Synopses & Reviews
In the most comprehensive assessment of baseball legend Stan Musial's life and career to date, James N. Giglio places the St. Louis Cardinal star within the context of the times-the Great Depression and wartime and postwar America-and the issues then prevalent in professional baseball, particularly race and the changing economics of the game. Giglio illuminates how the times shaped Musial and delves further into his popular image as a warm, unfailingly gracious role model known for good sportsmanship and devotion to family.
Review
“Musial was and still is the most beloved Cardinal. Here’s the full story of how one of the best sluggers and nicest guys in baseball history won both ballgames and the hearts of St. Louis fans.”—USA TODAY Baseball Weekly
Review
“Musial should stand as the definitive biography of the great St. Louis Cardinal first baseman-outfielder. . . . Written by a leading historian of 20th-century America, this volume offers a fine examination of its subject and his era. . . . The research for this book is impeccable.”—Choice
Review
“Stan Musial has had millions of words written about him, but nothing compares to this in-depth study of the person and his accomplishments. Giglio spent several years researching the available printed and manuscript sources and interviewed and corresponded with countless ballplayers, family members, and friends representing Musial’s entire history. He has dealt with both myth and reality and shed light on aspects of Musial’s life ignored or overlooked by previous biographers.”—Missouri Historical Review
Review
“Giglio’s book allows us to see Musial as a more interesting person than [the one who] comes out of the much simpler and familiar legend, more complex than a one-dimensional figure. That, in turn, makes Musial’s accomplishments, both on the field and off, all the more remarkable.”—Cardinals Magazine
Review
“This biography is an excellent example of solid and thorough research, smooth and lively writing, and critical analysis. Giglio has produced an intelligent baseball biography that offers much to historians of twentieth-century America.”—Journal of American History
About the Author
“Musial was and still is the most beloved Cardinal. Here’s the full story of how one of the best sluggers and nicest guys in baseball history won both ballgames and the hearts of St. Louis fans.”—USA TODAY Baseball Weekly
“Musial should stand as the definitive biography of the great St. Louis Cardinal first baseman-outfielder. . . . Written by a leading historian of 20th-century America, this volume offers a fine examination of its subject and his era. . . . The research for this book is impeccable.”—Choice
“Stan Musial has had millions of words written about him, but nothing compares to this in-depth study of the person and his accomplishments. Giglio spent several years researching the available printed and manuscript sources and interviewed and corresponded with countless ballplayers, family members, and friends representing Musial’s entire history. He has dealt with both myth and reality and shed light on aspects of Musial’s life ignored or overlooked by previous biographers.”—Missouri Historical Review
“Giglio’s book allows us to see Musial as a more interesting person than [the one who] comes out of the much simpler and familiar legend, more complex than a one-dimensional figure. That, in turn, makes Musial’s accomplishments, both on the field and off, all the more remarkable.”—Cardinals Magazine
“This biography is an excellent example of solid and thorough research, smooth and lively writing, and critical analysis. Giglio has produced an intelligent baseball biography that offers much to historians of twentieth-century America.”—Journal of American History