Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: 1989-1992 Supplement for Baseball, Football, Basketball and Other Sports
- Book Review,
by David L. Porter (Editor)
From Library Journal
This third of four volumes in the BDAS (the others cover baseball, LJ 4/15/88, football, LJ 10/15/87, and indoor sports, available now) provides 520 biographical sketches of amateur and professional figures in nine outdoor sports (e.g., golf, horse racing, tennis, and track and field). Entries include name, birth and death places and dates, data on parents, education, spouse, children, 200-900-word signed essays, and brief bibliographies. Coverage, which focuses on 20th-century figures who have made a major contribution to their sport, includes coaches, administrators, and media personalities in addition to players. Helpful appendixes provide a variety of access points (as does the detailed index), as well as 55 horse biographies and lists of organizations, major sports events, and periodicals. A solid work for sports history collections.- Robert Aken, Univ. of Kentucky Libs., LexingtonCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Reviewed with Baseball (Total Sports Illustrated).Although many books about baseball focus on the statistics, these two items give us the stories behind the numbers. Neither replaces the large and useful statistical compilations, but both will add depth to baseball reference collections.The two titles were compiled by knowledgeable editors with the help of numerous contributors. Both include all major league players to be elected to the Hall of Fame, as well as prominent individuals who made an impact on baseball off the field. Both are arranged alphabetically by last name, and most entries are between 300 and 500 words. However, the similarities end there. These works are quite different in approach and often contain different information about the individuals discussed.Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Baseball (the dictionary also includes volumes on football and basketball) was first published in 1987. This new edition contains 1,450 signed entries. Individuals were chosen because of their "impressive statistical records" or because they "made a major impact on professional baseball" and include major league players; prominent minor league, Negro League, and Girls League players; and various executives, coaches, managers, and umpires. Although the bulk of each entry is devoted to a discussion of major on-the-field achievements, most entries begin with a family background and end with some discussion of the person's life after baseball. Team achievements are liberally interspersed with individual achievements. For the reader who wants to dig deeper, the detailed bibliography at the end of each entry is a valuable resource. The entries are followed by a set of useful appendixes that list entries by place of birth and by main position played, as well as managers, executives, umpires, Hall of Famers, and Negro and Girls League players. The Negro and Girls League appendixes can be especially helpful because their players are much less well known. The extensive index lists individuals with entries, or mentioned in entries, and teams by city.With its significant treatment of non-major league players, this title treats baseball as a large-scale American phenomenon and distinguishes itself from Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia in its coverage of many more minor and Negro League players. Although some prominent minor leaguers are included in Baseball, emphasis is definitely on the majors. There are entries for "the 2000 most significant and influential people in baseball history," among them one-hit wonder Mark Fidrych, entertainer Max Patkin ("The Clown Prince of Baseball"), and journalists Harry Caray and Vin Scully. Almost every entry provides a career statistics summary, and all feature a small picture of the individual. The editors have often chosen to include interesting quotes and other off-the-field information that makes the people treated seem more interesting. There are no index, appendixes, or bibliography.Although the approach of each title is different, both are entertaining and useful and have their place in libraries that serve patrons who are interested in baseball and the people who make it what it is. Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia will be most at home in school and public library collections, although academic libraries with a large baseball collection may also find it useful. Any library that wants to have a serious baseball reference section will need the Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: Baseball. The addition of 475 entries means that it is worth replacing the 1987 edition. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Book News, Inc.
This volume, the fifth in the Biographical dictionary of American sports, provides biographical and bibliographical information on 620 distinguished American sports personalities--coaches, managers, officials, administrators, writers, and broadcasters as well as athletes. Written by some 85 sports historians, educators, and journalists, the entries provide biographical data, career records, accomplishments, and honors, a discussion of the subject's achievements, and bibliographic information. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
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