News
Old Hoss likes his new ‘unauthorized biography’
Twitter legend @oldhossradbourn, who has attracted thousands of followers by pretending to be Hall of Fame pitcher Old Hoss Radbourn, thinks Edward Achorn’s “Fifty-nine in ’84” is a great read about “my favorite subject: me.”
“Achorn writes vividly, and a great strength of the book is that one is near transported to the time in question. I felt as if I were once again walking through those dense, crowded streets on the way to the ball park or, in my off time, a house of ill repute. Achorn has clearly studied his subject matter well, and knows the ins and outs...
Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “Amazing story,” baseball’s Seabiscuit
In a glowing review, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune compares Edward Achorn’s Fifty-nine in ’84 to the best-selling book, Seabiscuit.
“Like that great tale, this one is a story not just of the central character, but of the America of the time,” writes reviewer Maureen McCarthy, a team leader at the Star Tribune.
“In Fifty-nine in ’84, Achorn retells the story of “Old Hoss” Radbourn, an irascible cuss who ruled the game in the days when the National Pastime was a blood sport.
“Achorn’s account of this grueling quest is richly detailed with census data, immigration records and the sniping sports pages of the time....
New jewelry line celebrates Fifty-nine in ’84!
To honor Carrie Stanhope, the attractive and fashionable boarding house madam who plays a key role in the acclaimed new book Fifty-nine in ’84, She’s A Gem has introduced the Carrie Stanhope Collection, a new line of Victorian-style jewelry!
The Carrie Stanhope Collection will be on a display on June 5, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at She’s A Gem, the hot new fashion accessories store at 21 South Street in Westborough, Mass., just off the Rotary.
Edward Achorn, author of the book, will help celebrate this fashion event by being on hand to sign copies of his book. You can...
Get a signed book through Barrington Books!
Looking for a special and unique gift for Dad or your graduate? For a limited time, Ed is personally signing copies of Fifty-nine in ’84 — made out to your dad or anyone else — at no extra cost! For a nominal fee you can get the book gift-wrapped and mailed anywhere!
Just call Barrington Books at (401) 245-7925; they’re on the Web at www.barringtonbooks.com and their address is: Barrington Books, 184 County Road, Barrington, RI 02806-4529
Achorn invited to Hall of Fame
Edward Achorn has been invited to participate in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s summertime Authors Series in Cooperstown, N.Y.
He will appear on Friday, Aug. 13, and speak at the Hall’s 55-seat Bullpen Theater at 1 p.m. Following the program, he will sign copies of Fifty-nine in ’84 at the museum’s book store.
Weekly Standard: Fifty-nine in ’84 is “Pitch Perfect”
In a review headlined “Pitch Perfect,” the Weekly Standard called Fifty-nine in ’84 a “compelling read” and added: “Edward Achorn has done a marvelous job of bringing together not just a ballplayer and his lover, but a time and a game, a city and its people, and the stories of all the Providence Grays, one of whom wound up recording the ‘greatest season a pitcher ever had.’”
The review appeared in the Weekly Standard’s special Spring Reading issue.
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Bloomberg News: ‘This season’s most unexpected volume!’
David M. Shribman of Bloomberg News calls the acclaimed Fifty-nine in ’84 “this season’s most unexpected volume” and notes that author Edward Achorn paints “a portrait of baseball when the grass was green and the players’ palms were red (no gloves in those days) — a magical world of heroes and cranks and a woman known as Mrs. Stanhope, who presided over a boarding house and dominated the dreams of Charles Radbourn.”
Shribman writes: “This season’s most unexpected volume is Edward Achorn’s “Fifty-nine in ‘84” (Smithsonian/Harper, $25.99), a title that sounds like a variation of the cry about the Oregon territory...
Providence Journal: ‘I have never read a baseball book I enjoyed more’
In a rave review of Fifty-nine in ’84 in The Providence Journal, John Monaghan writes: “I have never read a baseball book I enjoyed more, and I’ve read a lot of them. … If you’re a baseball fan, you owe it to yourself to read this one.”
Recalling that his grandfather told him about the Providence Grays many decades ago, Monaghan noted that “Achorn has crafted a biography of arguably the best pitcher in history and, with it, a vision of my city as experienced by my grandparents and my great-grandparents.”
He praised Achorn’s “massive documentation of the games and the men...
