"Phillies': The ultimate coffee-table book

When the super-pitcher Cliff Lee reaffirmed Philadelphians' faith in their city by rejecting the New York Yankees to pitch for the Phillies, that was remarkable enough. Now a 125-year picture history of the Phillies has pulled off another miracle: It has reasserted the future of printed books.

Phillies: An Extraordinary Tradition contains many tactile features that no hand-held electronic screen can replicate. Its editors have creatively inserted replicas of posters, collectors' cards, ticket stubs, newspaper clippings"“ even broadcaster Harry Kalas's scorebook. These souvenirs are in pockets, so the reader can pull them out, touch them, caress them— whatever fans are wont to do. Try to find that sort of satisfaction in your Kindle, Nook or iPad.

The book's photos are not merely comprehensive— they include every Phillies team photo since 1887, as well as coal yards, factories and the Broad Street Station to put the Phillies in their larger context — but superb quality prints on heavy stock. The color shots of Phillies uniforms are so textured that you imagine you could feel the fabric.

The bulk of the excellent writing is the work of editor Scott Gummer and the Phillies' longtime public relations director, Larry Shenk. In addition to the de rigueur detailed history of the team, Phillies devotes generous space to announcers, managers, mascots and beer and peanut vendors. There's also a two-page spread on a fan who's been a season ticket-holder since 1948. A pleasant surprise is the coverage of a female scout named Edith Houghton, written by sports historian Rich Westcott.

Leaving Baker Bowl

But it's the photos and memorabilia that are worth the proverbial thousand words here. One photo of a Blue Jays uniform, for example, reminds us of the nadir. During the 1930s and into the '40s the Phillies were the poorest club in the National League, athletically and financially. Their owner, William F. Baker, was so financially strapped that he allowed Baker Bowl in North Philadelphia to fall into disrepair until the Phillies abandoned it after 1938 to become tenants of the Athletics at Shibe Park, a few blocks away.

A furniture salesman and Phillies fan named Gerry Nugent married Baker's secretary and inherited the team after Baker died. He had to sell players each year to finance the next spring training, and in 1943 the National League forced Nugent out because he was in arrears on rent and bank loans.

A name that didn't stick

The new owner, 33-year-old William Cox, did two notable things during his brief tenure. First he changed the name of the team to the Philadelphia Blue Jays. Fans didn't accept this and persisted in calling them the Phillies. Second, Cox bet on ball games. His activities were discovered and commissioner Kenesaw Landis took the team away from Cox and banned him from baseball. The franchise was then awarded to the duPont heir Robert Carpenter Jr.

The trajectory of the book's detailed history shoots upward from there, providing loving attention to recent Phillies heroes, including all the team's Hall of Fame members and most of its current stars. To be sure, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay arrived too late to be included. Those e-readers do enjoy some advantages.