Lardner On Baseball

This collection of fiction by writer, critic and sports editor Ring Lardner celebrates the American pastime of baseball.

An annotated and copiously illustrated edition of the 24 short stories published between 1914 and 1919 by Ring Lardner, which include the stories collected later and known as "You know me, Al."

In Ring Lardner's 'You Know Me Al: A Busher's Letters', readers are immersed in the world of minor league baseball through the correspondence of Jack Keefe, a young pitcher navigating his way through the challenges and triumphs of his career. Lardner's epistolary style captures the authentic voice of a naive and often boastful narrator, offering a satirical yet poignant exploration of the American Dream and the complexities of ambition and self-deception. Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century, this novel showcases Lardner's unique blend of humor and social commentary, making it a timeless classic in American literature. Through Keefe's letters, Lardner sheds light on the struggles and aspirations of the working-class athlete, inviting readers to reflect on themes of identity, success, and self-awareness. Recommended for those interested in sports literature, American realism, and the psychology of ambition.

A collection of stories and essays on America's favorite pastime, from the most popular writer ever on baseball.

"An anthology of journalist Ring Lardner's writings on sports and other nonfiction topics that collects works that have been mostly unavailable for decades"--

From his beginnings as a journeyman reporter for the South Bend TimesÓ in Indiana, to the height of his popularity when his work was syndicated in more than 115 newspapers with a readership of more than 8 mill., Ring Lardner was the undisputed master of sports journalism & fiction. In his stories, readers found the authentic lives of their heroes & idols, their hopes & fears, & the vernacular of the diamond in all its bawdy & athletic glory. Here are Lardner's finest writings about baseball during its golden age, such as You Know Me, Al,Ó My Roomy,Ó Alibi Ike,Ó ÓHorseshoes,Ó The Yellow Kid,Ó & his outstanding pieces about the 1919 Chicago Black Sox World Series scandal. A legendary writer who transformed a simple game into the stuff of great lit.Ó

This collection brings together twenty-one of Lardner’s best pieces, including the six Jack Keefe stories that comprise You Know Me, Al, as well as such familiar favorites as “Alibi Ike,” “Some Like Them Cold,” and “Guillible’s Travels.” For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

This early work by Ring Lardner was originally published in 1925 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'Haircut' is a dark satire about moral blindness. Ring Lardner was born in Niles, Michigan in 1885. He studied engineering at the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, but did not complete his first semester. In 1907, Lardner obtained his first job as journalist with the South Bend Times. Six years later, he published his first successful book, You Know Me Al, an epistolary novel written in the form of letters by 'Jack Keefe', a bush-league baseball player, to a friend back home. A huge hit, the book earned the appreciation of Virginia Woolf and others. Lardner went on to write such well-known short stories as 'Haircut', 'Some Like Them Cold', 'The Golden Honeymoon', 'Alibi Ike', and 'A Day with Conrad Green'.

"Sportswriter, storyteller, humorist - Ring Lardner was an American original. In this affectionate, entertaining, and authoritative biography, critic Jonathan Yardley gives us a new look at Lardner's all too short life and career."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved