Remembering Fenway Park: Book Review

I received a complimentary review copy of this book. Links to Amazon.com are NOT part of their paid affiliate program.

Going to Fenway to see the Cubs this year? Me neither. I'll remain jealous of my wife, who saw a game there about 25 years ago. It was already an old park then, and has undergone a lot of changes since. For the better.

The history of the park tucked in behind Lansdowne Street goes back more than 100 years, before the Red Sox moved into their new home in 1912. It's the only remaining park that pre-dates Wrigley Field and has undergone substantial updates in the past 15 years.

Remembering Fenway Park looks like a coffee table book. It can serve as such, with enough heft and wealth of photographs.

It's the large-scale images that take a book like this towards coffee table land. What it really contains is a decade-by-decade account of Fenway Park. Harvey Frommer's narrative is interwoven with first-hand recollections from A to Z.

The park's story is told through a combination of oral history, Frommer's research and the collection of photographs. Beyond the black-and-white and color shots, there are tons of pictures showing pins, tickets, scorecards and memorabilia. You really can enjoy some detail looks into history without reading the print.

But the stories are a collection in their own right, and are held together fairly well. As with most oral histories, it may not be the most smooth and flowing read you can find. But, it is a coffee table book intended for enjoyment in quick bits.

The appendices are somewhat random, attendance and standings, broadcast teams and a collection of trivial numbers (actually fun). Not necessarily a reference book as a result, but a little bonus.