I started out as a physics major in college, so this book was a natural for me. Warning -- if you didn't like science in school, this probably isn't the book for you. ( )

You need to know a significant amount of math and physics to understand it: This book is one that the serious fan will enjoy, but only if you understand a good deal of physics. Some of the problems considered are which bat is best, considering variable length, shape, weight and the type of wood. To determine which of each is best, it is necessary to understand the physics of compressible bodies and how that will change the distance the ball will travel.
The physics of a pitched ball is also covered in detail. Understanding this requires knowledge of turbulence, and differential forces on a moving object. Knowing this, it is possible to explain how a baseball can be made to curve, how a fastball hops and how a knuckle ball knuckles. Some of the most interesting results were:

*) A batted ball should only be able to travel at most 545 feet in standard meteorological conditions.
*) The contact between a baseball and a bat lasts approximately 1/1000th of a second.
*) A 10-mile per hour headwind will turn a 400-foot drive into a 370 foot one.

Each chapter ends with a collection of technical notes that extend the topic of the chapter. This material is where the mathematics gets the heaviest.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that none of the "common knowledge" accrued by baseball players was proven false. Curve balls do curve, and sometimes quite a bit. While a fast ball does not really hop, it does sink less than it otherwise would due to wind resistance, which to human experience, makes it appear to hop. I really enjoyed this book, as a mathematician it was fun to read the formulas that make the curve ball that I could never hit possible.

This book is exactly what it sounds like—maybe a little more reader-friendly than you'd expect, but all the equations are there. If the title alone makes you think you'd be interested by the contents, then you probably will be. ( )

Bought this book on a whim. Chances are I will never read it.