Paul Dickson

The Hidden Language of Baseball

In this unique book, Paul Dickson celebrates one of the most unusual traditions in all of sports--the baseball scorecard. Within the history of the scorecard are some of baseball's greatest moments. From the first scorecard introduced in 1845, to the scoring system devised by direct-marketing genius L. L. Bean; from presidential scoring habits to batting titles decided by official scorers, to Phil Rizzuto's inspired scoring symbol "WW," ("Wasn't Watching"), Dickson delights in his subject, offering unique insights and memorable anecdotes. Among the book's many illustrations is a gallery of historic scorecards, including Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, Babe Ruth's famous "called" home run, and Cal Ripken's record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game. In addition, Dickson provides basic and advanced scoring techniques for beginners and experts alike, a year-by-year timeline of rule changes, a guide to baseball's quirkiest statutes, stories of famous scoring blunders, and many more unexpected rewards. For those who keep or have kept score, this book will be an elixir. For those who haven't, it will be a revelation. For baseball fans everywhere, it is a treasure.

How Scoring the Game Has Influenced and Enhanced the History of Baseball

The Joy of Keeping Score

"In 48 recipes and dozens of illustrations, a lively and informative guide to the most popular cocktails from Prohibition. Americans weren't supposed to drink at all during prohibition, but that's not how things worked out. Cocktail culture, mixology, the Bloody Mary, and 100 other essentials of drinking life owe their origins to the dark days and boozy nights of the 1920s, and in Contraband Cocktails, Paul Dickson pours us an intoxicating account of how we used to drink. Rich in Hollywood lore, stories of bootlegging too wild to be fiction, and recipes by everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Ernest Hemingway, Contraband Cocktails is chock-full of history and craft cocktail techniques that will surprise even the most seasoned bartender. No bathtub gin required. Complete with 48 recipes, dozens of illustrations, and hundreds of extraordinary facts, Contraband Cocktails is the perfect gift for the most sophisticated drinkers in your life"--

how America drank when it wasn't supposed to

Contraband cocktails

Baseball’s Greatest Maverick

Bill Veeck

Jim Wallace

While many mainstream Southern newspapers ignored the burgeoning civil rights movement in the early 1960s, student journalists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill bravely ventured out every day to document protest marches and other demonstrations in their town. One of those North Carolina students, Jim Wallace, took these dramatic photographs primarily during the watershed year of 1963. These are powerful scenes from a new American revolution, ranging from peaceful sit-ins and protest marches to tense and dramatic confrontations with the authorities, to disturbing images from a chilling Ku Klux Klan rally which Wallace encountered during this time. Caught up in documenting the struggle, Wallace went on to photograph the pivotal 1963 March on Washington, and images from that memorable event are also included here. In this engrossing account, Jim Wallace recalls those dramatic days in detail and offers insightful reflections on these 100 black-and-white images and his memories of the people and events they portray. Many of these pictures have never been seen before. Text and images combine to create a vital document of the American civil rights movement.

The Civil Rights Struggle, 1961-1964

Courage in the Moment

An entertaining, illuminating lexicography of words coined by famous authors throughout the ages, published on the 'sesquiquadricentennial' (450th anniversary) of Shakespeare's birth.

Words Wrought by Writers

Authorisms

From beanballs to basebrawls, the most important rules governing the game of baseball have never been officially written down—until now. They have no sanction from the Commissioner, appear nowhere in any official publication, and are generally not posted on any clubhouse wall. They represent a set of time-honored customs, rituals, and good manners that show a respect for the game, one's teammates, and one's opponents. Sometimes they contradict the official rulebook. The fans generally only hear about them when one is bent or broken, and it becomes news for a few days. Now, for the first time ever, Paul Dickson has put these unwritten rules down on paper, covering every situation, whether on the field or in the clubhouse, press box, or stands. Along with entertaining baseball axioms, quotations, and rules of thumb, this essential volume contains the collected wisdom of dozens of players, managers, and reporters on the secret rules that you break at your own risk, such as: 1.7.1. In a Fight, Everyone Must Leave the Bench and the Bullpen Has to Join In 1.13.3. In a Blowout Game, Never Swing as Hard as You Can at a 3-0 Pitch 5.1.0. In Areas That Have Two Baseball Teams, Any Given Fan Can Only Really Root For One of Them

The Etiquette, Conventional Wisdom, and Axiomatic Codes of Our National Pastime

The Unwritten Rules of Baseball

A collection of quips and quotes reveals how things really work--or fail to work--at the office, from bureaucracy run amok to run-down office machines, offering such insights as "You're not late until you get there."

