Hockey History Books

Killion

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Feb 19, 2010
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Found The Patricks: Hockey’s Royal Family (1980, hardcover) at a local thrift shop today. Snagged it for $3. Looking forward to reading that one. Looks interesting.

... :laugh: Man you do get lucky with your thrift shop sorties.
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
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... :laugh: Man you do get lucky with your thrift shop sorties.

:laugh: I’ve thought the same and hope that luck continues, especially for books since I’m a collector. Maybe people in my city just don’t know how to properly value and price hockey memorabilia and books. I’m not complaining though! :)

The Patricks book is probably only worth about $10 or so if I had to guess. But still, $3 is a bit of a steal I suppose.
 
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Killion

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:laugh: I’ve thought the same and hope that luck continues, especially for books since I’m a collector. Maybe people in my city just don’t know how to properly value and price hockey memorabilia and books. I’m not complaining though! :)

Ya its a bit nuts what people unload, donate. So many of us doing that with vinyl records when CD's came on the market then unloading CD's to thrift shops when you could buy or acquire music on line, digitally for free etc... and of course over the past 10yrs or so vinyl making a resurgence... and very likely CD's doing the same in a few years.... hockey books & books in general, same dealeo. Music sounds better/best on vinyl... reading a book, holding it, tactile, superior to ebooks, reading on-line, by way of an app, on a tablet or whatever. Some things best/better if you stick to old school. ;)
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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Ya its a bit nuts what people unload, donate. So many of us doing that with vinyl records when CD's came on the market then unloading CD's to thrift shops when you could buy or acquire music on line, digitally for free etc... and of course over the past 10yrs or so vinyl making a resurgence... and very likely CD's doing the same in a few years.... hockey books & books in general, same dealeo. Music sounds better/best on vinyl... reading a book, holding it, tactile, superior to ebooks, reading on-line, by way of an app, on a tablet or whatever. Some things best/better if you stick to old school. ;)

I completely agree with you. I’m very much old school in that I’d much rather a physical copy in my hands when it comes to books and magazines. I tried to do the whole ebook thing and it just didn’t feel right. I get the convenience of it all (pretty sure you can fit hundreds of books on those things) but nothing quite beats the feeling of actually flipping through a book or magazine.
 

Habsfan18

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I can’t recommend this one enough. This is a MUST read for hockey historians and fans of the game in general. I read it awhile back and finally added it to my collection today. Think I’ll give it another read.
 
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Killion

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Feb 19, 2010
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I can’t recommend this one enough. This is a MUST read for hockey historians and fans of the game in general. I read it awhile back and finally added it to my collection today. Think I’ll give it another read.


... I see..... "added it to my collection today".... so.... Habsfan.... another trip to the Thrift Shoppe?..... And what'd you pay for that nugget of gold?... 3 dolla?... Ha? :laugh: ... and yes, fun read that one.
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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... I see..... "added it to my collection today".... so.... Habsfan.... another trip to the Thrift Shoppe?..... And what'd you pay for that nugget of gold?... 3 dolla?... Ha? :laugh: ... and yes, fun read that one.

:laugh: Actually not the thrift store this time! This one was an online purchase for $10, I believe. So not as good of a deal with this one. :D
 
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Habsfan18

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@Killion

You’re going to laugh, but another trip to one of the local used book stores today on my day off resulted in another lucky find. Bought Eddie Shack’s biography and it was signed by him and the author. This time it was listed as signed and was still priced at only $8.99. Not bad at all!
 
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robertmac43

Forever 43!
Mar 31, 2015
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A great book that may not be the in depth history you are looking for but does give readers some interesting stories is One Night Only by Ken Reid. It looks at a large number of guys who only played one NHL game. The stories give readers some interesting insight into hockey history in regards to how the league worked and the mentality Managers, Coaches and Players had about those individuals who were on the brink of cracking NHL rosters but just did not quite have it. Its a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone, but again it does not offer the deep history that something such as The Trail of the Stanley Cup does.
 

Killion

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Feb 19, 2010
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@Killion

You’re going to laugh, but another trip to one of the local used book stores today on my day off resulted in another lucky find. Bought Eddie Shack’s biography and it was signed by him and the author. This time it was listed as signed and was still priced at only $8.99. Not bad at all!


.... :laugh: awesome. that'll be a fun read &..... SIGNED!
 

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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Ontario
Another book that I highly recommend you guys check out if you haven’t yet..Ice Level - Greatest Hockey Stories From The Last 50 Years (2005)

The book features 40 hockey stories told via their original reports in newspapers from all over North America. Really really neat stuff. A bit on the short side at only 141 pages but there’s some pretty cool stuff inside. Picked up the book today and had no idea it existed.
 

JMCx4

Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Sep 3, 2017
13,717
8,544
St. Louis, MO
Found The Patricks: Hockey’s Royal Family (1980, hardcover) at a local thrift shop today. Snagged it for $3. Looking forward to reading that one. Looks interesting. Same author that wrote the Cyclone Taylor book that I own and have yet to read. ...
I certainly enjoyed both books. Eric Whitehead is a very good writer, easy to read & absorb. My wife enjoyed reading The Patricks as well. Hope you like them.
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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Sorry for all of the pictures guys, but I just had to share one more. My luck with finding signed books at used book stores in the area lately has been unreal. Wayne Gretzky, Tony Esposito, Ken Dryden, Chris Nilan, Gump Worsley, Eddie Shack.

