Fenway 1912

A 2012 Top Ten Sports Book as selected by Booklist, winner of the 2011 Seymour Medal and Larry Ritter Award from the Society for American Baseball Research, and finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction, Fenway 1912 is the remarkable story of Fenway's very first year.

Even people who aren't fans of baseball know Fenway Park. More than just a ballpark, it is a part of American culture, and has been for nearly one hundred years. From the long winter when locals poured concrete and built the park, to the ragtag Red Sox team that embarked on a journey to the World Series while the paint was still drying and the grass still coming in, Stout tells the stories behind the park's notorious quirks like the Green Monster, and of the designers, builders, managers, and players who made Fenway's first year unforgettable.

For all that has been written in tribute to the great Fenway Park, no one has ever really told the behind-the-scenes true story. Drawing on extensive new research, the esteemed baseball historian Glenn Stout delivers an extraordinary tale of innovation, desperation, and perspiration—capturing Fenway as never before.

This meticulously researched story of a landmark’s birth reveals:

• The Birth of a Ballpark: Follow the builders, architects, and laborers through a single Boston winter as they race to construct a park of concrete and steel while the paint is still drying.
• Red Sox History: Meet the 1912 team, featuring legends like Tris Speaker and Smoky Joe Wood, who fought their way to a title in their brand-new, quirky home field.
• Behind-the-Scenes Story: Uncover the untold stories of innovation and desperation, drawing on extensive new research to reveal the true story of Fenway’s first year.
• Iconic Origins: Discover the history of the park’s most notorious quirks, from the left-field embankment that would become Duffy’s Cliff to the features that still define the game today.