History of the ballpark that hosted the Philadelphia Athletics for about 40 years, and the Philadelphia Phillies for about 35. It's a mixture of looking at the demographics of North Philadelphia, the history of the A's and Phillies themselves, as well as the history of the ballpark itself. Decent photographs, and a stab was made at some maps, though the maps don't really come off very well. Good, though it becomes very dragg-y and academic in parts. ( )

Being an urban geography of north Philadelphia as viewed through the lens of neighborhood jewel Shibe Park, built as the home of the Philadelphia Athletics, later housing other Philadelphia teams such as the Eagles and Phillies, as well as boxing matches and religious and political rallies. As unusual a marriage of topics as this is, the author also introdueces linkages still further afield, integrating the economics of a baseball team and the nature of human traits such as memory and connection to place. All of this works very well; Kuklick is a fine expository writer who also is able to evoke place and mood quite lyrically, as when he conjures up what a baseball fan might have seen, heard, and smelled at a game during the stadium's glory years. I was especially touched by the coda wherein he links the fate of the ballyard and its neighborhood with the human condition. ( )

The history of Shibe Park later named Connie Mack Stadium and the history of the surrounding Philadelphia neighborhood. A particularly interesting book for anyone sports enthusiast born before 1960 in the Philadelphia area. I bought the book because father played football there, before the largest crowd the stadium ever held, in the city's Catholic League championship game. ( )