Hall of Fame baseball executive Bill Veeck Jr. was a baseball maverick. His father, Bill Veeck Sr. had been a sportswriter and also the owner of the Chicago Cubs. Veeck grew up in a baseball environment and later owned three baseball teams: The Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Browns, and the Chicago White Sox. Veeck was a terrific promoter. When he owned the Browns, he signed a little person - named Eddie Gaedel - then called a midget, to a contract and in a surprise, move arranged to have Gaedel bat in a real game. With the catcher on his knees, Gaedel walked and left for a pinch runner in his only Major League appearance. Later, as the owner of the Chicago White Sox, Veeck staged "Disco Demolition Night" at Chicago's Comiskey Park on July 12, 1979. A crate of disco records was blown up on the field between games of a twi-light double-header against the Detroit Tigers. Many fans, more interested in the explosion than in baseball, rushed onto the field and the playing surface was so damaged that the White had to forfeit the second game of the double-header. Veeck was at least partially the moving force behind many baseball innovations, including the designated hitter, and interleague play. The Hustler's Handbook was written by Veeck with Ed Linn. It is full of humorous stories involving Veeck and his baseball exploits. The book is 344 pages and it still has the original dust jacket. The book is signed by Veeck on the front flyleaf, with a ballpoint pen in blue ink. The signature is 8/10. The book comes with a Certificate of Authenticity (certification # AK32358). There is a small tear in the cover on a back top corner and some of the cover shows wear. Overall, the book is in very good condition. The book and signature make a fine baseball collectible since Veeck was most definitely one-of-a-kind.