Lou Gehrig

 

Iron Horse : Lou Gehrig in His Time by Ray Robinson A captivating biography of the legendary ball player Lou Gehrig, known for both his prowess on the field and his courage in life.Lou Gehrig will go down in history as one of the best ballplayers of all time. With a career average of .340 and 493 home runs, he played in a record-setting 2,130 consecutive games and was elected to the Hall of Fame. He was robbed of his superb physical skills as a relatively young man by ALS, the degenerative disease now known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", and died in 1941. Ray Robinson re-creates the life of this legendary ballplayer and also provides an insightful look at baseball through the Depression years, including all the great players of that era -- Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Miller Huggins, and more. Amazon.com (Paperback - November 1991)

Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time by Ray Robinson Paperback from W. W. Norton ISBN: 0393328821 "All these many years down the road, Lou Gehrig's reputation still holds up--as does Ray Robinson's elegant biography."--Bob Costas Lou Gehrig will go down in history as one of the best ballplayers of all time; he was elected to the Hall of Fame and played in a record-setting 2,130 consecutive games. ALS--known today as "Lou Gehrig's Disease"--robbed him of his physical skills at a relatively young age, and he died in 1941. Ray Robinson re-creates the life of this legendary ballplayer and also provides an insightful look at baseball, including all the great players of that era: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and more. 16 photographs.

Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig by Jonathan Eig Paperback from Simon & Schuster ISBN: 0743268938 Lou Gehrig was a baseball legend -- the Iron Horse, the stoic New York Yankee who was the greatest first baseman in history, a man whose consecutive-games streak was ended by a horrible disease that now bears his name. But as this definitive new biography makes clear, Gehrig's life was more complicated -- and, perhaps, even more heroic -- than anyone really knew. Drawing on new interviews and more than two hundred pages of previously unpublished letters to and from Gehrig, Luckiest Man gives us an intimate portrait of the man who became an American hero: his life as a shy and awkward youth growing up in New York City, his unlikely friendship with Babe Ruth (a friendship that allegedly ended over rumors that Ruth had had an affair with Gehrig's wife), and his stellar career with the Yankees, where his consecutive-games streak stood for more than half a century. What was not previously known, however, is that symptoms of Gehrig's affliction began appearing in 1938, earlier than is commonly acknowledged. Later, aware that he was dying, Gehrig exhibited a perseverance that was truly inspiring; he lived the last two years of his short life with the same grace and dignity with which he gave his now-famous "luckiest man" speech. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Jonathan Eig's Luckiest Man shows us one of the greatest baseball players of all time as we've never seen him before. Lou Gehrig started his professional baseball career at a time when players began to be seen as national celebrities. Though this suited charismatic men such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, Gehrig avoided the spotlight and preferred to speak with his bat. Best known for playing in 2,130 consecutive games as well as his courage in battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a disease that now bears his name), the Iron Horse that emerges from this book is surprisingly naïve and insecure. He would cry in the clubhouse after disappointing performances, was painfully shy around women (much to the amusement of some of his teammates), and particularly devoted to his German-immigrant mother all his life. Even after earning the league MVP award he still feared the Yankees would let him go. Against the advice of Ruth and others, he refused to negotiate aggressively and so earned less than he deserved for many seasons. Honest, humble, and notoriously frugal, his only vices were chewing gum and the occasional cigarette. And despite becoming one of the finest first basemen of all time, Jonathan Eig shows how Gehrig never seemed to conquer his self-doubt, only to manage it better. Jonathan Eig's Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig offers a fascinating and well-rounded portrait of Gehrig, from his dugout rituals and historic games to his relationships with his mother, wife, coaches, and teammates. His complex friendship with Ruth, who was the polar opposite to Gehrig in nearly every respect, is given particularly vivid attention. Take this revealing description of how the two men began a barnstorming tour together following their 1927 World Series victory: "Ruth tipped the call girls and sent them on their way. Gehrig kissed his mother goodbye." Eig also shares some previously unknown details regarding his consecutive games streak and how he dealt with ALS during the final years of his life. Rich in anecdotes and based on hundreds of interviews and 200 pages of recently discovered letters, the book effectively shows why the Iron Horse remains an American icon to this day. --Shawn Carkonen

Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man by David A. Adler Paperback from Sandpiper ISBN: 0152024832 Lou Gehrig's perseverance is legendary. During fourteen years as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, he played in a record 2,130 consecutive games, earning himself the nickname Iron Horse. Lou loved baseball and considered himself a very lucky man, even though on his thirty-sixth birthday he was diagnosed with a rare and fatal disease.The story of Lou Gehrig, the heroic Yankee who battled with ALS, was inspirational far beyond Yankee Stadium. David Adler's spare biography tells Gehrig's story just as the athlete lived: with unassuming simplicity. It's a wise choice, since the story is so affecting on its own. Another wise choice was Adler's decision to remain vague about the details of Gehrig's illness. The story is no less affecting without them, and probably contains enough sadness for any child. As good as this book is, Terry Widener's illustrations multiply its impact enormously. [Recommended for ages 5-9. Older siblings will probably be willing to hang around to hear it though.]

