Lost Ballparks: A Celebration of Baseball's Legendary Fields

Hello to all, my name is Jose' Roberto Mesarina and this is my review. I purchased this book many years ago right after Comiskey Park was demolished. I never took a picture of old Comiskey when it was still around because like many other fans , I thought it was built to last a lifetime. I was wrong . It only lasted 81 years. I bought this book because I wanted to read up on Comiskey Park (home of the Chicago White Sox) but what I got was much more than that. I was taken by all the old black and white still shots, the old factories and neighborhoods in the back ground,the prices advertised on the signs, and lastly I was given a sports history lesson on many memorable games played at many lost ballparks. This book is a must for the history buffs and sports buffs alike. I am not really a sports fanatic but I really did enjoy this book and it remains to this day one of my favorite books. This book shows us a glimpse at not only Lost Ballparks , but also Lost America. I did find that many Negroe League pictures where missing from this book but I'm not sure if they owned their own ballparks. If they did, they where not in this book. Otherwise, all the pictures,stories and memories shared by the fans , players , and the author make this a 5 star book. I'm Jose' Roberto Mesarina . Have a nice day.

Mr. Ritter takes a fond "look back" at past baseball stadiums that are now mostly memories. I find it interesting that the new stadiums being built are "throwbacks" to the designs of most of the parks described in this book. Which in my opinion is probably a good thing!While the book mostly describes old-time major league stadiums (complete with "Top Ten" lists of the most historic events to take place at each stadium), a few minor league parks are also mentioned.Lots of history and photographs are featured with each park's description. I like a couple other reviewers sincerely hope an updated edition of this book will be out soon, now that so many other ballparks (Candlestick Park, Tiger Stadium, and the AstroDome, for example) have been replaced.If you enjoy reading about what it was like to watch a game in these old parks, you will enjoy this book!Also recommended: Nuggets on the Diamond, Grand Minor League, Baseball's Hometown Teams: The Story of the Minor Leagues

Lost Ballparks by Lawrence Ritter is a great book for anyone interested in old major league ballparks. Loaded with excellent, often historic pictures (including Mays' catch in the '54 Series and Maz's home run in the '60 Series), the book recounts essentially all of the steel and concrete era parks (built between 1909 and 1915) that were used in Major League Baseball but no longer exist. Some older parks (Baker Bowl, Hilltop Park) and 1950-60's era parks (Metropolitan Stadium, Memorial Stadium) are also included, as are selected minor league parks. The book naturally piques your interest, and leaves you wanting more.Hopefully a new edition will be printed soon; the book was originally published in 1992 and doesn't include parks closed since then. Any new edition would also benefit from including Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and the old Yankee Stadium. Even though these parks still exist, they would round out the history of the classic era of Major League Baseball.The only shortcoming of the book is that it is a bit short; I would prefer some of the minor league parks be replaced with longer stories about major league parks. However, if you are interested in old ballparks or baseball history, BUY THIS BOOK!

THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT WRITTEN HISTORY OF OLD BASEBALL PARKS. IWAS ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE POLO GROUNDS, EBBETS FIELD, CROSLEY FIELD, ETC. THE PICTURES ARE FANTASTIC, AND LARRY RITTER'S WRITING IS UNMATCHED. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT OLD BALLPARKS, THIS IS YOUR BOOK.