The New York Giants: An Informal History
Price: $850.00
Hard Cover. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1952. First Edition. Good / Dust Jacket Included.
Illustrated with black and white photos. First edition, first printing, with no subsequent printings noted on the copyright page. Signed by 19 NY Giants on the front free endpaper and half-title page, including Willie Mays (HOF), Johnny Mize (HOF), Monte Irvin (HOF), Hoyt Wilhelm (HOF), Alvin Dark, Eddie Stanky, and Bobby Thomson. With JSA Letter of Authenticity. Publisher's black cloth, with spine printed in red; in its original black, orange, and white pictorial dust jacket. Good or better book, with minimal chipping to spine ends, light toning to spine, some separation along outer front joint, else sturdy, and light spotting to front and rear pastedowns and text block edges; very good unclipped dust jacket, with bright panels and slightly faded spine, some wear to spine ends, light scratches to front panel, traces of soiling to rear panel, and nicked edges. Overall, an outstanding assortment of signatures. In The New York Giants, Frank Graham traces 69 years of the team's history. As the dust jacket blurb states, "There never has been a ball club more colorful than the New York Giants. This is their story, from the time they were fashioned by John B. Day in the Elegant Eighties to their latest departure for their training camp in Phoenix, Arizona." Frank Graham (1893-1965) was a legendary sportswriter, who, in addition to The New York Giants, wrote books on the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, and baseball icons Lou Gehrig and John McGraw. Willie Mays started playing professional baseball at 16 in the Negro Leagues and was soon drafted by the New York Giants. He went on to play 21 seasons with the Giants, winning a World Series with the team in 1954. His over-the-shoulder catch in that World Series is one of the most iconic moments in sports history. A 24x All-Star and a 12x Gold Glove award winner, Mays was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 and was voted to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. Monte Irvin played nine years in the Negro leagues with the Newark Eagles before getting the call up to the major leagues in 1949. One of the first players after Jackie Robinson to break the MLB's color line, he played seven seasons with the New York Giants, winning a title with the team in 1954 after sweeping the Cleveland Indians. Hoyt Wilhelm was an 8x All-Star pitcher who also played on the 1954 championship team. Interestingly, he entered the major leagues at the relatively advanced age of 29 because of prior military service but still managed to play 21 seasons in the league, retiring when he was nearly 50 years old. Johnny Mize was a 10x All-Star who won an incredible five straight World Series titles with the New York Yankees (1949-1953). Item #NYG004
