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The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract Paperback – June 13, 2003

by Bill James (Author)

403 ratings

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When Bill James published his original Historical Baseball Abstract in 1985, he produced an immediate classic, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “holy book of baseball.” Now, baseball's beloved “Sultan of Stats” (The Boston Globe) is back with a fully revised and updated edition for the new millennium.

Like the original, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is really several books in one. The Game provides a century's worth of American baseball history, told one decade at a time, with energetic facts and figures about How, Where, and by Whom the game was played. In The Players, you'll find listings of the top 100 players at each position in the major leagues, along with James's signature stats-based ratings method called “Win Shares,” a way of quantifying individual performance and calculating the offensive and defensive contributions of catchers, pitchers, infielders, and outfielders. And there's more: the Reference section covers Win Shares for each season and each player, and even offers a Win Share team comparison. A must-have for baseball fans and historians alike, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is as essential, entertaining, and enlightening as the sport itself.

Editorial Reviews

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Baseball's most celebrated scholar is back in full flower with this revised and fully updated version of his influential 1985 masterwork.

About the Author

Bill James made his mark in the 1970s and 1980s with his Baseball Abstracts. He has been tearing down preconceived notions about America’s national pastime ever since. He is currently the Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, as well as the author of The Man from the Train. James lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, Susan McCarthy, and three children.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; Revised edition (June 13, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1024 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743227220
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743227223
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.38 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.38 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #74,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #109 in Baseball (Books)

Customer Reviews:
403 ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book very informative about baseball history and appreciate its deep dive into statistics, with one review noting its numerous essays addressing different issues in the sport. The writing style receives positive feedback for its classic essays, and customers consider it a great value, with one mentioning its extensive 1,000+ pages. The book includes rankings of the best players of all time, and customers value its sabermetric analysis, with one review highlighting its convincing arguments with metrics. While customers consider it a great baseball gift, they note that the content is dated.

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Information quality Readability Writing style Metric accuracy Value for money Player ratings Gift value Dated content

49 customers mention "Information quality"49 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative about baseball history and appreciate its deep dive into statistics, making it a great resource for fans.

"...You really get two books. Book I: A decade-by-decade look at the game. As James says in his preface, he's not trying to give times and dates...." Read more

"...information for anyone interested in the historical and statistical aspects of baseball. It is really three books in one...." Read more

"...he introduces, a way to evaluate ballplayers past and present, is ingenious and worth quite a lot...." Read more

"Awesome for learning the history of baseball with full player and team info from inception to 1990's. Would love a modern revision!..." Read more

39 customers mention "Readability"36 positive3 negative

Customers find the book fantastic and fun to read, making it a great choice for baseball fans.

"...smallest player, which team had the best infield, best outfield, best pitchers...." Read more

"...It is great to have this book on my Kindle. This is a great book to dip into when you want to take a break from your current reading...." Read more

"...Would love a modern revision! Fun reading and detailed stats as well." Read more

"...This is the sort of book you can just pick up and read as time permits...." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing style"10 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style of the book, appreciating its classic essays, with one customer noting it can be read for long stretches.

"...Bill James has such an enjoyable writing style that is humorous and informative...." Read more

"...The book is beautifully written with a chapter on each decade in the history of baseball and a great chapter on the Negro Leagues...." Read more

"...about the history of baseball and is written in a friendly, accessible style. One couldn't hope for a better history of baseball...." Read more

"...This book can be read for long stretches, but its format makes it perfect for grabbing a few minutes here and there...." Read more

7 customers mention "Metric accuracy"5 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the book's metrics and sabermetric analysis, with one customer noting its convincing arguments and another describing it as the real meat of the book.

"...This is the real meat of the book. It isn't the kind of thing that you are likely to read straight through...." Read more

"...Solid argument, Bill. So why did you put Johnson ahead this time? Shouldn't you at least explain why you were wrong the first time?..." Read more

"...1. Covers the entire timeline of the sport 2. Makes convincing arguments with his metrics The bad: 1...." Read more

"Classic set of essays, player ratings and sabermetric analysis. Biggest complaint was the tiny font for data as viewed on Samsung Galaxy." Read more

7 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great value, with one mentioning that its 1,000+ pages make it particularly worthwhile.

"...He rates the top 100 players in history based on career value, peak value, clutch performance, etc...." Read more

"...how Mays and Mantle illustrated that distinction, were worth the price of admission...." Read more

"...What a price." Read more

"...pages, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is an outstanding value; rating: Five stars." Read more

6 customers mention "Player ratings"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the player ratings in the book, particularly the rankings of the best players of all time, with one customer noting how it compares players from different eras.

