Team Liquid - Shop now
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
$21.38
FREE delivery Wednesday, December 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Pen Book
$21.38
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, December 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Sunday, December 8. Order within 4 hrs 12 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$21.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.38
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Pen Book
Sold by
Pen Book
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
May have some worn edges and pages but otherwise in good condition. May have some worn edges and pages but otherwise in good condition. See less
FREE delivery Wednesday, December 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Saturday, December 7. Order within 4 hrs 12 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$21.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$21.38
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Jim Bouton
Follow
Leonard Shecter
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Ball Four: Twentieth Anniversary Edition Paperback – Download: Adobe Reader, July 12, 1990

by Jim Bouton (Author)
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$21.38","priceAmount":21.38,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"38","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"CmTTwvUUKcexF7hpat3kAtcN5Wgg0dleC51aenyNKyAd%2BVgHgxsixUMI05VV2Gz87Lg1xT9RM2e0J2MFBQqHy3vA66FtnwH%2Fqy941gmqfakARbrZeVZ3ol12q7Ke0QrctgHHM24zKrQg3xa5DQRKhBUh%2Fsm1SINoNDY72LiN%2FfjLAi4xEeLVAF562VUVyisC","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.00","priceAmount":8.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"CmTTwvUUKcexF7hpat3kAtcN5Wgg0dlektFmB%2Bw7tbfdkglhwOX4sCxWAneoz6aP2I2uk74N1Iit3kOOIG4S%2BcjtOfYQQ3e%2FQGuKQhklq79qil379DiFwn2rB1tDkjYjVV6TzBWQ2JpglqfCcGe7aTGBLqoh0oByV%2BOkTStvrUCSBVnZutLaHmQAWb3T%2FRFC","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton.

When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not invited to Oldtimer's Days at Yankee Stadium. But his landmark book is still being read by people who don't ordinarily follow baseball.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    465 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Howell Book House
  4. Publication date
    July 12, 1990
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.06 x 8.26 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0020306652
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0020306658
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Ball Four: Twentieth Anniversary Edition
This item: Ball Four: Twentieth Anniversary Edition
$21.38
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Dec 11
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Pen Book and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees
$19.95
Get it as soon as Sunday, Dec 8
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City
$16.05
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Dec 10
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As a player, former hurler Jim Bouton did nothing half-way; he threw so hard he'd lose his cap on almost every pitch. In the early '70s, he tossed off one of the funniest, most revealing, insider's takes on baseball life in Ball Four, his diary of the season he tried to pitch his way back from oblivion on the strength of a knuckler. The real curve, though, is Bouton's honesty. He carves humans out of heroes, and shines a light into the game's corners. A quarter century later, Bouton's unique baseball voice can still bring the heat.

Review

"A book deep in the American vein, so deep in fact it is by no means a sports book" -David Halberstam

"Ball Four is a people book, not just a baseball book." -Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Howell Book House; 20th Anniversary edition (July 12, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 465 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0020306652
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0020306658
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.06 x 8.26 inches

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Jim Bouton

    Jim Bouton

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Leonard Shecter

    Leonard Shecter

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,846 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book wonderful, fun, and insightful. They describe it as a fantastic baseball book and a must-read for any fan. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written, colorful, and great. They also appreciate the historical accuracy and value for money. Additionally, they mention the author has a genuine and unique voice.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityInsightBaseball bookWriting qualityHistorical accuracyValue for moneyAuthenticityBoredom
163 customers mention "Readability"163 positive0 negative

Customers find the book wonderful, fun, and fascinating. They say it's a hilarious narrative with clear prose filled with humor and wit. Readers also mention the book is great for episodic bedtime reading.

"...amazing on nearly every page of the book and its supplements -- funny, titillating, insightful, of historical interest, or just plain mind-boggling...." Read more

"...the beaver shooting, but for lovers of baseball and sports it's a very good read, containing insight on the inner workings in pro sports, pitching..." Read more

"...For me, the book is a hilarious narrative of a basically washed up pitcher trying to salvage his career with a trick pitch while trying to make an..." Read more

"...The book is fascinating and funny. And Real. I began t o understand what it most be like to be on the road, bored, for so many months a year...." Read more

104 customers mention "Insight"99 positive5 negative

Customers find the book eye-opening and addictive. They say it tells great stories of players and gives a candid, realistic view of what really goes on inside major league baseball. Readers also mention the author is engaging and writes fun stories.

"...every page of the book and its supplements -- funny, titillating, insightful, of historical interest, or just plain mind-boggling...." Read more

"...lovers of baseball and sports it's a very good read, containing insight on the inner workings in pro sports, pitching and anecdotes on some famous..." Read more

"...Jim's narration is as revealing as his writing and I encourage you to try this as an audiobook but I finished it only to run out and buy a hard copy..." Read more

"...It’s heart is the story of perseverance, of ultimate highs, and truly the lowest low, it’s a book that everyone should read, as there truly is..." Read more

66 customers mention "Baseball book"66 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fantastic, a must-read for any baseball fan, and interesting. They say it's one of the most important books regarding sports both in the US and abroad. Readers also appreciate the humor, baseball stories, and updates provided today.

