Dominican Baseball Books

Being that I am an anthropologist, I have read a number of "academic" studies on Dominican baseball, as well as tons of popular stuff. It is kind of funny when Dominicans try to tell me about the history of the league or the team. I just act interested and let them tell me what they know (usually the most basic information). As an anthropologist, I am particularly interested in the culture of baseball, and how it affects the lives of people. I have created a list of these books on the right.

Alan Klein has been publishing on international baseball and culture for over 20 years. He is a professor of sociology-anthropology at Northeastern University. His book Sugarball: The American Game, The Dominican Dream, was one of the first academic studies of baseball that I read. He recently published Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball, which has one chapter devoted to baseball in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, he has published many other books and articles on international aspects of baseball. They are listed on his curriculum vitae. His book Baseball on the Border: A Tale of Two Laredos, was also interesting to me, especially since I am from South Texas.

Rob Ruck is a history professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He wrote The Topic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic, a comprehensive history of baseball in the country. He has also published on black sports in Pittsburgh, and helped write the documentary The Republic of Baseball: The Dominican Giants of the American Game. A list of his publications is also listed on his curriculum vitae.

George Gmelch is also an anthropology professor at Union College in New York. His publications are listed at his website, and cover many aspects of baseball. He was actually a minor league player before gaining his PhD. in anthropology. He edited Baseball without Borders: The International Pastime, which has a chapter devoted to Dominican Baseball.

George Gedda just published Dominican Connection: Talents From Tropics Changes Face of National Pastime. He is a diplomatic journalist from the DC area, so it is interesting tht he published this. I have not read this, so will not be listing it with my other books.