Bjarkman and Rucker's landmark volume Smoke has made a large impact in Cuba
"A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."—Thomas Mann
Autographed copies of A HISTORY OF CUBAN BASEBALL, 1864-2006 ($40) and SMOKE: THE ROMANCE AND LORE OF CUBAN BASEBALL ($30) are available directly from the author. Two titles can be purchased together for a discount price of $65 (mailing included). Send check and return address to:
Peter C. Bjarkman
PO Box 2199
West Lafayette, IN 47906-2199
USA
Library Journal has labelled A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006 as "the definitive history of Cuban baseball."
A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006
McFarland & Company, 2007
The seminal and most comprehensive history of Cuban baseball, from its origins on the island in 1864 through the 45 seasons of "amateur league" competitions and national team triumphs following the 1959 communist revolution. Details on every pre- and post-revolution Cuban season and records of all international appearances by Cuban national teams. Touted by
Library Journal (February 1, 2007) as "the definitive work" on Cuban baseball and featured on Havana's RADIO COCO Cuban League website.
Recipient of the 2007
Robert Peterson Recognition Award from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Negro Leagues Committee
This books was McFarland's "best selling" baseball title throughout its first two months in print (during February-March 2007)
BASEBALL'S OTHER BIG RED MACHINE: A History of the Cuban National Team
McFarland & Company Publishers, 2008 (in press)
This ground-breaking present volume, penned by Cuban baseball's foremost historian, is the first to chronicle the complete story of baseball's most winning all-time "franchise." Bjarkman unfolds in colorful detail a remarkable half-century success run unparalleled at any level of professional or amateur baseball competition. Ever since Fidel castro seized political power on the baseball-crazy island of Cuba—and in the process outlawed all professional sports—the thrust of the small nation's "national pastime" has been focussed squarely on beating the rival American "Yankees" (i.e. the USA national amateur and professional teams) at their own game during prestigious international competitions. Baseball—in the guise of the showcase national team--has, in fact, become Cuba's greatest single propoganda weapon in an ongoing ideological struggle with "the great imperialist demon" to the north. Bjarkman clarifies the mysteries surrounding Team Cuba (how is it selected and trained annually), offers portraits of the greatest Cuban stars in international play, and relates the full saga of Cuba's relentless winning tradition across decades of pressure-packed Olympic style international tournaments.
This long-awaited volume is scheduled for publication in spring or summer of 2009.
Who's Who in Cuban Baseball, 1962-2007
McFarland & Company, 2009 (in press)
Bjarkman's meticulously researched companion volume represents the first-ever biographical encyclopedia (in English or Spanish) devoted to Cuban ballplayers who have performed in the post-revolution Cuban "amateur" league (1962-2007) and on Cuban national teams which have dominated international tournaments for the past 45 years (including Olympic Games, World Cup tournaments, Intercontinental Cup and Pan American Games competitions). All major stars and important lesser figures of the Cuban National Series and Selective Series (recently renamed the Super League) are included, as well as every member of all senior-level Cuban national teams of the past five decades. Player profiles are accompanied by career statistics (for all players) and numerous photos (for about one-third of the entries). Important non-playing figures like managers, coaches, league officials (including Fidel Castro) and even broadcasters are also covered. Supplemental materials include a pair of valuable chapters outlining post-1962 Cuban baseball history, thus giving a context for the player portraits.
This long-awaited volume is scheduled for publication in summer or fall of 2009.
DIAMONDS AROUND THE GLOBE: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball
Greenwood Press, 2005
2004 Winner of
The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award and 2005 Finalist for CASEY Award
The first comprehensive encyclopedia of baseball as a world sport, with detailed histories of the game in all baseball-playing countries and coverage of all major international tournaments (Olympics, World Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Pan American Games, etc.). The first and still the only volume of its type to chronicle the international version of Cuba's and North America's avowed "national pastime."
SMOKE—The Romance and Lore of Cuban Baseball (with Mark Rucker)
Total Sports Illustrated, 1999
Finalist for CASEY Award and SABR-Seymour Medal (Best Baseball Book of the Year)
An award-winning coffee table pictorial revealing the history of Cuban baseball with both rare vintage photographs and informative historical text. This book has become a valued collectible on the island of Cuba, especially among an older generation of baseball
aficionados.
BASEBALL WITH A LATIN BEAT: A History of the Latin American Game
McFarland & Company, 1994
1994 Winner of Macmillan-SABR Baseball Research Award
The first comprehensive history of baseball in Latin America and Latinos in the major leagues, with detailed accounts of baseball in each of the major Caribbean Rim ballplaying countries. A ground-breaking book in the early 1990s and also the basis for Bjarkman's later scholarship on Latin American and Cuban League baseball.
The Baseball Scrapbook
JG Press (2008, 2004), Barnes & Noble (2000), Dorset Press (1995, 1991)
A coffeetable-style pictorial celebration of the powerful grip that America's game has on its millions of fans, and an attempt to recreate our baseball history as it lives in the collective readers' memory and imagination.
This webpage also includes information of the author's
Baseball & the Game of Life: Stories for the Thinking Fan, a collection of literary short stories for the baseball enthusiast.
New York Mets Encyclopedia
Sports Publishing LLC, 2003, 2001
Thorough history of one of baseball's most beloved franchises, including numerous photos and statistical summaries as well as a rich and detailed narrative text (with the book's second Edition updated through 2002 season).
This webpage also includes information on a number of the author's other big league team history volumes, including two encyclopedias of team histories and books on the Brooklyn Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays.
THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF BASKETBALL: More than 500 Portraits of the Most Significant On- and Off-Court Personalities of the Game's Past and Present
Masters Press (NTC Contemporary), 2000
Detailed portraits of numerous important figures from basketball's professional and collegiate history, plus debated-sparking chapters on the game's all-time greats and concise overview histories of NBA and NCAA play.
This webpage also provides information on
Hoopla: A Century of College Basketball, plus the
Boston Celtics Encyclopedia and Bjarkman's additional half-dozen basketball history titles written in the 1990s.
ROBERTO CLEMENTE: Baseball Legend
Chelsea House Publishers, 1991
A award-winning biography for young adult readers and one of four Bjarkman titles in the Chelsea House Baseball Legends Series (which also include Duke Snider, Ernie Banks and Warren Spahn).
This webpage also includes information on Bjarkman's young adult reader biographies of basketball stars Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, and Scottie Pippen, plus several other YA basketball and baseball volumes (all from Enslow Publishers).
Bjarkman (right) with Cuban author Alfredo Santana in Matanzas, Cuba (2007)
BIBLIOGRAPHY of Book Introductions and Book Chapters by PETER C. BJARKMAN
“Foreword” for: Early Blackball Teams in Cuba by Severo Nieto. Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company Publishers, 2007, in press. (Book Cover By-Line)
“American Baseball Imperialism, Clashing National Cultures, and the Future of Samurai Besuboru” in: Studies on Asia, Series III. Volume 3:2 (Fall 2006), 123-140. Michigan State University. Special Issue: Baseball and Besuboru in Japan and the U.S. Edited by Michael Lewis and William Londo.
“College Basketball: The Formative Years” Chapter 46 in: Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia. Edited by Ken Shouler, et al., 2003, 663-669. Toronto, Canada: Sport Classic Books.
“Thieves—Baseball’s sneak attack comes from the legs and the nerves of the wily base-stealer” in: Play Ball! Celebrating 150 Years of Baseball. Special Collectors’ Edition Pictorial Magazine (Fall 1996), 136-143. Clearwater, Florida: Storm Publications.
“Cheering for the Home Team—Team Histories as Baseball Literature” (Survey of Baseball Team Histories) in: Cooperstown Review: The Forum of Baseball Literary Opinion. Paul Adomites, Editor. Volume 2 (1994). Pittsburgh: Sheraden Publishers (SABR), pp.161-183.
“Introduction” for: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, a novel by William Brashler. Chicago and Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993. pp.xvii-xxxiii. (Book Cover By-Line)
“Bums’ Lit: The Literary Boys of Summer” (Review Survey of Books on Brooklyn Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers) in: Cooperstown Review: The Forum of Baseball Literary Opinion. Paul Adomites, Editor. Volume 1 (1993). Pittsburgh: Sheraden Publishers (SABR), pp.54-70.
“Dolf Luque, Baseball’s First Hispanic Star” in: The Perfect Game—A Classic Collection of Facts, Figures, Stories and Characters from the Society for American Baseball Research. Mark Alvarez, Editor. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1993, pp.113-122.
“Brooklyn Dodgers—Los Angeles Dodgers: From Daffiness Dodgers to the Boys of Summer and the Myth of America’s Team” Chapter 2 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.72-136.
