Baseball Classic

With an introduction by Steve Wulf describing the thrill of Opening Day, photographs showing the earliest memorabilia of the game (including the original hand-drawn blueprints for the sport), first-person accounts of key moments, statistics galore and profiles of baseball’s legends, The Official Major League Baseball Opus tracks the development of the game over the past 150 years in spectacular style.

All the key figures in baseball history are highlighted: the marquee names (think Don Dysdale, Ernie Banks, Yogi Berra, Bob Gibson, Willie Stargell, Ken Griffey Jr. and Co.), the legendary performers (from Cap Anson to Steve Carlton, Honus Wagner to Rickey Henderson, Walter “Big Train” Johnson to Alex Rodriguez) and the game’s true icons (Cy Young to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig to Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson to Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle to Robert Clemente).

Complementing the chronological narrative of the Opus are interludes exploring baseball themes such as Spring Training, record streaks, ballparks, the All-Star Game, pennant races and, of course, the World Series. Dynamic photo essays showcasing the work of three of the finest sports photographers of all time — Charles Conlon, Ossie Sweet and Walter Iooss Jr. — add to the visual feast. Each of the 30 current Major League clubs is also featured with details of their best players and the historic moments that have shaped their franchise.