As the country grows increasingly diverse and complicated, Americans seek, and occasionally find, a common thread to unite them. And, as Jim Lilliefors reveals in his new book, that common thread is what the baseball cap is made of -- indeed, what has transformed it into America's National Hat. As fads go, it's no longer even a fad, but a part of the national identity that, for better or worse, is a symbol of America. It feeds an illusion that Americans cherish -- that despite their differences, and no matter what position they play -- when wearing a baseball cap, they're all part of the same team. Exploring every aspect of caps and their culture -- including the history, manufacturing, and evolution of baseball caps; collecting and caring for caps; cap etiquette; and even cap urban legends -- and packed with photos throughout, Ball Cap Nation is a delightful look at a uniquely American phenomenon.

As the country grows increasingly diverse and complicated, Americans seek, and occasionally find, a common thread to unite them. And, as Jim Lilliefors reveals in his new book, that common thread is what the baseball cap is made of — indeed, what has transformed it into America’s National Hat. As fads go, it’s no longer even a fad, but a part of the national identity that, for better or worse, is a symbol of America. It feeds an illusion that Americans cherish — that despite their differences, and no matter what position they play — when wearing a baseball cap, they’re all part of the same team. Exploring every aspect of caps and their culture — including the history, manufacturing, and evolution of baseball caps; collecting and caring for caps; cap etiquette; and even cap urban legends — and packed with photos throughout, Ball Cap Nation is a delightful look at a uniquely American phenomenon.

The official companion, filled with stunning original and archival photographs, to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's groundbreaking four-year travelling exhibition pays tribute to America's favorite national pasttime by featuring more than thirty essays by writers, players, scholars, and fans, revealing how baseball has had a profound impact on the evolution of American culture. Reprint.

Clothing and fashion accessories can serve as valuable primary sources for learning about our history. This unique book examines daily life in 20th-century America through the lens of fashion and clothing. This collection explores fashion artifacts from daily life to shed light on key aspects of the social life and culture of Americans in the 20th century. Artifacts from American Fashion covers forty-five essential articles of fashion or accessories, chosen to illuminate significant areas of daily life and history, including Politics, World Events, and War; Transportation and Technology; Home and Work Life; Art and Entertainment; Health, Sport, and Leisure; and Alternative Cultures, Youth, Ethnic, Queer, and Counter Culture. Through these artifacts, readers can follow the major events, social movements, cultural shifts, and technological developments that shaped our daily life in the U.S. A World War I soldier's helmet opens a vista onto the horrors of trench warfare during World War I, while the dress of a typical 1920's "flapper" speaks volumes about America women's changing role during Prohibition and the Jazz Age. Similarly, a homemade feedsack dress illuminates the world of the Great Depression, while the bikini ushers us into the Atomic Age. Here, such artificacts tell the story of twentieth-century daily life in America.

Decades after this celebrated work of narrative nonfiction won the National Book Award and changed the American conversation about race, Slaves in the Family is reissued by FSG Classics, with a new preface by the author. The Ball family hails from South Carolina—Charleston and thereabouts. Their plantations were among the oldest and longest-standing plantations in the South. Between 1698 and 1865, close to four thousand black people were born into slavery under the Balls or were bought by them. In Slaves in the Family, Edward Ball recounts his efforts to track down and meet the descendants of his family's slaves. Part historical narrative, part oral history, part personal story of investigation and catharsis, Slaves in the Family is, in the words of Pat Conroy, "a work of breathtaking generosity and courage, a magnificent study of the complexity and strangeness and beauty of the word ‘family.'"

Two children sitting at home on a rainy day are visited by the cat who shows them some tricks and games.

When baseball’s reserve clause was struck down in late 1975 and ushered in free agency, club owners feared it would ruin the game; instead, there seemed to be no end to the “baseball fever” that would grip America. In Gathering Crowds: Catching Baseball Fever in the New Era of Free Agency, Paul Hensler details how baseball grew and evolved from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Trepidation that without the reserve clause only wealthy teams would succeed diminished when small-market clubs in Minnesota, Kansas City, and Boston found their way to pennants and World Series titles. The proliferation of games broadcast on cable and satellite systems seemed to create a thirst for more baseball rather than discourage fans from going to the ballpark. And as fans clicked the turnstiles and purchased more and more team-licensed products, the national pastime proved it could survive and thrive even as other professional sports leagues vied for the public’s attention. By the end of the 1980s, baseball had positioned itself to progress into the future stronger and more popular than ever. Gathering Crowds reveals how the national pastime moved beyond the grasp of the reserve clause to endure a lengthy strike and drug scandals and then prosper as it never had before. The book also offers insight into how societal issues influenced baseball in this new era, from women in the clubhouses and minorities finally named as managers to a gay player’s debut at the big-league level. Gathering Crowds is a fascinating examination of baseball’s transformation during this unprecedented era.