Honus Wagner, Dennis DeValeria
Honus Wagner, Dennis DeValeria
List: $24.95 | Sale: $17.47
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Honus Wagner

Author: Dennis DeValeria, Jeanne Burke DeValeria

Narrator: Ian Esmo

Unabridged: 12 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 06/22/2010

Synopsis

Honus Wagner, whose career in baseball stretched from 1895 to 1917, was the first American sports superstar of the twentieth century. One of the first five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its first year (1939), he was arguably the best shortstop in baseball history. His great career and the dawn of baseball as a popular entertainment occurred simultaneously, and he has become an icon of the early game; his 1909 baseball card, one of which sold for $451,000, is a holy grail of American memorabilia. This first major biography shows why Wagner was America’s favorite image of sport during baseball’s transition to the modern era.

About Dennis DeValeria

Dennis and Jeanne DeValeria are writers and historians who live and work in Pittsburgh. They are widely recognized as the foremost experts on Honus Wagner’s life and career. Their book, Honus Wagner, received the annual Baseball Weekly Award at the 1995 national convention of the Society for American Baseball Research.

About Ian Esmo

Ian Esmo is an audiobook narrator who specializes in athlete and sports biographies.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim on January 18, 2021

Honus Wagner was one of the first superstars in baseball. Loved by the city of Pittsburgh where he grew up and played for most of his career. He was loyal to the Pirates and stayed even when he was offered better money by upstart leagues. He was a big man who was humble and loved the game of basebal......more

Goodreads review by Vincent on July 26, 2019

This is the third baseball book I have read this summer and sadly it didn't live up to what I hoped it would be. I read the newest Ty Cobb book and Fall from Grace about Shoeless Joe. Both were outstanding. This one fell short of the mark. Being from Pittsburgh I was really interested in learning mor......more

Goodreads review by Chris on June 29, 2021

Good book on an old time ball player from the Dead Ball Era. Always get him confused with Rogers Hornsby, not sure why. Covers well the National League years from late 1890s to about 1915 when it was always the Pirates, Cubs, and John McGraw's Giants. If you liked a book like "The Glory of Their Tim......more

Goodreads review by Liz on June 15, 2021

This biography definitely bumped Honus Wagner up to my favorite player of all time (sorry Pedro Alvarez). As a child born in Pittsburgh, I always knew who Honus Wagner was, but I never actually knew much about him or his career in baseball. After listening to his biography, I definitely have more re......more

Quotes

“The DeValerias have produced a clean hit…the ‘Flying Dutchman’ emerges as a shy man who loved the game and loved to play it…His biographers treat him with the same respect he treated the game, and propel themselves with the same thoroughness, doggedness, and care that Wagner displayed on the field.” Amazon.com, editorial review

“A valuable book for baseball fans, this is the most comprehensive biography of Wagner…Esmo’s reading is as relaxing as a summer afternoon. His voice has a soothing quality that makes the book interesting and informative.” AudioFile

“As the only serious biography of a player many still consider one of the game’s ten best, this is a must for baseball collections.” Booklist

“A superb portrait, painted with thorough research on the canvas of one of baseball’s most fascinating eras…This book takes you behind the numbers and introduces you to the man who turned on his generation to the national pastime.” Gene Carney

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