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	• The Era, 1947-1957: When the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers Ruled the World Roger Kahn Bison Books, 2002 - 382 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Many of the anecdotes tread familiar paths, but it's worth hearing them again in Kahn's distinct voice. There are some funny, some grim stories that are not so well known. Unlike most baseball books, this one doesn't bog the reader down with buckets of stats which are usually included so that the author can impress you. Kahn is on a different level. Keep this book alongside your copy of "Boys of Summer" for a complete view of New York's baseball dominance during this era.

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Good Read, but not Kahn's Best Stuff

Roger Kahn captures the flavor of the era when for all but two seasons from (1947-1957) a New York baseball team won the World Series. The author focuses more heavily on a couple of those seasons, with tidbits on star players (Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Pee Wee Reese, etc.), team owners, sports writers and managers. I particularly liked the author's coverage of the 1947 season and 1951 Giant/Dodgers playoff. He also gives us a sense of business, including the rise of Walter O'Malley, the falling of attendance during the era, and the machinations that resulted in the Dodgers and Giants deserting the city for California.

This readable book has its flaws. The author's coverage of each season is out of balance, he suggests that Willie Mays was the game's top player (in the 1950's Mantle was probably better), and he shows no sense of the longing and bitterness in the many big-league cities where pennants are rarely if ever won.

Kahn is a marvelous writer, but his readable prose never approaches the poetic level found in some of his other books (Boys of Summer, Flame or Pure Desire, Memories of Summer). This book is definitely worth reading, but it falls a short of his best writing on baseball.

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Baseball's best era through the eyes of its best writer

"The Era" is a must read for anyone who loves baseball and great writing.

But there is no secret to why baseball's greatest era is told so well in this book. The formula is simple. Take a gaggle of the greatest players, dump them into the world's greatest city and let them play America's greatest game and you've got a story. The tricky part it telling that story. Luckily, baseball's greatest writer lived during "The Era," and has a personal handle on all its intricacies and tales. Roger Kahn's stories of our baseball heroes make me wish I lived during the times when New York had three superb teams. The Yankees, Giants and Dodgers have never been descirbed more precisely, vividly or enjoyably than they are in "The Era."

Kahn's ability to tell stories of baseball men away from the diamond is derived from his close relationships with them. He was friends with Pee Wee Reese. He knows Enos Slaughter. He dined with Leo Durocher. The great part about this book is that Kahn's lucid descriptions make you feel like you know them all too.

If you are a baseball fan you will love "The Era." And if you appreciate great writing you will love Kahn even more.

Start the 2005 baseball season the right way-- read "The Era."

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