Ron Kaplan's book is a 'must-read' for baseball book lovers

If you enjoy reading about baseball, one book that you should put on your “must read” list is Ron Kaplan’s book “501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die.”

Published in April 2013 by the University of Nebraska Press, this 420-page book lists the greatest baseball books ever written in a number of different categories – autobiography, biography, business, fiction, history, memoir, reference, rules and statistics. He also lists the greatest books ever written about ballparks as well as international and minor league baseball. Of course, he also lists the greatest fictional works about baseball, including such greats as Bernard Malamud’s 1952 classic novel, “The Natural.”

Not only does Kaplan list each of the 501 books, but he also tells a little about each one and explains why it’s worthy of making the list. I especially enjoyed the chapter he called “Pop Culture,” which includes books like Josh Pahigian’s 2008 book “101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out” and Robert K. Adair’s 1994 classic, “The Physics of Baseball.”

I also really enjoyed his chapter on instructional books about baseball. It included books like Jim Garland’s “The Baffled Parents Guide to Great Baseball Drills,” Bob Feller’s “How to Pitch” and Pete Williams’ awesome “Baseball: How to Play the Game: The Official Playing and Coaching Manual of Major League Baseball.” If you’re a parent and have a youngster playing baseball or softball, you’ll be ahead of the game with these books under your belt.

Another cool thing about the book is that it also lists great older books that many readers probably aren’t familiar with but should read nonetheless. Books in this category include Gustaf W. Axelson’s 1919 book “Commy: The Life Story of Charles A. Comiskey,” 1912’s “Pitching in a Pinch” by Christy Mathewson and John Wheeler, John Montgomery Ward’s 1888 book “Base-Ball: How to Become a Player” and 1915’s “Baseball: Individual Play and Team Play in Detail” by W.J. Clarke and Frederick T. Dawson.

Kaplan is especially well qualified to write “501 Baseball Books.” A longtime sportswriter and editor, his book reviews, author interviews and articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Baseball America and the Huffington Post. He also runs an awesome Web site called “Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf” at www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com. Also, if you shoot him an e-mail through his Web site, he’ll e-mail you back a complete list of his 501 baseball books for free, so you can check them off as you read your way through them.

Kaplan’s “501 Baseball Books” has drawn all sorts of praise. Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Ira Berkow said that the book is a feat worthy of a standing ovation, and NPR’s Peter Sagal called the book a “treasure map” to great baseball books. Author A.J. Jacobs called it “the ultimate guide to baseball literature.”

In the end, if you enjoy reading about baseball, your bookshelf won’t be complete without Kaplan’s book. It’s available in the sports section of major bookstores, and you can also buy it online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.