The Principles, Maxims, and Instructions that Define Your Life on the Job

The Official Rules at Work

An entertaining, illuminating lexicography of words coined by authors throughout the ages, published on the “sesquiquadricentennial” (450th anniversary) of Shakespeare's birth. William Shakespeare's written vocabulary consisted of 17,245 words, including hundreds that were coined or popularized by him. Some of the words never went further than their appearance in his plays, but others-like bedazzled, hurry, critical, and anchovy-are essential parts of our standard vocabulary today. Many other famous and lesser-known writers have contributed to the popular lexicon. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Sir Walter Scott ranks second to Shakespeare in first uses of words and giving a new and distinct meaning to already existing words (Free Lances for freelancers). John Milton minted such terms as earthshaking, lovelorn, by hook or crook, and all Hell broke loose, and was responsible for introducing some 630 words. Gifted lexicographer Paul Dickson deftly sorts through neologisms by Chaucer (a ha), Jane Austen (base ball), Louisa May Alcott (co-ed), Mark Twain (hard-boiled), Kurt Vonnegut (granfalloon), John le Carrè (mole), William Gibson (cyberspace), and many others. Presenting stories behind each word and phrase, Dickson enriches our appreciation of the English language in a book as entertaining as it is enlightening.

Baseball has always had its share of colorful characters, and over the years they have expressed themselves in eminently quotable ways. In this treasury of more than 5,000 quotations, noted baseball writer and observer Paul Dickson has captured the flavor of the game, in the words of its most important participants and onlookers. They are all here—from Aaron (Estella, Hank's mother) to Zoldack ("Sad Sack" Sam), and everyone in between. From the players, sportswriters, and politicians, to noted personalities in other fields (a very diverse group), everyone has his or her say on our nation's pastime. Dickson skillfully selects and annotates each remark, presenting the good, the bad, and the ugly of baseball lore. Included are extended lessons in Stengelese, Reggiespeak, Earl Weaverisms, and famous announcers' home run calls (who can forget Mel Allen's classic "Going, going, gone!"?). These and thousands of other cheerful, pithy, and memorable voices from the past through the present day are all captured in Baseball's Greatest Quotations.

An Illustrated Treasury of Baseball Quotations and Historical Lore

Baseball's Greatest Quotations Rev. Ed.

Remember the time when a relative coined a new word at a family occasion or under some unusual circumstance? Such expressions are passed down across generations, enriching the lore and joy of family life. Paul Dickson has amassed 750 of these words from families all over the country to compile this delightful, one-of-a-kind dictionary.

The Dictionary for People Who Don't Know a Frone from a Brinkle

Family Words

Joanna Carver Colcord

Landlubbers use a remarkable number of terms and expressions that originated at sea. This readable dictionary of maritime vernacular explains the meanings behind "catspaw," "kick the bucket," "palaver," "three sheets in the wind," and other curious lingo. It's a great gift for any sailor or lover of language. "Entertaining and informative." — The Washington Post.

Sea Language Comes Ashore

Gangway!

Takes a whimsical look at the naming of everyday things, from people, to cars, animals, and places, and discusses their origins.

Reflections of an Irrepressible Name Collector

What's in a Name?

Lists both formal and informal names for the residents of countries, states, and prominent cities, and describes the history behind unusual geographic nicknames

A Dictionary of Resident Names

What Do You Call a Person From-- ?

