The Golden Game - by Kevin Nelson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Originally published by the California Historical Society Press and Heyday Books"--T.p. verso.

Book Synopsis

The Golden Game presents in words and pictures 150 years of baseball history, from sandlot ball in the 1850s and the Pacific Coast League to the western arrival of the Dodgers, Giants, Angels, Athletics, and Padres. Here is a stirring, colorfully written narrative about the state that has been the birthplace and proving ground for more Major Leaguers than any other, including Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Jackie Robinson. Blending U.S. and California history as a backdrop to a narrative rich with anecdotes, The Golden Game reveals the significant impact that California has had on baseball history.

Written not just for Californians but for all baseball fans, The Golden Game goes beyond its geographic boundaries to tell the fascinating saga of California baseball and how it has indelibly shaped the national pastime.

Review Quotes

"[An] excellent history. . . . You don't have to be a Californian to enjoy these important chapters in the game's history."--Ron Fimrite, Sports Illustrated -- (9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"[Nelson's] wholly charming and endearing book allows us to see baseball as a kind of benchmark for the birth and growth of California over the last century and a half. . . . Nelson shows us that baseball was always much more than a form of recreation or entertainment--it was a means of self-definition."--Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Book Review -- (9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"[This is] the rare baseball book that transcends its regional emphasis to earn a place on the shelf of anyone who loves the game. It reads like a core sample of a polar ice cap, with layer upon informative layer the deeper you go."--David Kipen, San Francisco Chronicle
-- (9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"A superb blending of United States and California history, plus baseball. Well-illustrated and written in a compelling manner that few books can rightly claim, this is a rare literary sports treasure that can be recommended with great enthusiasm."--Oakland Tribune -- (9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"I've read some terrific sports books in recent years . . . but I found none more interesting than Kevin Nelson's current page-turner, The Golden Game: The Story of California Baseball. If you're a baseball aficionado or even if you aren't, this is a wonderfully researched narrative about the genesis of the sport in the state."--Doug Krikorian, Long Beach Press-Telegram -- (9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"Nelson has a knack for research and an ear for good anecdotes as he reviews the impact California baseball has had not only on the game in this country but as an 'export' to Japan and Mexico as well."--Publishers Weekly -- (9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Kevin Nelson is the award-winning author of nineteen books. He spent three years researching and writing The Golden Game, traveling around California to uncover the state's storied baseball past. Hank Greenwald is a former Major League Baseball announcer who was for many years the voice of the San Francisco Giants.