The New York Mets: The First Quarter Century

New York: Crown Publishers, 1987 Illustrated with more than 300 color and black and white photos. First revised edition, first printing. With 122 Mets signatures, including National Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Duke Snider, Yogi Berra, Warren Spahn, Ralph Kiner, Gary Carter, Nolan Ryan, and Joe Torre. Some players signed more than once throughout, for example Darryl Strawberry (x2), Tug McGraw (x3) and Jesse Orosco (x2). Publisher's orange cloth spine and blue paper-covered boards, with blindstamped illustration of World Championship Trophy to front board, and red endpapers; in its original green dust jacket designed by Robert Aulicino, with a photo of Jesse Orosco to front panel, photo of Casey Stengel to rear panel, lettered in blue and orange. Near fine book, with light rubbing to silver foil on spine, light toning to top edges of boards, and bottom corners rubbed to boards; near fine unclipped dust jacket, with some toning to spine and edges, and light wear to spine ends. Overall, an excellent copy with tons of signatures. "Here's the story of the great 1986 season and team. And more, here's the complete history of the New York Mets by one of baseball's most entertaining writers." The 1986 Mets, led by players like Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, and Darryl Strawberry, defeated the Red Sox in seven games to win the World Series, and are regarded as one of the greatest MLB teams ever. Author Donald Honig is a longtime sportswriter who has written many classic baseball books, like The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time (1981) and the oral histories Baseball When the Grass was Real (1975) and Baseball Between the Lines: Baseball in the Forties and Fifties, as Told by the Men Who Played It (1976). This copy is signed by many baseball greats, including three members of the 1999 MLB All-Century Team - Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, and Nolan Ryan. Willie Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants, winning a World Series with the team in 1954. His over-the-shoulder catch in that World Series is one of the most iconic moments in sports history. A 24x All-Star and a 12x Gold Glove award winner, Mays was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. Yogi Berra played eighteen seasons with the New York Yankees, winning an incredible ten World Series titles. Winner of three AL MVPs and recognized as one of the greatest catchers of all-time, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972. Off the field, Berra was known for his wise and humorous "Yogi-isms," some of which include: "It ain't over til it's over," "it's déjà vu all over again," and "the future ain't what it used to be." Nolan Ryan, nicknamed the "Ryan Express" for his remarkable throwing speed, is the MLB's all-time leader in strikeouts and no-hitters. Additionally, some of the most iconic Mets players of all-time have signed this book, including 12x All-Star and 3x Cy Young Award winner Tom Seaver, 2x World Series champion Dwight Gooden, 8x All-Star and 3x World Series champion Darryl Strawberry, and 11x Gold Glove Award winner Keith Hernandez. . Signed. First Revised Edition . Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included. (Inventory #: DHM002)