Any attempt at chronicling the complete history of baseball runs the risk of falling into two distinct pitfalls. On the one hand, the scope of the project could prove excessively large, resulting in a daunting set too long-winded for public consumption. Conversely, a shorter book may feel incomplete, as if the publisher sacrificed important details for brevity’s sake.
The editors at Sports Illustrated attempt to thread this needle in their new collection, The Story of Baseball: In 100 Photographs. Running 223 pages in length, the book represents a middle-ground solution to the challenge, using images as a means of conveying more information.