Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. These two men shared a close personal friendship, and each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience.

Talented pitcher Johnny "Blue Moon" Odom and outfielder Tommie Reynolds --- both young black ballplayers with dreams of playing someday in the big leagues --- along with Bert Campaneris, a dark-skinned shortstop from Cuba, all found themselves playing for Heywood Sullivan, a white former major leaguer. Larry Colton traces their entire season, capturing the essence of Birmingham and its citizens during the tumultuous year of 1964.

In the spring of 1946, with World War II finally over, hundreds of baseball's stars were coming home. It proved to be one of the most memorable seasons in history, capped with a thrilling seven-game World Series. And a new era began, with Jackie Robinson making his professional debut. Robert Weintraub brings to life little-known tales from the war years, including the "world series" service members played in an abandoned Hitler Youth stadium in the fall of 1945.

Mike Piazza’s autobiography is the candid story of the greatest hitting catcher in the history of baseball, from his inauspicious draft selection to his Hall of Fame-worthy achievements and the unusual controversies that marked his career. He addresses the steroid controversy that hovered around him and Major League Baseball during his time and describes the thrill of his game-winning home run on September 21, 2001.

From 2004 to 2011, Terry Francona managed the Boston Red Sox, one of the most talked-about and scrutinized teams in all of sports. In FRANCONA, the legendary manager opens up for the first time about his eight years there, as they went from cursed franchise to one of the most successful and profitable in baseball history.

Featuring quirky anecdotes and behind-the-scenes information, Sam Roberts’ book will allow readers to peek into the secret and unseen areas of Grand Central --- from the tunnels, to the command center, to the hidden passageways. With stories about everything from the famous movies that have used Grand Central as a location to the celestial ceiling in the main lobby (including its stunning mistake) to the homeless denizens who reside in the building's catacombs, this is a fascinating and exciting look at a true American institution.

Ulysses Grant rose from obscurity to discover he had a genius for battle, and he propelled the Union to victory in the Civil War. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the disastrous brief presidency of Andrew Johnson, America turned to Grant again to unite the country, this time as president. In H. W. Brands' page-turning biography, Grant emerges as a heroic figure who was fearlessly on the side of right.

Down 10 1/2 games with little more than a month to play, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals had long been ruled out as serious postseason contenders. Yet in the face of those steep odds, this team made the playoffs and won the World Series. Now manager Tony La Russa gives the inside story behind this astonishing comeback and his remarkable career, explaining how a team with so much against it was able to succeed on baseball's biggest stage.

Since their breakthrough championship season in 1923, the New York Yankees have been baseball’s most successful franchise. Marty Appel, the Yankees’ PR director during the 1970s, now illuminates the team in all its century-plus of glory: clever, maneuvering owners; rowdy, talented players; and, of course, 27 championships.

For decades, Walter Cronkite was heralded as “the most trusted man in America,” from his first reports on the frontlines of World War II to anchoring the "CBS Evening News" until his retirement in 1981. Yet for the most part, he was a remarkably private man. Douglas Brinkley, through analysis of Cronkite’s private papers and interviews with family and friends, now brings the American icon into a focus like never before.