Baseball & SoftballBiography

Nolan

The Singular Life of an American Original

by Tim Brown

Hardcover

Regular price $30.00
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The Sports Plus take

The life of baseball's strikeout king.

Nolan Ryan grew up in small-town Alvin, Texas, with a fastball nobody could match, and pitched in the majors for 27 seasons, throwing seven no-hitters and striking out 5,714 batters. Bestselling sportswriter Tim Brown tells the full story of his life and career, along with the history of baseball in Texas.

How it reads

Moderate

Best for

  • Baseball fans
  • Pitchers
  • A gift for dad

About this book

Author
Tim Brown
Published
May 19, 2026
Format
Hardcover
Pages
352
ISBN-10
1538726521
ISBN-13
978-1538726525

Book description

The definitive biography of Nolan Ryan, arguably the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball, from New York Times bestselling sportswriter Tim Brown.

Nolan Ryan was the hero to two of America's biggest institutions: Texas and baseball. Nolan is an exploration of God, family, baseball, and America—and a tribute to one of the greatest pitchers to ever step on the mound. He grew up in the small, hard town of Alvin, Texas, was graced with a fastball, and fell in love with a woman named Ruth, then honored all three in his pursuit of hardball perfection.

Alongside Nolan's personal story, renowned sportswriter Tim Brown offers a thoughtful, deeply researched history of baseball in the Lone Star State, and an unforgettable account of three glorious decades in the Major Leagues.

Nolan Ryan's story is about dominating on the field, then growing old in the game, then just plain growing old. It's about the man who has become a symbol of the game at its best, the way it used to be. It's about deeds over words. About cattle matching the hat. About fastballs over all else.

Nolan makes the case that there has never been another like him. And there won't be again.

About the author

Tim Brown has covered baseball for more than 30 years and has written two New York Times bestsellers: The Phenomenon with Rick Ankiel and Imperfect with Jim Abbott. He also wrote The Tao of the Backup Catcher. In 2016, he was awarded first place in beat writing by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

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