The Hot Stove League

Before his sudden death in 1969, Lee Allen had spent 10 years as the librarian at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and at least thirty as one of the game's most indefatigable researchers. The Hot Stove League, first published in 1955, displays Allen's dazzling erudition to great advantage. It's the only book of its kind to have made numerous lists of the best baseball books ever written.Unlike authors of many superficially similar books, Allen doesn't just string together unverifiable tales and pointless lists. His well-written stories are organized by topic, often accompanied by tables of heretofore-uncompiled data, and inevitably based on Allen's own encyclopedic knowledge of baseball history. Lazier authors still repeat myths Allen debunked almost 50 years ago.The Hot Stove League would be perfect bedtime reading, except that many of Allen's tales will keep readers awake all night looking for more information about his subjects.