He was the biggest man baseball has ever produced. Babe Ruth transcended the sport that brought him fame, money, and adulation, moving beyond the limits of baselines and outfield fences into the mainstream of American life.

In this extraordinary biography, Robert W. Creamer uncovers the complex and captivating man behind the legend. He presents the truth behind famous Ruth stories such as the “called shot” homers and the home run for a dying child, analyzes the astounding statistics with detailed information on specific games, and describes Ruth’s varied and often volatile relations with those around him, from fellow players to fans, friends, and reporters.

From Babe Ruth’s early days in a Baltimore orphanage, to the glory days with the Yankees, to his final years, Creamer has drawn an indelible portrait of a true sports hero.

It was the year that Joe DiMaggio set his 56-game hitting streak, that Ted Williams batted .406, that the Dodgers and the Yankees battled each other in a classic World series–and that the United States went to war.

In this look at what he calls “the best baseball season ever,” Robert Creamer skillfully intertwines all these epochal baseball happenings with an informal history of a pivotal period in American life, as well as with his own memories of what it was like to be eighteen and a baseball fan when the game he loved vied for his attention with a looming war.

For all who love baseball, Baseball in ’41 makes it clear why the game is still the purest representation of the American Dream.