"...you'll learn a lot, such as that the 1901 Beaneaters had the best pitching staff of the decade, that Arky Vaughn was the #2 all-time shortstop and..." Read more

"...There are also rankings of the best players of all time at each position...." Read more

"Ranking players from different eras has always been a hot topic of conversation for baseball fans...." Read more

"...His listing of the greatest players at each position is very interesting backed by his research. Great reading!" Read more

3 customers mention "Gift value"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book makes a great gift.

"...I recommend this book as a gift for baseball aficionados; more than a book or a reference, it is a treasury that will be not be found tucked away on..." Read more

"Great Baseball Gift..." Read more

"Great gift for baseball coaches..." Read more

3 customers mention "Dated content"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's content outdated.

"...The book is also incredibly dated, of course, but that's a bit less of a problem, since the players in the steriod-fueled decades that followed do..." Read more

"Dated in its arguemnts. We have better tools now. But some of the essays are good." Read more

"Great book for Baseball fans, except a bit outdated as it only covers through 1990's..." Read more

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Anonymous
Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2001
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If you like baseball books, in depth analysis and have a keen interest in the history of the game ... you NEED this book.
Bill James' revision to his classic historical abstract weighs in at a hefty 1000 pages and a big price tag. But it's worth it. You really get two books.
Book I: A decade-by-decade look at the game. As James says in his preface, he's not trying to give times and dates. Each section gives the reader a feel for what baseball was like in that decade - who the popular players were, how they played, where they played. Who was the biggest player, the smallest player, which team had the best infield, best outfield, best pitchers. He gives an OJ Simpson award for each decade, a Clint Hartung award for the biggest flop, the Paul Krichell award for the dumbest trades and signings. He also details the biggest problems the game had in each decade. You can read a chapter and almost hear the fans debating Wagner vs. Cobb, commenting on what a jerk Rogers Hornsby was and venting frustration as New York teams dominated the 1950's. He also has one section on the Negro Leagues. The last section has his (brilliant) solutions to the problems the game has in the 90's.
Book II introduces James' new method of player evaluation -- Win Shares. A quantum leap forward in analysis, Win Shares quantifies everything a player contributes - pitching, hitting and defense -- in terms of how many WINS it brought his team. This corrects for park effects, different eras (you'll be surprised to learn how good those 60's hitters were) and is a massive improvement in evaluation of defense. He rates the top 100 players in history based on career value, peak value, clutch performance, etc. This top 100 includes 12 Negro League players and has some surprises (Oscar Charleston at #4). He rates the top 100 players at each position. Some of this can get dull when you get down to the low #'s. But you'll learn a lot, such as that the 1901 Beaneaters had the best pitching staff of the decade, that Arky Vaughn was the #2 all-time shortstop and that Craig Biggio and Barry Bonds are two of the best all-time at their position (this was written before Bonds' historic 2001 season and Biggio's 2001 comeback).
One last thing. Throughout the book, James' cites reference to other great baseball books. You could build an amazing baseball library just from his bibliography.
All of this comes with James' wit, insight and love of the game. He combines hard-boiled statistical analysis with an apprection of the intangible aspects of the game.

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80 people found this helpful

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Utah Blaine
Must have for anyone with any interest in the statistical or historical sides of baseball
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2007
Verified Purchase
This book could be subtitled `Random Thoughts about the 100 Greatest Players at Every Position by Bill James'. This tome contains a wealth of information for anyone interested in the historical and statistical aspects of baseball. It is really three books in one. In the first section, titled `The Game', James takes a historical tour through each decade of baseball, discussing the players, the era, some of the important (or infamous) events. The second, and most important, section is entitled `The Players'. James gives his ratings for each of the 100 best players at each position with some comments after each entry. This is the real meat of the book. It isn't the kind of thing that you are likely to read straight through. You'll pick up this book and read a few pages now and then, or just thumb through various sections. The final section, `Reference' discusses James WinShares system in action by comparisons of various historical teams, some great, some terrible, and some mediocre.

Quite simply, I don't know how anyone can give this book less than five stars. It doesn't matter if you agree with James on the rating of every player, or whether Mantle was better than Mays. You'll realize that there is/was a lot more to baseball than you ever knew! One thing I found most interesting about this book was James' discussions of players I thought were great when I was a boy. It is interesting to see how my boyhood notions compare with James' statistical arguments. It is also interesting to see many players that I perceived as average/decent in the top 100 at their position. A second thing that I found fascinating about this book was James' discussion of the importance of offense versus defense. This topic comes up often at certain positions such as CF, RF, SS, and 2B. How does Roberto Clemente's great throwing arm, for example, offset someone else's better home run numbers? Who was really the `better' player?

One final note, James uses his WinShares system and other statistical arguments throughout this book, but they are generally not described in detail. If you want to learn about WinShares per se, this isn't the book.

In addition, this book was published in 2000/2001, so there are clearly many current players (Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter, etc.) who would be in an updated version.

