Great Baseball Films: From Right Off the Bat to a League of Their Own

Book by Edelman, Rob

The title of this book is something of a misnomer as the author examines both the best and the worst of 185 baseball films. The chapters are a series of well-written articles on topics like "Baseball and Fantasy" and "Baseball and Women." Each chapter provides story synopses and aesthetic and cultural criticism. Two other recent titles address this same subject: Hal Erickson's very readable Baseball in the Movies: A Comprehensive Reference, 1915-1991 (MacFarland, 1992) features an alphabetical arrangement of listed movies, more in-depth analysis, and more extensive production background than Edelman's work, while Gary E. Dickerson's The Cinema of Baseball (Meckler, 1991) is a scholarly but not very readable study. Most collections can get by with Erickson's book, but Edelman's guide may be of interest to large sports and film collections.
John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, N.J.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.