You may fancy yourself a sports fan, but chances are you don't know: A fish eyeball was used as the center of some nineteenth-century baseballs The race to make better billiard balls led to the invention of plastics The Nerf ball was originally created to be part of a board game featuring cavemen Balls are the unsung heroes of sports. They are smacked, flung, dribbled, crushed, thrown, and kicked. They're usually only the subject of scrutiny when something goes wrong: a tear, the application of an illegal foreign substance, or a dent from overuse. Nevertheless, if you're watching nearly any major sporting event from around the world, you're likely following the ball wondering where it will go next... The Secret History of Balls mines the stories and lore of sports and recreation to offer insight into 60 balls-whether they're hollow, solid, full of air, or stuffed with twine or made of leather, metal, rubber, plastic, or polyurethane-that give us joy on playing fields and in every arena from backyards to stadiums around the globe.

The Secret History of Balls: The Stories Behind the Things We Love to Catch, Whack, Throw, Kick, Bounce and Bat

Humor & Entertainment

Chetwynd, Josh

Puzzles & Games

Perigee Trade

Nice is the secret ingredient to a better life. It makes us happy. It may even be what makes us civilized―when we say thank you, shake hands, send flowers, we’re doing the nice things that bring people together.
 ?A compulsive and chunky book for lovers of trivia, popular history, customs, and culture―and a perfect gift to say “you’re nice”―The Book of Nice is an entertaining, quirky compendium of those signs, traditions, and expressions that we so often take for granted, yet turn out to be quite fascinating. It’s about why we cover a yawn (originally to prevent evil spirits from entering our bodies, now to hide the impression that something’s boring us). About holiday traditions―it’s thanks to Guy Lombardo’s December 31 broadcast in 1929 that we now sing “Auld Lang Syne” on New Year’s Eve. About customary offerings―the wedding cake evolved out of the Roman use of wheat as a symbol of fertility (and it’s much tastier than bits of grain). And about those simple yet essential niceties―how Thomas Edison championed an obscure term, “hello” (if Alexander Graham Bell had gotten his way, we’d all be saying “ahoy”). Why not put a little nice in your day?

The Book of Nice: A Nice Book About Nice Things for Nice People

Workman Publishing Company

Sometimes it’s neither art nor science that serves as the origins of the everyday kitchen and food items that we take for granted today. Sometimes, as Josh Chetwynd shows us in How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun, some of our greatest culinary achievements were simply by-products of “damned good luck.” In How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun, Josh explores the origins of kitchen inventions, products, and foodstuff in seventy-five short essays that dispel popular myths and draw lines between food facts and food fiction. Josh’s charming text combined with simple line illustrations makes this an excellent gift and go-to source book for all food and trivia buffs.

How the Hot Dog Found Its Bun: Accidental Discoveries And Unexpected Inspirations That Shape What We Eat And Drink

Reference

LYONS PRESS+

Few people associate baseball with Great Britain, but for a brief period in the 1930s, America's pastime nearly gained a foothold with the British populace. Though never as popular as the beloved football clubs, or even greyhound races, baseball teams like the West Ham Hammers developed intense local followings, and played some excellent baseball in 1936, the Hammers defeated the U.S. Olympic team. The outbreak of World War II ended the rising popularity of baseball among Britons, but speculation remains that, under different circumstances, British baseball could have flourished.    This book traces the history of baseball as a popular British sport, concentrating on one particularly successful and notable team, the West Ham Hammers. It places the West Ham club within the historical context of 1930s Great Britain, and covers team management, major players (e.g., Roland Gladu, the  Canadian Babe Ruth ), and the fans, many of whom still cling fondly to faded memories of the club and West Ham Stadium. Eight appendices include team rosters, British baseball rules, and year-by-year records from 1890 to 2005.

British Baseball and the West Ham Club: History of a 1930s Professional Team in East London

History

Belton, Brian

Europe

McFarland

Many are aware that baseball's European ancestry stretches back centuries, but few realize just how extensive the modern game's history is on the Continent and British Isles. Baseball as we recognize it has been played there since the 1870s, and in several countries the players and devoted followers have included royalty, Hall of Famers from the U.S. major leagues, and captains of industry. Organized by country, this heavily researched book delves into the history of baseball in 40 nations, describing not only the efforts to spread the game but also the culture of baseball unique to Europe. Appendices cover topics from major leaguers who have played in European domestic leagues to a glossary of baseball terms in seven European languages.

Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History

McFarland Company

With the success of The Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, baseball in Europe has begun to receive more attention. But few realize just how far back the sport's history stretches on the continent. Baseball has been played in Europe since the 1870s, and in several countries the players and devoted followers have included royalty, Hall of Famers from the U.S. major leagues, and captains of industry. 
 Featuring approximately 80 new interviews and 70 new photos and images, this second edition builds extensively on the previous edition's country-by-country histories of more than 40 European nations. Also included are two new appendices on European players signed by MLB organizations and European countries' performance in worldwide rankings.

Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History, 2d ed.

A gift-worthy playbook of common and unexpected words and idioms that have their roots in sports and games. There are many metaphors we can quickly identify from the realm of sports: covering all the bases (baseball), game plan (football), and par for the course (golf). But the English language is also peppered with the not-so-obvious influence of sports and games, such as go-to guy (basketball) and dead ringer (horse racing). Filled with pithy entries on each idiom, plus quotes showing how big talkers from President Obama to rapper Ice-T use them, this quirky little handbook from former minor league ballplayer and award-winning journalist Josh Chetwynd is sure to be a conversation starter at tailgates, cocktail parties, and in the boardroom.

The Field Guide to Sports Metaphors: A Compendium of Competitive Words and Idioms

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Ten Speed Press+

The language of Hollywood resonates beyond the stage and screen because it often has inherent drama—or comedic effect. This volume contains a combination of approximately 100 expertly researched essays on words, phrases and idioms made famous by Hollywood along with the stories behind 30 or so of the most iconic—and ultimately often used—quotes from films. There are also sidebars that focus on other ways the entertainment world has changed language. For instance, stories behind stars whose names have been used for drinks (hello, Shirley Temple) or roses (there are ones named after Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland, among others). And, a sidebar on William Shakespeare’s unique contribution to the English language.

Totally Scripted: Idioms, Words, and Quotes from Hollywood to Broadway That Have Changed the English Language

Movies

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Books by Chetwynd, Josh