RED BARBER'S THE RHUBARB PATCH, SIGNED BY 38 BROOKLYN DODGERS, INCLUDING DUKE SNIDER, PEE WEE REESE, DICK WILLIAMS, DON NEWCOMBE, CARL ERSKINE, JOHNNY PODRES, RALPH BRANCA, "PREACHER" ROE, AND MANY OTHERS

BARBER, Red and CREAMER, Robert. The Rhubarb Patch. The Story of the Modern Brooklyn Dodgers. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1954. Quarto, original green cloth, original dust jacket. $4500.

First edition of Barber's richly illustrated homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he called the play-by-play for 15 years, with photographs by Barney Stein, the team's official photographer for 20 years, signed by 38 players on the front free endpaper and front flyleaf, including Hall-of-Famers Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese (who has written beneath his signature, "The Captain"), and Dick Williams, as well as Dodgers stalwarts and standouts such as Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, Johnny Podres, Ralph Branca, "Preacher" Roe, and many others.

"In his 62-year career Barber brought high professional standards, erudite observations and his signature southern style to sports broadcasting… apart from the 'Gee Whiz' school of broadcasters, who openly rooted for their teams as well as announced their games, Barber resisted the temptation of becoming a booster and maintained journalistic objectivity. As Stanley Marshall, former president of Florida State University, eulogized, 'If Red Barber had not emerged, he would have had to be invented'" (ANB). Barber called play-by-play for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939-53; the year this volume was published, he shifted to the New York Yankees, where he did the play-by-play from 1954-66. Of course the Brooklyn Dodgers left "the rhubarb patch" in 1957, becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958. ("Rhubarb" was Barber's catchphrase for a heated on-field dispute.)

This volume signed on the front free endpaper and the front flyleaf following by: Newell Kimball, Clem Labine, Ed Miksis, Herman Franks, Don Newcombe, Eddie Basinski, Pee Wee Reese (who has further inscribed, "The Captain"), Ben Wade, Duke Snider, Ralph Branca, Carl Erskine, Johnny Podres, Joe Black, Pete Coscarart, Clyde Sukeforth, Jim Hughes, Clyde King, Gene Mauch, Jack Banta, "Spider" Jorgensen, Bobby Bragan, Preacher Roe, Tommy Holmes, Gene Hermanski, John Babich, Dick Williams, Sam Nahem, Mike Sandlock, Howie Schultz, "Frenchy" Bordagaray, Tony Malinosky, Cliff Dapper, Al Gionfriddo, Rocky Bridges, Vic Lombardi, Mickey Owen, Andy Pafko and Billy Loes—many of whom are featured within.

Book and dust jacket both with some light edge-wear and rubbing, minor toning, but generally clean and bright. A very good and desirable multiply signed copy.