For many, the best baseball film of all-time, is the 1984 classic "The Natural" starring Robert Redford as "Roy Hobbs". Those who take this stand, take great joy in finding the source material, with this 1952 "The Natural" first edition book by Bernard Malamud. Inspired by the shooting of real-life Philadelphia Phillies star Eddie Waitkus by a female stalker, this handsome hardcover book steps up to the plate in very pleasing state, with minimal wear. The cover boards and spine are clean and solid, and the slightly off-white pages are supple with bold text. Accompanying is the original dust jacket, which is vibrant with nice gloss, and light to moderate edge wear.