Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" BK/CD Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first saw the title, I thought, how could there be a whole book about one song? I Read the editorial review and since I'm really into music and collecting stuff, decided to take the chance (also getting it way under retail helped too).
I have looked over it couple times now, I am still in awe about all the events, products and people that have been involved in ONE song. The sheet music, toys, videos, cards, performances and of course records.
Afer reading about the first recorded version, it made me want to go out and buy a music cylinder that plays on those 100 year old Thomas Edison players to hear it. But wait, my dream came true, I didn't have to pay 500.00 to do that, a CD that comes with it and has that first recorded version! Plus a bunch of other versions, that dont seem to be the same song, but are, as they are so diverse in sound.
Not to bore, my favorite piece in the book is how one of the authors (Andy Strasburg) solicited the USPS to get a stamp done for the 100 year anniversary of the song, which comes out June this year. I Googled to find out when it was coming out and the USPS stamp images say 41 cents, while in the book it is 42 cents. Looks like the book has newer images/information than the post office itself. Also a Frank Sinatra (he is in this book and sang the song) stamp comes out in May, I will be using his stamps til I get a couple sheets of Take Me Out to the Ball Game stamps to keep and use.
And oh yeah, the book is in color.

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The authorized tie-in book to the 100th anniversary of this beloved song. ""Take Me Out to the Ball Game"" is the third most frequently sung song in America, after ""Happy Birthday"" and ""The Star-Spangled Banner,"" and you'd be hard-pressed to find an American who doesn't know the words. With the release of this special edition, full-color, hardcover book, the complete story of the song is presented, taking us on a fascinating journey into how ""Ball Game"" has come to take a unique place in our cultural landscape. With images of historical newspaper clippings, baseball cards, sheet music, movie stills, ballplayers at the mic, and of course, Harry Caray leading the crowd at Wrigley, Baseball's Greatest Hit also comes packaged with a CD of rare and classic recordings, including performances by Dr. John, Arturo Sandoval, George Winston, Harry Caray and many more. Features an introduction by baseball commissioner Bud Selig and a foreword by Carly Simon. Baseball's Greatest Hit is a gorgeous celebration, not only of a song, but of baseball, music, pop culture, and the creative ways that Americans have always taken popular music and made it their own. And as the book traces the song's evolution over the last 100 years, it also traces the evolution of American culture - from the early days of Tin Pan Alley and sheet music pluggers; through the early role of women as baseball players and fans; through movie musicals, baseball's expansion west, rock and roll, and modern ballparks; right up to the present-day when in July 2007 more than 50 Hall of Famers came together to sing ""Take Me Out to the Ball Game"" in Cooperstown.