Interested in what makes individual baseball seasons so special for certain teams? There are a multitude reasons why writers write books about solitary years. Maybe the amount of historic happenings in one particular season are so great, it warrants a book to summarize everything. Maybe it's because one player has such an incredible campaign, it's only right he receives a book out of respect. Or maybe events surrounding a season are just so unexpected, the story practically writes itself. Whatever the case may be, there are plenty of baseball books out there that help out with your history by just covering one year. Here's a list to help you get started!

1. 1954: The Year Willie Mays and the First Generation of Black Superstars Changed Major League Baseball Forever by Bill Madden: Know what the most notable thing about the 1954 World Series was? It marked the first time the representatives from both the American League and the National League had African Americans on their rosters. The NL Champion New York Giants, led by the '54 NL MVP Willie Mays (the first of 2 MVP Awards he'd wind up winning), enjoyed a cool 97 win season, besting their rival Brooklyn Dodgers by 5 games. They also had other African American stars in Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson dominating for them. And as for the AL Champion Cleveland Indians, Larry Doby paved the way, leading the Junior Circuit in both home runs and RBIs. The Tribe won 111 games that season, while the second place New York Yankees, who'd won the last 5 World Series prior to '54, couldn't get by with their 103 wins. Madden follows the 1954 season, and how the game's first batch of true African American stars emerged in this year. There was perhaps no greater exclamation point than Mays' famous over-the-shoulder catch to rob Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the World Series. 

2. Summer of '68: The Season That Changed Baseball—and America—Forever by Tim Wendel: As we've outlined before on this blog, 1968 was a year primarily known for its civil unrest. The assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy will forever be what 1968 is remembered for. However, Wendel does his best to try and steer our minds to more pleasant memories from that year, which is known in the baseball world as "The Year of the Pitcher". The incredible 1968 pitching displays by Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, Don Drysdale, Mickey Lolich, and Catfish Hunter are all well known, and are celebrated in this work. He also puts a special focus on the eventual World Series winning Detroit Tigers, He recounts what it was like for the ballplayers to live in a city that was just one year removed from the 12th Street Riot, which occurred alarmingly close to Tiger Stadium. Wendel also profiles one of the more unknown players from that championship club, a rookie pitcher named Jon Edgar Warden who I may never have heard of if it wasn't for this book. His career was an interesting, yet unconventional one to say the least, but you'll have to read the book to find out why I find it so.

3. Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of ‘76 by Dan Epstein: Dan Epstein, who penned the amazing 1970s baseball guide Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s, returned in 2014 with Stars and Strikes. This time, he keeps the spotlight solely on 1976, but drives home what a zany season it honestly was! We had the amazing rookie campaign of Mark Fidrych. We had the "Junkman" Randy Jones put together an absolutely incredible campaign. We had Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck dressing his ballclub up in shorts for a game instead of typical baseball pants. We had Billy Martin in his first full year as the skipper of the Yankees. We had Rick Monday saving the American flag during a bizarre incident at Dodger Stadium. We had all of that. All that and more. And Epstein's book will guide you along the way. Read it! 

4. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City by Jonathan Mahler: The amount of characters that were on the 1977 New York Yankees, I'm telling you, you could write a great book about them. Oh wait, Jonathan Mahler already did that. 1977 was an odd one for New York City. The Son of Sam was running rampant. A blackout consumed the bulk of Manhattan for a spell in July, and the mayoral race between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo was heating up. On top of all that, you had the "Bronx Zoo" New York Yankees, where the personalities of manager Billy Martin, newly-acquired Reggie Jackson, and team captain Thurman Munson clashed consistently. Take noteworthy moments such as the 1977 All-Star Game being held at Yankee Stadium, Martin and Jackson going at it in the dugout during a nationally televised tilt, and Jackson hitting 3 home runs in the final game of the '77 World Series. Add in other notable players such as Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Mickey Rivers, and Graig Nettles to name a few, and this book's an instant triumph. Mahler gives you a superb look into what life was like in 1977 New York, which really should be synonymous with the wild west.  

5. The Bad Guys Won! by Jeff Pearlman: People around the country honestly only know two things about the 1986 New York Mets: they were very very good at playing baseball, and very very good at causing trouble. Some of the stories may have been exaggerated for effect as Mookie Wilson one time suggested, but still, Pearlman takes us on one heck of a ride. From the 108-win regular season campaign that featured Rusty Staub and Bud Harrelson 's inductions into the Mets Hall of Fame, to the electrifying National League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, culminating with the classic World Series victory over the Boston Red Sox, The Bad Guys Won will have you thoroughly entertained with its wild tales from what was undoubtedly a fun summer in Flushing, New York.

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