Mark Allen Baker

Mark Allen Baker (born 27 March 1957), is a former business executive, and American author, biographer, and writer of hundreds of articles and over 25 books^[1].

Mark Allen Baker
Author Mark Allen Baker, Oxford, England, UK
Born	Mark Allen Baker (1957-03-27) March 27, 1957 Binghamton, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Author
Residence	Hartford, Connecticut
Period	1990 – present
Subject	Biography, History, Social Science, Sports & Music
Notable works	The World Colored Heavyweight Championship, 1876-1937 (Drawing The Color Line) (2020), Between the Ropes at Madison Square Garden (2019),The Fighting Times of Abe Attell (2017), Battling Nelson, The Durable Dane (2016), Connecticut Families of the Revolution, American Forebears from Burr to Wolcott (2014), Spies of Revolutionary Connecticut: From Benedict Arnold to Nathan Hale (2014)
Notable awards	For Outstanding Preservation and Promotion of American History, Daughters of the American Revolution (2015); Lifetime Donor Membership to National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, Historian International Boxing Hall of Fame
Spouse	Alison Long Baker
Children	Three

Born in Binghamton, New York and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia and central New York, Baker graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School before earning a B.A. from the State University of New York at Oswego. Following a distinguished business career and various entrepreneurial endeavors, he devoted his full-time to writing. His first book, published in 1990, earned him a Lifetime Donor Membership to National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. The author has since written over twenty nonfiction titles, on such topics as sports, music and American history. Baker's recent two biographies, Battling Nelson, The Durable Dane (2016) and The Fighting Times of Abe Attell (2017), have drawn considerable attention to his work.

Expertise in the area of historic manuscripts and artifacts, along with investigative research, have enhanced Baker's passion for history-his later works have placed a greater emphasis on regional events and biography. The author has also written hundreds of articles, on a variety of topics, for numerous periodicals.

Life and career

Baker, a graduate from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, attended the State University of New York at Oswego. During his undergraduate work he was active in the central New York music scene promoting or assisting with over fifty shows including: Aerosmith, Boston, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Billy Joel, Kiss, John Mayall, Queen, Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen.[1]

Following graduation, he was hired by the General Electric Corporation. His post-graduate work centered on computer graphics and digital imaging for his employer, and its Genigraphics Division (Microsoft PowerPoint). When the corporation sold Genigraphics (computer-graphics) to a group of venture capitalists, Baker stayed with the new corporation. There he held a variety of positions including Trainer, Program Manager, Art Director, Marketing Research Manager and Executive Assistant to the CEO. ^[3]

Baker has also been the co-owner of numerous businesses-while employed by the Genigraphics Corporation- including "Bleachers" of Liverpool, New York - an 8,000 sq ft (740 m²). sports bar and museum. Opened in 1990, the restaurant hosted many famous and diverse events from a reception for "Stars on Ice" featuring Scott Hamilton and Debbie Thomas to a Monday Night radio show hosted by Mike Tirico. Tirico hosted his first show from WAER radio in Syracuse, NY, the radio station where he started this sports broadcasting career, on the campus of Syracuse University. During the NFL football season it was broadcast live from Bleachers prior to Monday Night Football.

Baker decided to leave the Genigraphics Corporation shortly after their acquisition by Pansophic Systems, Incorporated, a Lisle, Illinois software firm.

Writing career

Mark Allen Baker in Austria

While employed by the Genigraphics Corporation, Baker began writing and illustrating technical articles, trade periodicals and books.[2] This led to columns in other fields and even his first book. His diverse interests are perhaps best exemplified by the individuals who have contributed introductions to his numerous books including: Joe Sewell (Baseball Hall of Fame, Lou Gehrig's roommate), Max Patkin (Cleveland Indians coach, Clown Prince of Baseball, actor "Bull Durham"),[3] and Kermit "Shine" Forbes (Ernest Hemingway's boxing sparring partner ). Additional contributors have also included: Charles Gehringer (Baseball Hall of Fame), A. Bartlett Giamatti (Baseball), Bobby Doerr (Baseball Hall of Fame), Jeff Gordon (Racing), Paul Newman (Actor, Racing), Mario Andretti (Racing) and Andrew Wyeth (Art).

The author's numerous radio appearances have included: Bridgeport, CT (WICC), New York, NY (WFAN), Santa Rosa, CA (KXXY), Syracuse, NY (WSEN, WHEN), and Tampa, FL (WNBA). As a television guest he has been seen on Metro TV, New York, NY and numerous local channels. Following his 1997 book, Goldmine's Price Guide to Rock & Roll Memorabilia^[11], he appeared as a co-host on the VH-1 series Rock Collectors. As a speaker, Baker has attended many events including the Hemingway Days Festival & Writers Conference in Key West, Florida.

From 2007 until 2010 Baker was Editor for "The Pen & Quill,"^[14] a journal for historical manuscripts.

Gaining recognition

Baker with actor Daniel Day-Lewis at the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Since 2010, Baker has turned his interest to regional history with the release of four titles:

The award-nominated Title Town, USA, Boxing in Upstate New York, published by The History Press examines the rich history of Boxing in central New York.[4] ^[15] It is the first book to truly establish this region as the epicenter of pugilism. The book's foreword was written by Edward P. Brophy, Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.

In October 2010, the author released Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots, also published by The History Press. The book is an introduction to professional basketball in Syracuse and includes teams like (Vic Hanson's) All-Americans, the Syracuse Reds and the Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963). Contributions to the work include over a dozen former NBA players, along with members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In "Spies of Revolutionary Connecticut: From Benedict Arnold to Nathan Hale", Baker's first book of 2014, he introduces readers to the role the state played in intelligence gathering during the American Revolution.[5] From coded messages and invisible ink, to early submarines with the first exploding torpedoes, the book incorporates chapters on: Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, Edward Bancroft, David Bushnell, Enoch Crosby, Silas Deane, Nathan Hale, Thomas Knowlton, Ezra Lee and even The Culper Ring. Lesser-known spies are also included, such as Dr. Samuel Adams, James Aitken, Daniel Bissell, John Clark, William Heron, Solomon Jones, Nehemiah Marks, and Noah Phelps.[6] With this release, Baker tops the 6,000 published book page plateau.

Author Mark Allen Baker with Connecticut’s 88th State Governor, Dannel Malloy, at the Governor’s Mansion in Hartford in December 2018.

"So he's (George Washington) not going into the Revolution blind; this is an experienced leader who knows about covert intelligence and he's going to use it to his advantage."

– Mark Allen Baker, Connecticut Magazine

"Connecticut Families of the Revolution, American Forebears from Burr to Wolcott", Baker's second book of 2014, takes readers inside of the homes of the state's most patriotic families. The work features the relatives of: Oliver Ellsworth, Nathan Hale, David Humphreys, Samuel Huntington, William Samuel Johnson, Samuel Holden Parsons, Samuel Peters, Sarah Pierce, