THE ULTIMATE ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION: LIVELY GIVE AND TAKE BETWEEN PITCHER BOB GIBSON AND HITTER REGGIE JACKSON, SIGNED BY BOTH

GIBSON, Bob and JACKSON, Reggie. Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher & a Hall of Fame Hitter Talk about How the Game Is Played. New York: Doubleday, (2009). Octavo, original red and navy paper boards, original dust jacket. $500.

First edition of this frank and revealing discussion of “strategies for outsmarting the opponent sixty feet, six inches away,” signed on the half title by both Gibson and Jackson.

Five time 20-game winner, Gibson's 3,117 strikeouts made him only the second pitcher to reach 3,000. He was infamous for his extreme willingness to knock hitters down. On the topic of today's players going to the plate with all sorts of body armor on their arms and legs, Gibson said, "Oh, I think I could break it." Slugger Reggie Jackson didn't wear body armor. Winner of five World Series, Jackson has been "depicted in the media as a hero, a villain, an intellectual, a fake, [and] the greatest clutch baseball player of his generation" (Mike Lupica). "Using anecdotes from their personal experiences… Gibson and Jackson explore a variety of topics, including strategies for outsmarting the opponent sixty feet, six inches away."

A fine signed copy.