Ban Johnson & Al Spalding biographies

[Steve Jeltz]

Hello. I just would like to know if there are any new or recent biographies of Ban Johnson and Al Spalding. I am very familiar with their influence in the formations of the American and National Leagues, respectively. But I was hoping that there is something out there that explores the men themselves, not necessarily a recap of the founding of the AL & NL. Thanks in advance.

[TheStringIsOut_NC]

The best biography of Ban Johnson remains Eugene Murdock's 1982 Ban Johnson: Czar of Baseball. It is, to my mind, a model of scholarly, insightful, and well-done baseball biography.

There might be some more enjoyable, mostly anecdotal, works out there now, or that will eventually come along, but Murdock's book is apt to remain the first and best word on Ban Johnson.