The first choice of baseball aficionados, this seven-pound reference is subtitled The Complete and Official Record of Major League Baseball. Originally the product of Information Concepts, Inc. (ICI), headed by David Neft, it was produced in conjuction with Lee Allen, the long-time historian of the Hall of Fame. Starting in 1967, the records of every player who could be found were completely recalculated from original box scores; official league records were error-riddled and untrustworthy. Some records thus revamped proved too controversial; right away, an official rules committee of Major League Baseball overthrew the decision to give Babe Ruth an additional home run, and in the years since many changes in well-known and revered career and season totals have gradually been restored to their more well-known state, occasioning a break between Macmillan and ICI. But with the help of the Society for American Baseball Research, and especially the Biographical Committee, the accuracy of the encyclopedia overall has been vastly improved in the many editions since the first one in 1969. (SH)