but can still be found. The Conlon Collection from the Sporting News. You owe it to yourself to check it out. You owe it to yourself to own this book.
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The photo of Wally Pipp is priceless., February 21, 2001
By A Customer
As great as the photos are the text is almost as good.Very refreshing; especially in the winter and in light of $250 million player contracts.
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Perfect for the coffee table, May 17, 1999
This is a fantastic book for anyone historically inclined. It focuses on an era- in the context of baseball. The descriptions with each amazing photo show how America viewed baseball as a microcosm of the country. A great discussion book. Highly recommended. An added bonus is the classic, unretouched photo of Ty Cobb sliding into third, knocking the third baseman off his feet.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
If you like baseball history, you will love this book., February 21, 1999
By A Customer
I have been a reader of baseball history for most of my 45 years, and I never heard of George S. Conlon. I know him now. This book is nothing less than fascinating. The photos are marvelous, but every printed word is interesting, starting with the preface. I could not put it down.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Picture Perfect, December 29, 1998
By A Customer
If you love old tyme baseball (turn of the 20th century), you'll cherish the revival of these Conlon Photos that the McCabe siblings have lovingly displayed for all (and the often glib repartee that accompanies them is the icing on the cake).
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Through The Looking Glass... onto the Polo Grounds, October 26, 1998
By A Customer
A captivating, can't put down book. As previous reviewers have noted, this book is like a time machine that transports you into another world. You step through the looking glass and onto the Polo Grounds, Washington Park, or Yankee Stadium. I have not enjoyed a baseball this much since the companion book to the PBS "Baseball" series! The photographs here are truly amazing when you consider how poor the technology of the time was. Other books on old time baseball force one to suffer through really bad period photos. There isn't a bad one here. Conlon was truly an artist! If you love history, baseball, or really good photography you will love this book.
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A riveting collection of the American pastime., July 10, 1998
By A Customer
Although I was born well after these photos were taken, they instantly transported me to the days when baseball truly was the American pastime. Once you have seen these photos you never forget them.
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A Beautiful, Captivating Time Machine, August 11, 1997
By A Customer
I began to follow baseball in the late 1950's. This book brought me to another era in America. The photos are works of art. The experessions of the players are timeless. The juxtapositions of many players with a 10 or 15 year intervening time span are riveting. This is a book not to be missed
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