# For a history and sports fan - what SD book is the best? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 20, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581 "2011-05-20T16:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spunkymuzicnote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@spunkymuzicnote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spunkymuzicnote)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/1 "2011-05-20T16:09:32Z")
I think my father would really like a SD book for fathers day but I don’t know which one to get him. Considering that his favorite things are history and sports (and politics, now that I think about it) what book would be best? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/2 "2011-05-20T18:43:44Z")
What is an SD book? Is it something for [this ebook reader?](http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=64) Since your father likes history and sports, how about [The Game](http://www.amazon.ca/Game-Ken-Dryden/dp/0470833556) by Ken Dryden? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/3 "2011-05-20T19:21:42Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > What is an SD book? I believe he means “Straight Dope” book. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/4 "2011-05-20T19:58:17Z")
:smack: That would make a certain amount of sense, wouldn’t it? I got thrown off by the “sports” part of the question! I actually haven’t read any of the Straight Dope books, so I can’t offer any recommendations on them. ---
**Author:** ![spunkymuzicnote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@spunkymuzicnote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spunkymuzicnote)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/5 "2011-05-21T01:45:07Z")
Yeah, I probably should have written that out. I saw the abbreviation on here recently and, me being a newbie, thought it was normal. Anyways, anyone who does have suggestions let me know. I’ve got a Father’s Day and an upcoming Birthday to shop for! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/6 "2011-05-21T01:48:22Z")
> [@spunkymuzicnote](#): > > Yeah, I probably should have written that out. I saw the abbreviation on here recently and, me being a newbie, thought it was normal. Anyways, anyone who does have suggestions let me know. I’ve got a Father’s Day and an upcoming Birthday to shop for! There aren’t any sports-themed Straight Dope books. Or anything-themed. They are all on “miscellaneous topics” because they are collections of the weekly columns. ---
**Author:** ![spunkymuzicnote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@spunkymuzicnote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spunkymuzicnote)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/7 "2011-05-21T02:19:27Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > There aren’t any sports-themed Straight Dope books. Or anything-themed. They are all on “miscellaneous topics” because they are collections of the weekly columns. Are there any that have any particularly good history or sports articles in them? Not that everything that Cecil writes isn’t good but what would most interest my father? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/8 "2011-05-21T03:16:50Z")
> [@spunkymuzicnote](#): > > Yeah, I probably should have written that out. I saw the abbreviation on here recently and, me being a newbie, thought it was normal. Anyways, anyone who does have suggestions let me know. I’ve got a Father’s Day and an upcoming Birthday to shop for! Don’t feel bad - it’s a perfectly reasonable abbreviation to use. I’m just unobservant and clueless that way! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/9 "2011-05-21T03:18:40Z")
Hey! Buy them all. What are you, some kinda cheapskate? How much is your father worth? If he doesn’t read them, then it’s his loss. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-a-history-and-sports-fan-what-sd-book-is-the-best/582581/10 "2011-05-23T04:30:27Z")
Well, since I see a lot of people jumping to answering this question, I thought I’d jump in with: [The Unwritten Rules of Baseball: The Etiquette, Conventional Wisdom, and Axiomatic Codes of Our National Pastime](http://www.amazon.com/Unwritten-Rules-Baseball-Etiquette-Conventional/dp/0061561053)