"...A fantastic baseball classic." Read more

"...I enjoyed the humor, baseball stories, and the updates provided in today's version...." Read more

"...In my opinion, it's the best book about baseball (or any sport).I've read the book three times over the years...." Read more

"...It gives a candid, realistic view of what really goes on inside Major League Baseball...." Read more

43 customers mention "Writing quality"36 positive7 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written, entertaining, and easy to read. They also say the author has a great style and sense of humor.

"...Oh, no doubt, it's entertaining...and Bouton IS a good writer (or Schecter a great editor)...." Read more

"...Both are well written by good people who tell some fun stories that don't put others in a bad, horrible light." Read more

"...I can see why Ball Four has been so popular. It is well-written, personable, and you can't help but like Jim who is candid about his abilities and..." Read more

"...What makes the book so good is Bouton's natural way of writing so that the diary entires are not disjointed like Jim Brosnan's "The Long Season",..." Read more

16 customers mention "Historical accuracy"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book timeless, fascinating, and nostalgic. They say it offers an interesting look at the 1969 season.

"...book and its supplements -- funny, titillating, insightful, of historical interest, or just plain mind-boggling...." Read more

"...He was a smart guy and offered an interesting look at the 1969 season, the one and only season (as it later turned out) in the history of the..." Read more

"...in the book because it was before my time, it still remains a timeless classic." Read more

"...It is a timeless, telling recount of the true culture of baseball that remains relevant to every generation...." Read more

15 customers mention "Value for money"12 positive3 negative

Customers find the book is worth the price. They also mention it's exactly as described.

"...Charlie through the cold cuts." That line alone is worth the price of the book!" Read more

"...Don't hesitate, it is worth every penny." Read more

"...I remember hearing about Ball Four when I was a child. It was well worth it even though I was late...." Read more

"...is the crux of Kuhn's rage: Bouton also revealed the duplicity, cheapness, incompetence, and contemptuous manner the owners treated their employees..." Read more

10 customers mention "Authenticity"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very real, funny, and touching. They say the author has a genuine, unique voice. Readers also mention the material is interesting, although some of it is mundane.

"...The book is fascinating and funny. And Real. I began t o understand what it most be like to be on the road, bored, for so many months a year...." Read more

"...As a writer, Bouton has a genuine, unique "voice," which I suspect owes very little to his editor...." Read more

"...It's not in a gotcha kind of way. It's honest, raw, uncomfortable, funny, educational and most importantly entertaining...." Read more

"...It is funny, insightful, and, most importantly, true." Read more

21 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive21 negative

Customers find the book boring, dull, and mediocre. They say it lacks substance and is repetitive after a while.

"...crux of Kuhn's rage: Bouton also revealed the duplicity, cheapness, incompetence, and contemptuous manner the owners treated their employees...." Read more

"...was interesting, although quite a bit of it was somewhat mundane and boring...." Read more

"...about it (quality of the writing, humor, controversial content) is very mediocre, and it was hard to get through the whole book...." Read more

"...It lacks substance to present an overall unifying theme- other than the point hammered over and over that the manager and coaches- and some of..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Jason A. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars As Relevant As Ever.
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
I discovered a copy of "Ball Four" in my high school library over 25 years ago, and found it to be laugh-out-loud funny. Jim Bouton, in the twilight of his baseball career, and suffering from a sore arm (this was in the days before sports medicine came along and prolonged careers), reinvented himself as a knuckleball pitcher and hooked on with the lowly expansion Seattle Mariners. His observations on locker room life and on the easy availability of hot young women to professional athletes, was an inspiration to me at age 14. Ever since then, I've picked up a copy of the book every few years (and I have at least three copies by now) and always find something new to enjoy or quote or admire.

Other reviewers on this site refer to "Ball Four" as "dated". I could not disagree more. Even though the book was largely written in 1969, it still has a lot to tell us about modern-day society, labor-management relationships, the role of sports in society, and politics. Bouton, as a 30-year-old ballplayer, was unusually observant, and, as he writes from 1969 -- the same year that "Mad Men" is up on TV now, as I write this review -- spokevery perceptively about the kinds of societal change that most of us enjoy watching Don Draper struggle with. Also, as an avowed left-winger, Bouton provides a perspective different to the majority of other baseball figures.

Reading "Ball Four", you can choose to just enjoy the more raunchy or R-rated material while ignoring the more social or political material. Or you can read up on the very early years of baseball's labor wars, and get your history lesson on the likes of Bowie Kuhn and Marvin Miller. Or, if you enjoyed the movie "Office Space", there's tons of material here about the short-sightedness of the management, which involved at least 7 increasingly muffled layers of supervision between the owners and the players of a single team. Bouton was a keen student of baseball history, and spends a fair bit of time talking about old players, and the guys he followed when he was a kid; he has the misfortune in 1969 to be coached by Sal Maglie, one of Bouton's childhood heroes but a truly inept pitching coach (as they say, never meet your heroes!)). But, not only that, Bouton figured into the very dawn of today's statistical-oriented baseball analytics --he realized that relief pitchers should be judged by inherited runners scored and baserunners-per-inning ratios, rather than purely by wins and losses. He was immensely valuable as a relief pitcher in 1969 -- his Strat-O-Matic card proves that -- but the Pilots ignored him and under-utilized him, because they weren't paying attention to the right information.

So, read "Ball Four" -- and its several updates, issued in 1980, 1990, and 2000. There's something amazing on nearly every page of the book and its supplements -- funny, titillating, insightful, of historical interest, or just plain mind-boggling. There are very few other baseball books that hit their targets so directly, or that are so eminently quotable. The book will be 50 years old soon, but it will never, ever, go out of date.
82 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ezra F Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
At its time of publication, Ball Four stirred the calm waters of baseball. Jim Bouton revealed the past times and shenanigans that pro players got up to on the road and at ball parks, which the owners weren't entirely happy getting out in the public eye, and Bouton was persona non grata with some players and managers who didn't appreciate the book he wrote. Reading it today it doesn't seem to groundbreaking, aside from the beaver shooting, but for lovers of baseball and sports it's a very good read, containing insight on the inner workings in pro sports, pitching and anecdotes on some famous players. A few things that I had issue with were the absence of Bouton mentioning his wife at the time Bobbie, who stayed home and raised his kids, and the lack of gratitude to her sacrifices. His second wife, Paula gets a whole epilogue and many words of praise, while Bobbie is only mentioned in passing when Bouton's daughter Laurie is tragically fatally injured in a car crash. Another thing I didn't like was that alongside the many epilogues in the book, Bouton doesn't provide any closure on how his team did at the end of the season he has just described in great detail. But despite these gripes it's a very good book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Raylan Givens
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, realistic book about our national past time.
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
Sure, if I was Mantle, I'd be a little annoyed at Bouton for writing he blew off kids and often played games while hung over. Just think though if a realistic book had been written during the 1920's and Babe Ruth's era. Oh, the stories...

Still, I think people, at least today, are wise enough to know that ballplayers, even those on the superstar level, can have bad days. Who knows how many thousands of autographs Mantle signed for kids during his life? For me, the book is a hilarious narrative of a basically washed up pitcher trying to salvage his career with a trick pitch while trying to make an expansion team's roster. A fantastic baseball classic.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Matthew
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into an undervalued player
Reviewed in Canada on July 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed reading it and is great at looking into a lesser known part of baseball history
Report
JLTRAVA
5.0 out of 5 stars Ball four
Reviewed in Mexico on May 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
Great book by Jim Bouton. Wonderful description of the struggle of a human being on a cruel world, i.e., baseball's major league. His passion for the sport completely overcame his fears and setbacks. In the end it is an example of extraordinary human behavior. ( I also felt a knot in my heart at Laurie's death).
Report
Ro.vio
5.0 out of 5 stars Très bien
Reviewed in France on November 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
Lecture intéressante et divertissante, même pour les moins passionnés de baseball.
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great sport insider
Reviewed in Australia on August 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
A must read for all baseball fans
Report
Niall
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, written by one of the good guys.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
So much to like in what is probably one of the best baseball books ever written.

The closest equivalent for a UK audience would be Eamon Dunphy's mid-70s masterpiece `Only a Game'. They were both written by professional sportsmen in an era before big money came into their sports, whose best days were behind them and at a time when the mantra `what happens in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room' was still king.

Bouton is insightful and a great storyteller. While some of the stuff he and his fellow players got up to in the 60's now looks infantile and more than a little sexist, it was of its time and should be seen through that prism. Though the original diary-style 1968-9 musings were great, what really made this book a pleasure for me were the epilogues written ten, twenty, thirty and now nearly fifty years after the original. They showed a decent, liberal man who stayed true to himself and his beliefs, who gradually accepted a life outside of the sport and who ultimately found peace, even after the truly heart-wrenching death of his daughter, Laurie. Having been born in the same year as her, Bouton's writing was particularly meaningful to this reader.

Oh, and I absolutely love the way also that he speaks for so many of us grouchy older sports fans as he mocks the OTT celebrations so commonplace in modern competition. My two favourite lines were: ` In my day, a player would hit the ball, toss his bat aside, jog around the bases, tip his cap, and sit down. A homer was a homer - not a religious experience' and `God does not care about somebody throwing a ball past a stick. Unless He's working on a knuckleball'.

A great read.
Report