The Dickson Baseball Dictionary by Paul Dickson

From the Publisher

Hailed as "a staggering piece of scholarship" (Wall Street Journal) The Dickson Baseball Dictionary is the most complete resource on the lexicon of baseball in the English language. More than twenty-five years in the making, with the help of more than 400 baseball and lexical experts, this masterful third edition, expanded by more than 30 percent, with over 10,000 terms and 18,000 definitions, provides the comprehensive history and meanings of words and phrases from around the world of baseball.



Drawing on dozens of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, as well as contemporary sources, Paul Dickson's brilliant, illuminating definitions trace the earliest appearances of our most treasured baseball expressions ("tearin' up the pea patch," "can o' corn," "catbird seat," etc.). Termed "baseball's Webster," Dickson has spent nearly a decade painstakingly revising and writing new definitions, for words both well-known and obscure, including those introduced by Latin-American ballplayers, and statistical expressions relating to fantasy baseball and the SABR/Moneyball era. More than 200 photos throughout the book-many rare and previously unpublished-illuminate various historical and contemporary terms.



Because of its deep and broad coverage, its authoritativeness and its rich and colorful descriptions, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary will prove indispensable to baseball fans and word lovers alike.

Kathleen A. Welton - Library Journal

Published in 1989 and again in 1999, this baseball classic now boasts more than 10,000 entries and 18,000 definitions. The author of many best-selling books, including Baseball's Greatest Quotations, Baltimore native Dickson has devoted 25 years to creating the definitive guide to the language, lingo, and lexicon of baseball for the sport's fanatics and lovers of language as well as nine-year-olds looking for a clear definition of the infield fly rule. The terms and phrases cover everything from statistics and strategies to the history of terms and the date they came into play.

What People Are Saying

Mark Shields
"A must-have for everyone who seeks to understand the spirit of America and, most especially, our politics: you'll learn why an easy question is a 'softball,' a tricky one, a 'curve ball,' and why sometimes we may have to 'play hardball.' We want leaders who 'can step up to the plate,' free of 'screwball' ideas from 'out of left field.' You will learn from this book and you will treasure this book, just as I have. It is an invaluable American thesaurus."

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents