|
The Cubs: The Complete Story of Chicago Cubs Baseball
|
| List Price: | $40.00 |
| Price: | $26.40 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
23 new or used available from $20.91
Average customer review:
Product Description
The Chicago Cubs have won the hearts of generations of fans, even if they haven’t always won those pivotal games. They were America’s most successful baseball club at the turn of the twentieth century, but by the turn of the twenty-first, things had changed. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, and the last time they clinched the National League Pennant was in 1945. Yet the Cubs have some of the most devoted fans in all of sport. As Glenn Stout writes in the introduction, “They are the game’s last unsolved mystery, the final conundrum, a historical enigma, baseball’s oldest story, with an ending that has yet to be written.” The Cubs chronicles the long, rich, counterintuitive history of this team in all its depth, nuance, and color. We catch a rare glimpse of the early days of Chicago baseball in the 1860s and 1870s and witness the magical 1906 season, with its 116 wins, still the most in major league history. Ernie Banks’s legendary career is covered in detail, as are decisive seasons, such as 1969’s heartbreaking loss to the Amazin’ Mets. Sammy Sosa’s sixty-plus home runs are here too — together with later allegations regarding corked bats and steroids. The authors cast an analytical eye on the tumultuous reign of chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley and his son Philip, as well as the Tribune Company's planned sale of the Cubs. And we hear the true story behind the “Curse of the Billy Goat” — what has really “cursed” the Cubs all these years.
A must-have for Cubs fans past and present, The Cubs tells the complete story in a single narrative for the first time since 1945.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #62625 in Books
- Published on: 2007-10-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 480 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A definitive account of the last remaining team to have gone almost a century without earning a World Series championship, this illustrated team history displays the superb gifts that have graced the authors' similar studies (Yankees Century; The Dodgers). Stout combines skillful writing with methodical research to produce detailed and insightful reporting on the truth behind team myths. (The book is not authorized by the Cubs organization.) He shows how the 1906 Cubs, perhaps the best club of that time period, won the 1907 and 1908 world championships while also being underachievers who quickly collapsed after their championships. He notes long-time owner P.K. Wrigley took almost seven seasons after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers to sign black players. And his account of the 1969 season, when they lost the division title to that year's Amazin' Mets, deftly shows that the team really wasn't as good as its record looked, with too many wins earned against weaker new expansion teams. Johnson's copious selection of photographs brilliantly displays all Cub eras in their glory and misery, from a cover photo of Mr. Cub Ernie Banks joyously clicking his heels in Wrigley Field, to a full-page photo of a black cat crossing third baseman Ron Santo's path during a game against the Mets that helped decide the fate of the 1969 season. (Oct. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
The Chicago Cubs have had it pretty tough since, oh, say, 1945. But that was not always the case; until the start of the 1908 season, the Cubs were a major force in baseball, winning three straight National League pennants and back-to-back World Series titles. "What the hell happened?" asks Stout, series editor of The Best American Sports Writing. This volume, organized by decade, not only recounts the history of the team but also tries to solve the mystery of how a club with such a dire track record can also be one of the most beloved. Each section is rich with black-and-white photographs, statistics, and game highlights, along with affectionate essays by famous Cubs fans like Scott Turow, Mike Royko, and Penny Marshall. The amount of ground covered here will be savored by Cubs fans and trivia hounds alike; from Cap Anson to the "College of Coaches" to the heartbreak of the 2003 championship series, Stout recounts the team's often maddening chronicles more like a fan than a historian, which only enhances the book's appeal. A valuable addition to sports collections. Orellana, Carlos
Review
A definitive account of the last remaining team to have gone almost a century without earning a World Series championship, this illustrated team history displays the superb gifts that have graced the authors' similar studies (Yankees Century; The Dodgers). Stout combines skillful writing with methodical research to produce detailed and insightful reporting on the truth behind team myths. (The book is not authorized by the Cubs organization.) He shows how the 1906 Cubs, perhaps the best club of that time period, won the 1907 and 1908 world championships while also being underachievers who quickly collapsed after their championships. He notes long-time owner P.K. Wrigley took almost seven seasons after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers to sign black players. And his account of the 1969 season, when they lost the division title to that year's Amazin' Mets, deftly shows that the team really wasn't as good as its record looked, with too many wins earned against weaker new expansion teams. Johnson's copious selection of photographs brilliantly displays all Cub eras in their glory and misery, from a cover photo of Mr. Cub Ernie Banks joyously clicking his heels in Wrigley Field, to a full-page photo of a black cat crossing third baseman Ron Santo's path during a game against the Mets that helped decide the fate of the 1969 season. (Publishers Weekly )
The Chicago Cubs have had it pretty tough since, oh, say, 1945. But that was not always the case; until the start of the 1908 season, the Cubs were a major force in baseball, winning three straight National League pennants and back-to-back World Series titles. "What the hell happened?" asks Stout, series editor of The Best American Sports Writing. This volume, organized by decade, not only recounts the history of the team but also tries to solve the mystery of how a club with such a dire track record can also be one of the most beloved. Each section is rich with black-and-white photographs, statistics, and game highlights, along with affectionate essays by famous Cubs fans like Scott Turow, Mike Royko, and Penny Marshall. The amount of ground covered here will be savored by Cubs fans and trivia hounds alike; from Cap Anson to the "College of Coaches" to the heartbreak of the 2003 championship series, Stout recounts the team's often maddening chronicles more like a fan than a historian, which only enhances the book's appeal. A valuable addition to sports collections. (Booklist -Carlos Orellana )
Customer Reviews
The BEST Cubs book ever
I think I have read every Cubs book ever published and, without question, this is by far the best, best looking, and most comprehensive history of the team i have ever read. It has a little of everything, well, actually alot of everything - hundreds of new pictures, stats and essays plus a narrative history that reads like a PBS special, smart, thorough and thought provoking. Unlike so many other Cubs books this doesn't just focus on 1969, or all the billy goat bs, but tells Cub history as one big story, from the beginning to the start of the 2007 season. It looks like a coffee table book (and is BIG) but reads like something David McCullough might have written. Good to read straight through, like I did, or to flip through and look at the pictures like my son did with his grandfather. After reading this book you'll love the Cubs just as much as ever but you'll win any argument with other Cubs fans.
The only thing I didn't like was the ending. If the Cubs could only win a World Series, this book would be perfect.
Among the top of more than 125 Cubs books
I have more than 125 books on the Cubs, and this certainly ranks among the top three or four. Not only is it an informative and detailed history, but it's readable as well. The pictures alone are just fascinating to browse through and pore over, and it's obvious that a skilled editor oversaw the entire project. A must-have book for any Cubs fan.
Great Gift Idea for Every Cubs Fan
If you are looking for a great gift for a Sports Fan and better yet Cubs Fan then this is the best book! I bought this for my boyfriend and he loved it! The book contains great history and facts that even I didn't mind reading. The book also looks great on a coffee table and was way cheaper than at Barnes and Noble!