Sterling Biographies: Lou Gehrig: Iron Horse of Baseball by James Buckley Jr. Paperback from Sterling ISBN: 1402763638 A streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Several World Series wins including a four-game sweep. An American League single-season batting record that still stands. And that's only a few of Lou Gehrig's many achievements. Though illness sapped his strength, it never killed his spirit. Written by one of America's leading sportswriters, this biography of baseball's Iron Horse" will inspire and touch kids as it reveals: - Gehrig's childhood gymnastic workouts at a special German gym called a turnverein - How his incredible batting ability turned his high school team into a sensation - His lifelong struggle with shyness - The Great Home Run Derby" with Babe Ruth perhaps baseball's most astonishing competition ever - The tragic ailment that ended his career--and life

Lou Gehrig: One of Baseball's Greatest (Childhood of Famous Americans) by Jr. Guernsey Van Riper Paperback from Aladdin ISBN: 0020419309 A biography focusing on the childhood of one of the greatest professional baseball players, who is remembered for playing 2,130 consecutive games in 14 seasons with the New York Yankees.

Five OClock Lightning: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and the Greatest Baseball Team in History, The 1927 New York Yankees by Harvey Frommer Hardcover from Wiley ISBN: 068911270X Advance Praise for Five O'Clock Lightning "Come along with Harvey Frommer on a jaunty stroll through baseball eighty years ago. The 1927 Yankees may or may not have been the best team ever, but surely this is the best book about that wonderful concentration of talent." --George F. Will "Harvey Frommer brings the perceptive eye of a historian to what was arguably the most feared batting order of all time. Add to that his contagious enthusiasm for classic baseball and you have a most enjoyable book." --Roger Kahn "An engrossing and entertaining look at a mythical baseball team. Ride the trains, chew the tobacco, and have fun." --Leigh Montville, author of The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth "How great were the '27 Yankees? So great that even now, eighty years later, they still have the power to astonish and entertain. Reading Five O'Clock Lightning, I felt almost as if I were on the road with the Babe, Lou, and Miller Huggins. Harvey Frommer has a great eye for detail and a wonderful ability to bring his characters to life. The book is a delight." --Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season "Harvey Frommer hits a home run in this sweet look back at a time when baseball was the only game and the Yankees seemed to be the only team." --Dan Shaughnessy, author of Senior Year "Baseball's greatest team as recounted by baseball's greatest author, Harvey Frommer. A surefire classic!" --Seth Swirsky, author of Baseball Letters and Something to Write Home About

Lou Gehrig (Sports Heroes and Legends) by Kevin Viola Paperback from Lerner Classroom ISBN: 0760750629

Lou Gehrig : An American Classic by Richard Bak Hardcover from Easton Press

Lou Gehrig: A Biography (Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters) by William Kashatus Hardcover from Greenwood ISBN: 0313328668 Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played stood for decades until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995. Most people remember Gehrig for this record, or for the disease that claimed his life (and now bears his name). But what many forget is how prolific a hitter he was. The son of German immigrants, Gehrig rose from inauspicious beginnings to become a scholar-athlete at Columbia University, and then moved to Major League Baseball, where he knocked in almost 2,000 runs and helped his team win six world championships. William Kashatus recounts the perserverance and poise of a life which ended tragically, yet heroically. Written in cooperation with George Pollack, the lawyer for the Gehrig estate, this biography provides a valuable addition to the study of an enduring American sports legend. The final chapters analyze the creation of the player's legend through literature and film and also update the reader on the on-going fight against ALS.

Als-Lou Gehrig's Disease (Diseases and People)
by Mary Dodson Wade
(Library Binding)

Lou Gehrig : The Luckiest Man
by David A. Adler, Terry Widener (Illustrator)
(School & Library Binding)

Lou Gehrig : One of Baseball's Greatest
by Guernsey, Jr. Van Riper, et al
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Synopsis: A biography focusing on the childhood of one of the greatest professional baseball players, who is remembered for playing 2,130 consecutive games in 14 seasons with the New York Yankees.
Paperback - 192 pages (October 1986)
Aladdin Paperbacks; ISBN: 0020419309

The Wonder Team : The True Story of the Incomparable 1927 New York Yankees (Sports and Culture Series)
by Leo Trachtenberg
The Wonder Team describes in detail the chronology of the year 1927, when the great New York Yankees became the Wonder Team--probably baseball's best team ever. That club included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Waite Hoyt, Tony Lazzeri, Earle Combs, Herb Pennock, Bob Meusel, and Wilcy Moore. Also part of the narrative are owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert, manager Miller Huggins, business manager Ed Barrow, and scout Paul Krichell. No participant of that great team is omitted. Amazon.com
(Paperback)

Secrets of Baseball Told by Big League Players
by Rogers Hornsby (Editor), et al
(Paperback)

Lou Gehrig (Baseball Legends)
by Norman L. MacHt
(Library Binding - March 1993)

Lou Gehrig : An American Classic/the Illustrated Biography
by Richard Bak
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