Stan Musial: "The Man's" Own Story

New York: Doubleday and Company, 1964 First edition, early printing, lacking first edition statement on copyright page. Signed by Musial on half-title page, with Certified Authentication Service (CAS) sticker. Publisher's tan cloth, with spine lettered in red and blue; in its original white dust jacket, with color photo of Musial attributed to Ozzie Sweet to front panel, lettered in red and black. About fine book, with corners lightly bumped, and light offsetting to front and rear hinges; near fine unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine, a touch of wear to spine ends, and a small closed tear to bottom edge of front panel. Overall, a clean and (truncated) pleasing copy. Stan "The Man" Musial is the greatest St. Louis Cardinal of all-time, spending his entire 22-year career with the team (1941 - 1944, 1946-1963), and one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. Early in his career, he helped form a dynasty in St. Louis alongside Enos Slaughter and led the team to three World Series titles in five years (1942, 1944, 1946). Some of his career highlights include 24 All-Star game selections (tied for second all-time), 3 NL MVP awards, and 7 NL batting titles. An exceptional player from the beginning to the end, he batted .330 in 1962 when he was a 41-year-old grandfather, falling just 16 points shy of the NL batting title. Summing up Musial's impact on the sport, Bob Costas said, "He didn't hit a homer in his last at-bat….He didn't hit in 56 straight games… All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being." He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. . Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included. (Inventory #: SMBB001)