Today's American Military is the most technologically advanced fighting force in the history of the world. Drone aircraft spy on-and attack, and destroy-designated targets, acting on commands from half a world away. Remote-control warfare has come into the world, forcing our society to face endless new questions, from the morality of doing battle without risk, to the emotional debate over whether drone operators can distinguish a band of terrorists from a group assembling for a wedding. And the drones are merely the most dramatic and visible example of astonishing, unstoppable, technological advance in the military. Battlefield sensors and satellite imagery provide a flood of information to commanders. Computers themselves have become targets-and weapons. How did it get that way? How and when were the decisions made, the weapons created, the strategies and tactics chosen that brought us to this point? In this classic account, Paul Dickson takes us back to the waning days of the Vietnam conflict, and the earliest days of "push-button war"-and the startling story of the birth of The Electronic Battlefield.

The Electronic Battlefield

Baseball is set apart from other sports by many things, but few are more distinctive than the intricate systems of coded language that govern action on the field and give baseball its unique appeal. During a nine‑inning game, more than one thousand silent instructions are given--from catcher to pitcher, coach to batter, fielder to fielder, umpire to umpire--and without this speechless communication the game would simply not be the same. Baseball historian Paul Dickson examines the rich legacy of baseball's hidden language, offering fans everywhere a smorgasbord of history and anecdote. Baseball's tradition of signing grew out of the signal flags used by ships and hand signals used by soldiers during battle and were first used in games during the Civil War. The Hartford Dark Blues appear to be the first team to steal signs, introducing a larcenous obsession that, as Dickson delightfully chronicles, has given the game some of its most historic--and outlandish--moments. In this revised and expanded edition through the 2018 season, Dickson discusses recent developments and incidents, including the illegal use of new technology to swipe signs. A roster of baseball's greatest names and games, past and present, echoes throughout, making The Hidden Language of Baseball a unique window on the history of our national pastime.

How Signs and Sign-Stealing Have Influenced the Course of Our National Pastime

Spine title: Names. A compendium of interesting facts about names and nicknames divided into thirty-three categories from cars to trade names to apples.

A Collector's Compendium of Rare and Unusual, Bold and Beautiful, Odd and Whimsical Names

A Connoisseur's Collection of Old and New, Weird and Wonderful, Useful and Outlandish Words

Words

From Paul Dickson, the Casey Award–winning author of Bill Veeck: Baseball's Greatest Maverick, the first full biography of Leo Durocher, one of the most colorful and important figures in baseball history. Leo Durocher (1906–1991) was baseball's all-time leading cocky, flamboyant, and galvanizing character, casting a shadow across several eras, from the time of Babe Ruth to the Space Age Astrodome, from Prohibition through the Vietnam War. For more than forty years, he was at the forefront of the game, with a Zelig-like ability to be present as a player or manager for some of the greatest teams and defining baseball moments of the twentieth century. A rugged, combative shortstop and a three-time All-Star, he became a legendary manager, winning three pennants and a World Series in 1954. Durocher performed on three main stages: New York, Chicago, and Hollywood. He entered from the wings, strode to where the lights were brightest, and then took a poke at anyone who tried to upstage him. On occasion he would share the limelight, but only with Hollywood friends such as actor Danny Kaye, tough-guy and sometime roommate George Raft, Frank Sinatra, and his third wife, movie star Laraine Day. As he did with Bill Veeck, Dickson explores Durocher's life and times through primary source materials, interviews with those who knew him, and original newspaper files. A superb addition to baseball literature, Leo Durocher offers fascinating and fresh insights into the racial integration of baseball, Durocher's unprecedented suspension from the game, the two clubhouse revolts staged against him in Brooklyn and Chicago, and Durocher's vibrant life off the field.

Baseball's Prodigal Son

Leo Durocher

From the 19th century's "boodle" to the "deep serious" of Vietnam and beyond, America's foremost expert on slang reveals military lingo at its most colorful, innovative, brutal, and ironic. Recommended by The New York Times' language maven William Safire, this up-to-date reference features convenient dictionary-style entries arranged chronologically by conflict.

Paul Dickson

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