Synopses & Reviews
'A religious shrine or a giant pinball machine? A museum or an amusement park? The oldest ballpark in the major leagues, the last of the single-deck theaters, Fenway Park has inspired more lavish praise and outrageous comparison than any American sports arena in history. With its ominous Green Monster, the lone red seat that marks Ted Williams\'s record-setting longest home run, the hand-operated scoreboard at the base of the Wall, the fishbowl-style luxury \"600 Club\" with the press box perched high above, and the Hall of Fame faces, who could mistake Fenway Park for any other? Beautifully illustrated with Stan Grossfeld\'s prize-winning color photography, and written with an obvious love of the place, including interviews with an illustrious list of fans, players, coaches, and celebrities, FENWAY: A BIOGRAPHY IN WORDS AND PICTURES showcases the grand old park and memorializes it for generations of fans to come.'
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'\"Sparkling and upbeat, evoking not the park\'s gloomy history but its charming eccentricities and ever startling greenness - a place where it has always been heaven to be miserable.\"'
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"A glossy, colorful, large-format album that celebrates the majors' oldest park (1912), the last of the single-tier stadiums."
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"A well-done photographic tribute to one of the last classical ballparks...Dan Shaughnessy provides an elegant, knowledgeable main text."
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'\"A last look at the cracker-box stadium of green stands and a giant green left-field wall that\'s housed some of the most exciting and heartbreaking moments in sports.\"'
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'\"Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy bridges the spaces between the photos with knowledgeable commentary and myriad Fenway facts. For instance, the first ceremonial ball was tossed out by the grandfather of President John F. Kennedy.\"'
Synopsis
The oldest park in the major leagues, the last of the old-timey baseball theaters, Fenway Park has inspired more lavish praise and outrageous comparisons than any other American sports arena. And to think, it was almost lost.
In this glistening new edition of their classic pictorial tribute, best-selling author Dan Shaughnessy and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Stan Grossfeld have both preserved the Fenway of our childhood memories and captured the magic and mania of the Fenway of today. From the landmark Green Monster, the lone red seat marking Ted Williams's longest home run, and the hand-operated scoreboard, to the coveted new seats perched atop the Wall and the circus atmosphere of Yawkey Way, Fenway Park is the best blend of old and new. In these pages this quintessential American-ballpark experience is lovingly illustrated and detailed.
Featuring more than sixty new color photographs, with added chapters on the historic 2004 World Series victory and recent ballpark renovations, Fenway: A Biography in Words and Pictures also boasts a new foreword by Leigh Montville and additional recollections from famous players, coaches, and illustrious fans -- Yo-Yo Ma, Tim Russert, Senator Edward Kennedy, among others.
Like a walk-off homer on a starlit New England summer night, Fenway is sure to thrill a whole new generation of fans.
About the Author
Dan Shaughnessy is an award-winning columnist for the Boston Globe and the author of several sports books, including The Curse of the Bambino, a best-selling classic. Seven times Shaughnessy has been voted one of Americaand#8217;s top ten sports columnists by Associated Press Sports Editors and named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year. He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Early Show, CNN, Nightline, NPR, Imus in the Morning, ESPN, HBO, and many others. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.