George Herman Ruth had the wrong start. Mom and Pop worked hard in their little restaurant in Baltimore. Mom was often ill—and she had Mamie to look after besides. Sadly Mr. and Mrs. Ruth decided that the only way to help seven-year-old George was to send him to St. Mary's Industrial School. They entrusted his guardianship to the kindly Xaverian Brothers.

George hated it—at first. The black robed Brothers seemed like jailers. All the 800 boys at the school were strange to him. George hated it—until he discovered baseball!

He couldn't help loving the game, even though he was a left-handed catcher with a right-hand mitt. He couldn't help liking the vigorous Brother Herman, director of recreation.

And when he saw Brother Matthias hit the ball over the fence, George made up his mind he was going to be a great batter someday.

He had a bad temper to struggle with. It got him into lots of hot water. When he spoiled some cloth in the shirtmaking shop, he made a face at the instructor—and almost missed a championship ball game. He got into a fight with the opposing catcher, but that turned out all right and Rod became his good friend.

All along George had the kindly understanding counsel of the Brothers. He learned to curb his temper and to use his boundless energy in constructive ways.

His baseball skill developed rapidly—as a ten-year-old he played with the twelve-year-old OKs. Already he had become renowned in the school for his powerful hitting. And when he turned to pitching, he developed into a real star. His fast left-handed slants struck out fifteen and twenty batters a game.

On the school nine George's great pitching and hitting led to a 1-0 victory over a strong out-of-town team. But it led George to more than that, for a big-league scout happened to watch his performance.

Before he stopped playing, Babe Ruth became the idol of American baseball fans—and particularly of youngsters. He in his turn was never more at home than talking baseball to boys. His kindness and charities toward children were unnumbered. The Babe knew what it was to be a poor boy—and a boy with handicaps. The story of his boyhood is not only exciting but inspiring, as it shows the progress of an underprivileged youngster.

Babe Ruth: Baseball Boy takes its place beside Mr. Van Riper's popular Lou Gehrig: Boy of the Sand Lots in the Childhood of Famous Americans Series. 

From the dust jacket