[.ca] Wrigleyville: A Magical History Tour Of The Chicago Cubs (ISBN 0312156995)

Wonderful for any fan:
As a life-long Cub fan, I always wanted this book. I finally got it for Christmas a couple years ago and had it finished in 3 days. I was lost in this book, from the early days of the White Stockings, right up to the Ryne Sandberg era. I saw the updated version at a bookstore and had to have it. I've read it countless times, but I always anticipate what's up ahead. Peter Golenbock did a tremendous job!

Only lack of modern history prevents a 5-star rating:
I heartily recommend all of Mr. Golenbock's works, Wrigleyville as well as Bums and Fenway. The author shares my passion for the greatest game ever invented, and it is especially heartening that he chose to write about the Cubs. This book shares much of its content with many recent epics about baseball, such as Ken Burns' Baseball, and Our Game by Charles C. Alexander. The relatively recent trend in emphasizing baseball's traditions and history render this book to be judged as a nice find; but if it weren't for the above mentioned books, it would be a treasure. Unlike the above mentioned books, however, the author has chosen a topic that forces him to look away from developments that occurred on the East Coast. I understand that baseball was invented pretty much on the East Coast, and a substantial portion of its history evolved there. But one thing I found maddening about Ken Burns' masterwork was the notion that New York City was the Sun which all the other baseball planets revolved around. Mr. Golenbock, as well, chose first to write about New York and Boston teams. It is to his credit that he has shown the same love and passion in his chronicling of Cubs history, which is every bit as long, involved, and passionate as Dodger or Red Sox history. As I noted above, there is very little attention paid to recent times...as any Cub fan knows, there has been very little to cheer about for the last half century. The author does a admirable job in analyzing the transition from William Wrigley, a baseball man, to his son Phillip, a gum man, and the long term harm on the franchise. I just wish he could have went one step further, to similarly dissect the "cost-benefit" approach the Tribune Company has used since it took over in 1981.

A great book about how important baseball used to be:
Peter Golenbock, though a thorough history of the Chicago Cubs, brings us back to the beginnings of Chicago baseball and teaches us how baseball became such a passionate past-time for many, many people. Baseball and the Cubs were such an important part of so many people's lives from the late 19th century through the 1930s. And Golenbock traces this fanaticism right through the lean decades, basically mirroring the demise of the team and the sport. Make no mistake about it: baseball was king and the Cubs ruled Chicago. The author takes you right into the hearts and minds of the fans and players as he weaves through the history with many great interviews. Not to be overlooked is P.K. Wrigley's major contibution to baseball and his determination to keep Wrigley field "beautiful." Oh, to be at a Cubs game on a summer afternoon (of course) in 1935!

A Great Baseball Book!:
Being a baseball fan but not necessarily a Cubs fan, I was a little worried that I might not enjoy this book. But you soon find yourself captured in the history of the Cubs organization. Much of the "corporate" attitude that the Cubs front office holds today was started well before many of us were born. The book is a great historical record of not only the Cubs, but of Major League Baseball itself. Every baseball purist would love this book and it's a must read for any die-hard Cub fan.