(Book). 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 with embedded audio 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.

本書は単なる野球歌の歴史に留まらず、アメリカ精神の深淵を照らし出す文化人類学的な傑作です。１００年の歳月をかけ、旋律がいかにして国民のアイデンティティへと昇華したか。そこには女性の社会進出や大衆文化の変遷が克明に刻まれており、著者の執念に近い情熱が紙面から溢れ出しています。 映像化された作品ではスタジアムの熱狂が躍動感をもって再現されますが、本書はテキストならではの緻密な洞察により、歌の背後にある魂を解き明かします。音と映像が捉える瞬間の輝きと、書物が紡ぐ歴史の重厚さが響き合うとき、読者はこの名曲に宿る真の生命力に震えるはずです。