The Worth Book of Softball

Although baseball has been considered America's national pastime, softball is the game people play - and over 40 million do. And playing softball - actually making contact with the ball, actually taking a header trying to get hold of a sinking line drive, actually scrubbing grass stains out of your uniform - is what this book celebrates. The Worth Book of Softball by Paul Dickson, acclaimed author of the classic Dickson Baseball Dictionary, is a magnificently illustrated tribute to the game of softball: its history, its superstars, its records, its rules, its terminology, its equipment, and its impact on American life. It is the first major chronicle of a sport that is rich in cultural diversity, integrates male and female players of all ages like no other game and can be adapted to anyone's needs. The book tells the origins of the game - beginning as "indoor baseball" on Thanksgiving Day, 1887 in Chicago - and traces its development through the 1990s. Highlighted for the first time in a reference work are softball's greatest heroes: Bertha Tickey, Carl Rose, Joan Joyce, Mike Macenko, Eddie Feigner, Lisa Fernandez, Michele Granger, Bruce Meade and Harold "Shifty" Gears, to name a few. The book also features rules of the game, equipment and uniforms, the first softball record book, a glossary of softball terminology, and a softballer's miscellany. Beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated with more than 120 original photos by Russell Mott, as well as 60 historic photos, The Worth Book of Softball is a valentine to a sport that is celebrated every summer by over 40 million people nationwide.