Essentials by Steven Travers (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition (NAP). I bought this book a good number of years ago from the home of Matt Merola in New Rochelle, New York. The inscription reads 'To Reggie, Thanks for unreal memories. You're a better man than Billy Martin 6 days of the week and twice on Sundays, even if you are an ASU guy. Fight on! Steven Travers.' Reggie Jackson attended Arizona State University (ASU) from 1964 to 1966. Matt Merola has been described as 'a close friend of Reggie Jackson's. He was his agent and business representative for over 45 years. He managed Jackson's off-the-field activities, including endorsements, contract negotiations, and business deals. He was involved in managing the fallout from a 2000 incident where Jackson's name was associated with an online casino, assuring that the deal did not involve betting on baseball. He also negotiated Jackson's candy bar contract. Merola was a notable sports agent for other stars as well, including Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan.' There are two chapters in this book focused on Reggie Jackson. One is titled 'Jax' and the other is titled 'Reggie Takes Charge'. The full title of the book is 'A's Essentials: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Real Fan!' You can see the covers of the book in the photos. They are in very good condition. There is a tiny speck/scratch off the front bottom edge. The gilt lettering on the spine is nicely bright. The cover edges and corners are in excellent condition, no rubbing. The page edges are perfectly clean. The book is square and the spine is straight. The binding is very solid from cover to cover with nicely tight pages throughout and nicely tight covers as well. The interior of the book is in excellent condition. The pages are exceptionally clean. Scrolling through, I haven't found any instances of soiling. The pages are also nicely bright. There are no conspicuous creases, no turned-down corners or placeholder creases. There is a tiny nick at the bottom edge of a dozen or so consecutive pages, no tears, nothing much of anything. There are no markings in the book. No attachments of any kind. And the author's signed inscription (see photo) represents the only writing to be found anywhere. The dust jacket is also in excellent condition. I've had it in a fitted protective cover for as long as I owned the book. The covers are quite clean. I don't see any tears. The flaps are in very good condition, very clean, no tears, no creases. The jacket is NOT price-clipped, not clipped at all. Quoting from parts of the jacket: 'From the legendary Connie Mack's early reign in Philadelphia to Charles O. Finley's dynasty of the mid-1970s, to today's juggernaut assembled by wizard-like general manager Billy Beane, the Athletics have proved to be one of the most storied franchises in sports.' 'Building around the likes of Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, and Vida Blue, the Oakland A's became baseball's dominant team of the early 1970s, winning five consecutive division titles and three straight World Series titles in 1972, 1973, and 1974. Under the mercurial manager Billy Martin, the A's rose again in the early 1980s and then at the end of the decade and in the early 1990s under the watch of manager Tony La Russa.' 'All of the great Oakland Athletics players are honored in this book, as are the most memorable moments in the team's colorful history.'. Inscribed by Author(s).