Encyclopedias

The "70 Year History" is a two volume set.

Volume I is a collection of historical accounts (articles?) of teams and events/scandals. Unfortunately, this set is only displayed in book stores inside its box, so I haven't been able to browse through Volume I to get a better idea of how the stories were prepared - i.e., are they a collection of old articles thrown together? Or are they all consistently edited and presented in a uniform manner? I can't say which.

Volume II is essentially the 2004 Encyclopedia updated with one more year's worth of data.

The "Name Encyclopedia" appears to come out every other year. As far as I can tell, only the 2001 edition had a version in CD-ROM format. I specifically avoided that edition because there are different rules regarding copying digital and analog (self entered) data. Digital media often includes an EULA (End User License Agreement) that forbids creating derivitive works. (Granted, I haven't read the EULA for it.) If you're looking for an easy way to get data imported to your database, I hope that you will read and understand the license and possible repercussions. While I strongly feel that data should be free and that it being in digital format should not make it any less usable, I respect copyrights and licenses - even if it means a great deal more work for myself.

The "2004 Encyclopedia" has all player names with furigana. There is no furigana for the club names, though. Included for each player is: birthdate, height, weight, throws, bats, high school, collage, industrial league team(s), draft year, and draft round (when appropriate). Also, seasonal titles, awards, and records are listed for those who have them.

The stats section is very similar to the yearly "Record Book" put out by Baseball Magazine Sha. It's table after table of yearly batting and pitching stats. The batting table lists positions played (games), but does not break down outfield positions, nor does it provide fielding data for each position played (just overall errors). Yearly batting and pitching tables for participation in All Star and Nippon Series games are also included (this was not in the 1994 edition).

If you're deciding between the "History" and "2004 Encyclopedia," the "History" has one additional year of information plus a written history of the people and events that have made Japanese baseball. As it has two volumes of about equal size, it costs twice as much, and I can't justify the 31,000 yen price to my wife after getting the "2004 Encyclopedia." Perhaps you're not so hindered?

Well, I hope this helps.

I have another question regarding the Official Baseball Encyclopedia 2004.

A response from the Baseball Museum states (regarding game-by-game results from the 1954 season):

"The following book (in Japanese) contains the information you want: The History of Nippon Professional Baseball, 1934-2004, Baseball Magazine, 2004 (pp.161-174)."

Are these the same books? If so what information is contained within the game-by-game results (home/away, score, stadium, etc.)?

Thanks.

Michael Eng

Sorry to take so long to get back to you.

I have The Official Baseball Encyclopedia 2004 by BBM-sha, but The History of Professional Baseball, 1934-2004 is one part of the two volume set that came out the following year. After getting the Encylopedia the year before, I was unable to put up a good enough case for this one to the wife. (I really only want the History part - the Encyclopedia I have has everything else up to 2003, with 2004 covered by the yearly Record Book.)

Wish I could help you with this one. If anyone has a spare copy of the History volume lying around collecting dust, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands.