Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card

By Gary Engel and John Gall

With talented young Japanese players signing to the American Majors, interest in Japanese baseball is at an all-time high. Sayonara Home Run introduces curious fans to Japan's national pastime through the lens of the country's playfully beautiful baseball cards. A fascinating text traces the roots and cross-cultural history of the Japanese game, while hundreds of illustrations showcase gorgeous vintage cards. Woven throughout are profiles of key Japanese players, features on important U.S. team tours of Japan (with Japanese cards of players such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio), and insights into the social history of the cards. Including primers on Japanese player nicknames and baseball terms, and the fine points of the Japanese game, Sayonara Home Run is a must-have for anyone interested in baseball, Japan, or this unique chapter in popular design.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811849457
• ISBN13: 9780811849456
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Grand slam!

This is a wonderful book, a collection of vintage Japanese baseball cards and a bit of the history behind them. I've been picking through baseball memorabilia and artifacts all my life (and have written two published books on the sport) and this ranks among the most fascinating books I've ever seen. I just discovered this book today at the bookstore of the Japanese American National Musuem in Los Angeles. To the authors: Grand slam, guys.

Will attract any with an interest in world baseball or in collectible ballgame cards

This could've been featured in our collector's section or even our sports section, but is presented here for its powerful artistic survey of Japanese sports through its lovely baseball card art. SAYONARA HOME RUN! THE ART OF THE JAPANESE BASEBALL CARD features player history, card art, and loved and hated baseball teams alike. It will attract any with an interest in world baseball or in collectible ballgame cards - and many a browser with an interest in neither! Diane C. Donovan, Editor California Bookwatch

A Beautiful and Informative Book

Vinatge Japanese baseball cards are among the most beautiful baseball collectibles in the world. I discovered these treasures over ten years ago during a trip to Japan and became an avid collector. My passion for the cards eventually led to a on-line card business and a career as a baseball writer. John Gall and Gary Engel's new book Sayanara Homerun! depicts hundreds, if not thousands, of theese beautiful cards. The book's presentation is wonderful. Cards are gracefully portrayed as art but the accompanying text will statisfy both baseball card collectors and fans of Japanese baseball. If you are an American baseball cards collector, come see what you are missing. If you a fan of Japanese baseball, come see great pictures of your favorite stars. I spend hours paging through this book and expect that you will enjoy it as much as I have.