While at an antique store in Manchester, New Hampshire, I found an amazingly designed and illustrated pitching manual from 1969. The cover reads: Strike Zone by Bob Gibson: Over 60 rapid sequence illustrations examine Bob's curve, fastball, slider, changeup and more

I don't know much about the series produced by what looks like a company called Grow Ahead Sports, but it looks like they may have made similar publications and sold illustrated posters of popular athletes from the time. If anyone knows any more about this series, I'd love to hear about it!

Anyway, I'll give you a photo tour of some of the incredible layouts and illustrations from this book. We'll start with the cover which features a stunning illustration of Bob Gibson during his delivery. I really love the exposed brush strokes on the red background.

(Illustrations are credited to Ron McKee and Ed Vebell)