Roger Angell meets Hanif Abdurraqib meets Bull Durham in this sharp new collection of baseball writing by Andrew Forbes

Baseball is a sport, a pastime, an obsession, a dream―and for some, it’s also a day job. Field Work is a poetic survey of baseball’s rich history that uncovers the people who makes the game happen, from the pioneers who built and maintained early ballparks to minor-league players' surprising part-time jobs to the parents who coach Little League teams. Along the way it shines a surprising light on the complex relationships between work and play and how we value labour.

Equal parts sharp-eyed obversation and beautiful digression, these essays celebrate the ways in which baseball shapes the way we move through the world—and how our understanding of work has an unmistakable influence on what happens on the ball diamond.

Andrew Forbes was born in Ottawa, Ontario and attended Carleton University. He has written film and music criticism, liner notes, sports columns, and short fiction. His work has been nominated for the Journey Prize, and has appeared in publications including VICE Sports, The Classical, The New Quarterly, and This Magazine. What You Need, his debut collection of fiction, was published by Invisible Publishing in 2015. He lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

Andrew Forbes' profile page

Praise for Andrew Forbes

“Transcendent prose.”—Shelf Awareness

“A lovely, philosophical look at the sport of summer, this one suits diehard fanatics as well as the casual baseball fan.”—Toronto Star

“Andrew Forbes’s writing is almost invisibly stunning, clear, with romantic flourishes equal to his subject matter.”—The National Post

“A seventh-inning stretch of profound wisdom.”—Farther Off the Wall

"Comprehends the game at an elite observational level, yet writes about it accessibly.”—Globe and Mail

“Forbes’ essays are as consumable as a large tub of popcorn.”—Fansided