All Trading Books

User Reviews about The Great American Baseball Card Flipping - Trading and Bubble Gum Book

I've had this book for many years and often refer to it every summer. It always brings an "out loud" laugh, even in an empty room. In fact, I've purchased roughly 12 of the cards of the long-forgotten obscure players that are in the book. Find them on eBay. Whammy Douglas must be my next purchase! -- Whammy Douglas

I remember getting this book when it first came out in the mid-70s and absolutely loving it. I still have it, somewhat warped and yellowed, and I occasionally still open it to a random page, knowing that I will be smiling when I put it down (and that I can't possibly stop after one page)! If you are a baseball fan, have a sense of humor, and especially, of course, if you collected baseball cards during the "golden days" of "real" (issued one series at a time, not readily available as complete sets) Topps cards anytime in the interval from their beginning through 1973, I've got to believe you would love it, too. I am a bit younger than the authors, and so most of the cards and players I was already familiar with were more recent than many of their examples from the 50s, but oh, such great stories and such witty humor! If you can find this used somewhere, it is really worth the hunt. :-> -- An absolute gem for the baseball fan with a sense of humor!

how did this greatest of all books slip into obscurity?

so much more than a baseball book: "terrific - its all here, the real america," boston globe; a new york times "notable book of the year," etc.

this is a book that grows on one over the decades, and most fans of the book have memorized vast stretches of its text. more importantly, it is a way of looking at american culture, and life, that should be an example to the rest of the country, and the world.

the authors, once booksellers in cambridge (where are they now?) have a wise, insightful take on the things that really matter, and have mastered the essence of baseball as it once was; the "happy, golden days" of america in the fifties; and, just as germaine, "where did it all go?"

as the NY times said, "this is an easy book to pick up - and a difficult one to put down."

for anyone who loves fantastic writing with a BONE dry wit and social commentary that is right in the pocket.

(this review is by a former book professional who has read tens of thousands of books over the years, and eagerly re-reads this one several times a year.)

"an absolute hoot" - vogue

this book is one of my three all-time favorites, along with "the women's encyclopedia of myths and secrets," by barbara walker, and "letters from the earth," by mark twain. -- caramba! no reviews?!? a sin - one of the best books ever!

This is one of the greatest of all Baseball Books. It is an unforgettable book. I first owned a paperback copy waaaaaaay back in 1975 when I was in the Sixth grade!!!
Those that have read this masterpiece will NEVER forget it,I guarantee it.
It is not only a book about Baseball or Baseball cards but about LIFE and about the America we wish to remember.
Buy it! You won't be dissapointed.
And...Goodnight Sibby Sisti,wherever you are...... -- One of the greatest of all Baseball books!

I received the book as a Christmas present in 1973. I love, loved, and will love baseball. I was at Yankee Stadium when Mantle hit his 500th HR.
I watched the Yankees go from a dynasty to the cellar. I was at the double-header in June 1970 when Bobby Murcer hit 4 consecutive home runs.
($1.75 for general admission). From the first word to the last, this is a great book. I lost the original, found a soft-cover version which proceeded to fall apart, and then found a hard-cover that I have surrounded by barbed-wire and rabid pit bulls. I recognized many of the players, never heard of quite a few, but it didn't matter. If you are a baseball fan, new or old, buy the book. -- "Carbon to his lawyer"