“Cincinnati Reds: Cincinnati’s Hometown Game, From the Red Stockings to the Big Red Machine” Chapter 4 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.181-238.
“Montreal Expos: Bizarre New Diamond Traditions North of the Border” Chapter 6 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.263-302.
“Philadelphia Phillies: Swooning in the Shadow of the Miracle Whiz Kids” Chapter 9 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.394-444.
“Colorado Rockies: Rocky Mountain High, For Awhile!” Chapter 13 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.562-572.
“Florida Marlins: Baseball’s Big Splash in the Caribbean” Chapter 14 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.573-582.
“Introduction: Breaking Traditions in the Senior Circuit” in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1993, pp.1-19.
“Toronto Blue Jays: Okay, Blue Jays! From Worst to First in a Decade” Chapter 12 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1993, pp.445-486.
“Washington Senators—Minnesota Twins: Expansion-Era Baseball Comes to the American League” Chapter 13 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1993, pp.487-534.
“Washington Senators—Texas Rangers: There Are No Dragons in Baseball, Only Shortstops” Chapter 14 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1993, pp.535-573.
“Introduction: Historical Perspectives on the Junior Circuit” in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories—The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Revised 1993 Edition. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1993, pp.1-15.
“Introduction: Box Scores and the Music of the Spheres” in: Baseball & the Game of Ideas: Essays for the Serious Fan. Edited by Peter C. Bjarkman. Delhi, NY: Birch Brook Press, 1993, pp.9-24.
“Cuban Blacks in the Majors Before Jackie Robinson” in: The Inter-National Pastime: A Review of Baseball History (The National Pastime 12: An Olympic-Year Appreciation of Baseball Around the Globe), 1992, 58-63. Edited by Peter C. Bjarkman. Cleveland, Ohio: SABR.
“Hispanic Baseball Statistical Record” (All-Time Roster of Latin Big Leaguers) in: The Inter-National Pastime: A Review of Baseball History (The National Pastime 12: An Olympic-Year Appreciation of Baseball Around the Globe), 1992, 86-95. Edited by Peter C. Bjarkman. Cleveland, Ohio: SABR.
“Introduction: Baseball & the Game of Life” in: Baseball & the Game of Life: Stories for the Thinking Fan. Edited by Peter C. Bjarkman. New York: Vintage Books (Random House), 1991, pp.ix-xxii.
“Brooklyn Dodgers—Los Angeles Dodgers: From Daffiness Dodgers to the Boys of Summer and the Myth of America’s Team” Chapter 2 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.72-136.
“Cincinnati Reds: Cincinnati’s Hometown Game, From the Red Stockings to the Big Red Machine” Chapter 4 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.181-238.
“Montreal Expos: Bizarre New Diamond Traditions North of the Border” Chapter 4 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.263-302.
“Introduction: Breaking Traditions in the Senior Circuit” in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The National League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.1-19.
“Toronto Blue Jays: Okay, Blue Jays! From Worst to First in a Decade” Chapter 12 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.445-486.
“Washington Senators—Minnesota Twins: Expansion-Era Baseball Comes to the American League” Chapter 13 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.487-534.
“Washington Senators—Texas Rangers: There Are No Dragons in Baseball, Only Shortstops” Chapter 14 in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories: The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.535-573.
“Introduction: Historical Perspectives on the Junior Circuit” in: Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball: Team Histories: The American League. Peter C. Bjarkman, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, 1-15.
“Six-Pointed Diamonds and the Ultimate Shiksa: Baseball and the American-Jewish Immigrant Experience” in: Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and the American Culture (1990). Alvin L. Hall, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1991, pp.306-347.
“Baseball Novels from Gil Gamesh to Babe Ragland to Sidd Finch: A Bibliographical Survey of Serious Adult Baseball Fiction Since 1973” in: Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and the American Culture (1989). Alvin L. Hall, Editor. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1990, pp.32-59.
“Introduction: Baseball & the Game of Life” in: Baseball & the Game of Life: Stories for the Thinking Fan. Edited by Peter C. Bjarkman. Special Letterpress Edition. Delhi, NY: Birch Brook Press, 1990, pp.ix-xxii.
Click here to access Peter C. Bjarkman's complete CV and BIBLIOGRAPHY (updated September 2008) (356 KB)