And now: Frank Boucher..assuming this is legitimate of course. I doubt someone would take the time to fake a signature but I guess I never know for sure unless I have it looked at by professionals.

 

Killion

Registered User
Feb 19, 2010
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@Habsfan18 .... are you finding these signed books at the same thrift store?... if so, looks like someones passed away & his family, children, very likely donating what was obviously a pretty decent collection. I'd be going back there & spending a lot of time looking through everything else to see what you can find, asking the staff if theyve more in boxes in a storeroom or wherever... Signed books etc, worth a lot more than what your paying for them Im certain... though no expert, not a collector.... Canadiens1958, 70's Lord & others fairly conversant in that department.... Perhaps not worth bothering to sell but nice to know the signatures authentic, decent value, really nice piece of history in your hands.
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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@Habsfan18 .... are you finding these signed books at the same thrift store?... if so, looks like someones passed away & his family, children, very likely donating what was obviously a pretty decent collection. I'd be going back there & spending a lot of time looking through everything else to see what you can find, asking the staff if theyve more in boxes in a storeroom or wherever... Signed books etc, worth a lot more than what your paying for them Im certain... though no expert, not a collector.... Canadiens1958, 70's Lord & others fairly conversant in that department.... Perhaps not worth bothering to sell but nice to know the signatures authentic, decent value, really nice piece of history in your hands.

Different locations but all in the same town, so I suppose it’s certainly possible that someone’s family donated the books to different used book stores and thrift shops in the area. Either that or I’m just getting extremely lucky with these finds and there were a lot of book collectors in this area back in the day and now the books are just floating around the different shops. I’ve cleaned out most of the stops that I go to since I’ve been collecting for a few years now, but with most trips I make I’m finding more and more books that I hadn’t seen the times before, especially at my favorite location. They seem to have a fairly steady stream of books coming in monthly so I wonder if they acquire large lots somehow whenever they get the chance. I should probably ask them. The owners joke that their book store is basically my 2nd home!

I’m sure my luck rill run out when it comes to these signatures and somewhat rare books (The Red Machine, Road To Olympus, Howie Morenz biography etc..) but I’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts! :laugh:
 
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Merya

Jokerit & Finland; anti-theist
Sep 23, 2008
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Helsinki
Could also be a teen selling their parents or grandparents books. I used to do that a bit as a stupid kid.
 

kaiser matias

Registered User
Mar 22, 2004
4,727
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Was emailed the other day about the following book:


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http://hokeja-vesture.simplesite.com/437525835

LATVIJAS HOKEJA IZLASE. SĀKUMS. 1932–1940 (The Latvian National Hockey Team: The Beginning, 1932-1940)

It's obviously mostly in Latvian, but in emails with the author he said it does have a 13 page English summary (of over 800 pages total), and over 300 images. I'm tempted to take a look, even if I don't know a word of Latvian, just because it seems so comprehensive, though it may be a little pricey for those of us outside of Europe.
 

Killion

Registered User
Feb 19, 2010
36,763
3,215
^^^ Wow. That one looks fascinating. Latvia an extremely interesting country. Hopefully eventually fully translated.
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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Just received the following book in the mail today, looking forward to digging in:

The California Golden Seals: A Tale Of White Skates, Red Ink, And One Of The NHL’s Most Outlandish Teams.
 
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JMCx4

Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Sep 3, 2017
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@Habsfan18: Don't forget, you have to pause your runs to book stores & out to the mailbox every once in awhile so you have time to READ some those books. ;)
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,688
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@Habsfan18: Don't forget, you have to pause your runs to book stores & out to the mailbox every once in awhile so you have time to READ some those books. ;)

I’m actually contemplating quitting my job and just focusing on reading hockey books all day. I wonder if my wife will go for it? :D
 
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JMCx4

Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Sep 3, 2017
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St. Louis, MO
I’m actually contemplating quitting my job and just focusing on reading hockey books all day. I wonder if my wife will go for it? :D
You mean your EX-wife, of course. And I'm sure she'll be fine with it, for as long as you have vital organs to sell & she gets a 50/50 cut of the proceeds. Make sure you hold onto your eyes the longest, so you can still read. :sueme:
 
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Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
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You mean your EX-wife, of course. And I'm sure she'll be fine with it, for as long as you have vital organs to sell & she gets a 50/50 cut of the proceeds. Make sure you hold onto your eyes the longest, so you can still read. :sueme:

That’s an excellent point! :D
 
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seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
36,157
7,292
Regina, SK
I’m actually contemplating quitting my job and just focusing on reading hockey books all day. I wonder if my wife will go for it? :D

I want to do nothing but study hockey history, read old THN issues, share what I find on hfboards, attend SIHR meetings and participate in ATDs.

But to do that, I need to not have a job.

But to not have a job, I have to not need a job.

Currently I need a job, but I'm working hard on making that not the case. With some luck I will have over half my life left when I achieve this! And then I can finally do what I want to do with my life.
 

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