Book talk with Phil Coffin, author of When Baseball Was Still Topps

About the Book: “When Baseball Was Still Topps”

Baseball history and story-telling in a novel form: Essays on each of the 572 cards in the 1959 Topps set. Relive (or live  for the first time) mid-20th century baseball, with insight into the issues of the game and revealing tales about the players. The slugger who had a date with Marilyn Monroe (no, not Joe DiMaggio), and the minor leaguer better known than Marilyn.  The hard-to-imagine target of a bribery attempt. The lefty catcher. The pitcher from Mayberry. The coolest socks in baseball. Ballplayers who were also basketball players—including the NBA’s No. 1 selection one year. Pick any card, and you’ll find another  engaging story about baseball.

About the author

Phil Coffin is a longtime editor at The New York Times and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research since  1994. The 1959 baseball cards helped make him a fan of the game. He and his wife, both avid runners (they know the hills of Brielle), live in Point Pleasant Beach.