Book Review: The Dickson Baseball Dictionary

 by Paul Dickson

            The Dickson Baseball Dictionary is the “…now definitive work on the language of baseball”, per author Paul Dickson. The 3^rd Edition, recently released, includes over 10,000 terms and hundreds of new pictures and unpublished illustrations. 

 

            Ever wondered about the origins of the term “can of corn”? This book has the in-depth answer. Is taking a “Route 66” to catch that fly ball a good or bad thing? Dickson will tell you. Confused over why some farmhands are “optioned” while others are “assigned” to the minors? The Dictionary will explain.

 

            If you enjoy baseball reference books, you’ll find a lot to like in The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. Entries are written in a compelling style, providing both explanation and evolution of terms, and in an easy-to-understand fashion.

 

This book should be a great addition to a SABR member’s baseball library.

 

 

 

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Book: The Dickson Baseball Dictionary

Author:  Paul Dickson

Authors Credentials: Dickson has written almost fifty books in many genres. His baseball works include Baseball’s Greatest Quotations and The Joy of Keeping Score.

Published: 2009, Norton, ISBN: 978-0-393-06681-4

Length: 974 pages

Price: Retail list – $49.95;    Online – from $21.00 (used) + shipping.