In 1920, the first autobiography of Babe Ruth was published in the United States. It was entitled Babe Ruth Home Run King. However, the book was not published in Japan until 1929. This 286 page volume was translated into Japanese by Takashi Otowa and sold for 1 yen plus 50 sen. In our Auctions 59 and 60, we offered advertising flyers for the book. This is one of three known copies of the actual book.

The blue cover shows Ruth at bat in his New York Yankees uniform. The title, Home Run King, is printed in Japanese, along with the name of the Kagami Publishing Company. Inside, there is a preface written by Japan Baseball Hall of Fame member, Chujun Tobita, which we assume did not appear in the English version. Along with the Japanese text inside, there are four black & white still photos taken from the 1927 movie Babe Comes Home. Interestingly, the fifth photo in the book shows Ruth looking at an English language movie poster advertising the same motion picture! Soft cover book.

This item is a must for a Babe Ruth memorabilia collector.

Size: 5" x 7 1/2". 286 pages.

Condition: Some chipping and creasing along the cover edges. More chipping at the top and bottom of the spine. The cover is separated from the spine for 1/2" at the top. Inside pages are nice. Overall Fair to Good.