The New York Yankees Illustrated History [Hardcover]

The volume divides the history of the Yankees into five eras, each of which is defined by decades: (1) The Ruth Years (1903-1929), covered by George Vecsey, covers the most of the first three decades of the team, although Ruth was with the team from 1921 to 1935. This opening chapter sets up the first Yankee dynasty, with black & white photographs focusing on Ruth and the 1927 "Murder's Row" team as well as a collection of Yankee memorabilia by a long-time fan. My favorite shots are of Ruth in 1921, when he was in his physical prime, and Gehrig sitting on the dugout steps watching the team after he benches himself in 1939. (2) Gehrig-DiMaggio (1930s, 40s, 50s), written by Dave Anderson, really focuses primarily on the DiMaggio period, with the Iron Horse as the link between the Babe and Joltin' Joe. Again, the chronology does not quite fit because DiMaggio retired after 1951, but he is the dominant figure in this chapter, which has photographs of his personal life as well as his playing career.

When you see that the next chapter focuses on the 1960s, and who it focuses on, it becomes clear that the major figure who does not get to be worked into a title and who clearly defined the 1950s for the Yankees, was Yogi Berra. Instead, we have (3) Mantle, Maris and the 1960s, by Robert Lipsyte, which elevates Roger Maris and his 61* home runs to the same level of Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig and Ruth. I really think they are off base here, that the 1950s and 1960s should have been Yogi and Mickey. After all, it is still Yogi, the most beloved living baseball player, who is the only one in history with 10 World Series rings. This chapter has a rare color photograph of a 19 year old Mantle as well as a shot of Mantle and teammate Clip Mapes visiting Mickey's father at a Oklahoma mine, as well as the pivotal moment in the 1951 World Series when Mantle caught his spikes on a drain hole and popped his knee as DiMaggio catches the ball hit by Willie Mays.

For most Yankee fans the last two chapters deal with the New York Yankees they have probably known most of their lives: (4) Life With Steinbrenners (1970s, 80s), by Murray Chass, reminds everybody that you could have Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Billy Martin, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage and whoever you wanted on the field, but the Yankees were dominated by the personality of the Boss. (5) The Modern Yankees, by Buster Olney, looks at how the dynasty that started dominating baseball at the end of the 1990s was put together, ending, ironically, with the Yankees losing the 2001 World Series in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Which meant the Yankees had only won four World Championships in the last six seasons. They are photographs of most of the key players associated with the new Yankee dynasty.

The 150 photographs in "The New York Yankees Illustrated History" come from the library of the Baseball Hall of Fame and extensive archives of "The New York Times." Interestingly enough, only the photographs in the last chapter are color shots. The text provides not so much a history of a franchise as the stories of the legendary players and great games. The writing here is certainly in the tradition of sports reporting more than history, which is quite appropriate for a richly illustrated volume. This is not a definitive history, nor is it the final word on a pictorial history of the team, but it is certainly strong enough in both departments to be worth a look by Yankee fans.