The Detroit Tigers: An Illustrated History

In 1881 Detroit fielded its first baseball team, then a member of the National League. Though moribund in the 1890s, the franchise was revived in the Western League (eventually the American League) and the Tigers enjoyed only moderate success until the arrival of Ty Cobb, who led the team to pennants in 1907, 1908 and 1909. Twenty-five years passed until the Tigers won again under the guidance of catcher-manager Mickey Cochran; the team went on to lead the league in 1940 and 1945. Another long drought set in until 1968, although the Tigers were buoyed by stars like 30-game winner Denny McLain and Mark Fidrych. Detroit News staffer Falls and Astor ( The Baseball Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Book ) have put together a rollicking history of all these events illustrated with hundreds of action photos. (June)