Bottom line - I bought this book a year ago and look at it, at least a little, virtually every day, and I'm sure I'll be looking at it 20 years from now. At less than 18 dollars, this is a steal. If you are interested in baseball, you are wasting time hestitating, buy the book.

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12 people found this helpful

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Bill Reich
But Only 4 for the Kindle Edition
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2013
Verified Purchase
I just got the Kindle version of this book. I already had it in harcover and I already had the first edition of the book. I want to comment on the Kindle-izing of the book first and then I have a few things to say about the book itself.
It is great to have this book on my Kindle. This is a great book to dip into when you want to take a break from your current reading. It is an important reference/resouce when analyzing or talking about baseball. But it is so physically big that it usually isn't there when you want to look at it. You just can't lug this monster around in case you need it.
On the other hand, some of that advantage is lost because the formatting into the Kindle version was far from perfect. The boxes where various matters are cordoned off from the main flow of the text are here just inserted and break up the text. I enjoyed every one of the boxes but I didn't stop reading the major articles to read them. I read them separately.
And this is only the second edition. There are stories and ideas absent from this edition that were vital. The distinction between peak and career value, and the brilliant essay showing how Mays and Mantle illustrated that distinction, were worth the price of admission. I can go back and read that in the first edition but it would be great to have it on my Kindle and people who don't have the first edition are going to miss it.
The Win Shares method he introduces, a way to evaluate ballplayers past and present, is ingenious and worth quite a lot. But I would hate to trade some of the stories and essays from the first edition for it.

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12 people found this helpful

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Dave in RTP
Great book for Baseball fans, except a bit outdated as it only covers through 1990's
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Awesome for learning the history of baseball with full player and team info from inception to 1990's. Would love a modern revision! Fun reading and detailed stats as well.

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Avelino
Gran compendio histórico !!
Reviewed in Mexico on May 25, 2019
Verified Purchase

Muy bueno.

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Àngel Lluís Carrillo Pujol
Imprescindible
Reviewed in Spain on September 11, 2014
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Si quieres saber de sabermetrics, de beisbol ,entender este deporte ahora y aquí este es tu libro. Imprescindible para los amantes de este maravilloso deporte

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Andri
Easy read, lots of Stats
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great read, so far. Great to learn more about the analytics of baseball

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Cliente Amazon
O melhor livro de beisebol de todos os tempos
Reviewed in Brazil on March 11, 2019
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Essa é a bíblia do beisebol. O resto é perfumaria.

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JWH
A Fantastic Collection of Baseball Writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a magnificent book to browse through for a quirky and refreshing history of the game, the players who played it and how and why the game changed over the years. Bill James loves to explain why the 'accepted view' of things is wrong so there is always something to be surprised by. The book is split into two sections, the first being a run through of the history of baseball decade-by-decade, showing how different players, different ballparks, different rules and different organizations changed the game. Personally I found it fascinating to see just how much the rules and equipment, and in particular the ballparks, change how the players played the game and give each period its distinctive character. It also includes an equivalent section on the Negro Leagues and lots of pieces about various players and teams in the minor leagues. James specifically sets out to include both the broad sweep of the history, but also the little details of games and players which make the whole thing designed for the fans much more than the academics. The second section is an assessment of the top 100 ball players in each of the positions, using his 'Win Shares' formula (basically a way of calculating each individual players contribution to his team's victories - it gets explained in much more detail in the book). Again, it has lots of interesting details and anecdotes to flesh out the statistics.
The book is quite big and most readers will probably prefer to dip in and out. However, it does form a cohesive and logical whole which equally supports cover-to-cover reading.
I have both the hardback and the kindle version. The hardback version is brilliant. The kindle version, considered purely from the design point of view is only fair. There are occasions where tabulated information is hard to read, or in a place slightly distant from the text it refers too. Similarly, the sidebars which work so well in the hardback version haven't always been ported across whole to the kindle version, so there are times when there is a baseball anecdote interrupted by a discussion of 'Baseball Uniforms in the 1960s' in its entirety and then resumed. I can't think of an instance where this lost me entirely, but it did break the flow.
However, both versions are highly recommended to all baseball fans.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for anyone with any interest in the statistical or historical sides of baseball

5.0 out of 5 stars But Only 4 for the Kindle Edition

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Baseball fans, except a bit outdated as it only covers through 1990's

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Gran compendio histórico !!

5.0 out of 5 stars Imprescindible

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, lots of Stats

5.0 out of 5 stars O melhor livro de beisebol de todos os tempos

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Collection of Baseball Writing

Awesome

Must have for anyone with any interest in the statistical or historical sides of baseball

But Only 4 for the Kindle Edition

Great book for Baseball fans, except a bit outdated as it only covers through 1990's

Gran compendio histórico !!

Imprescindible

Easy read, lots of Stats

O melhor livro de beisebol de todos os tempos

A Fantastic Collection of Baseball Writing