Book Log 2010 #43: Mint Condition by Dave Jamieson

Great book about baseball cards and collecting, giving a good history of the giveaway (and its place alongside other cards and novelties), with stops along the way to meet collectors, printers, artists, independent graders, and other people who populate - and potentially ruined - the pastime. There are also a few forays into non-baseball cards, with the most entertaining tangents looking at a gruesome set of Civil War cards and "counterculture" sets like Mars Attacks! and Wacky Packages.

The one thing I would have liked more of is the one thing that most books like this overdo - personal input from the author about his collection. His taking repossession of his cards from his parents frames the start of the book, and he does write personally about cards throughout, but I would have liked more, or perhaps more concentrated doses at appropriate points. Still, it's a very minor quibble. Very much recommended.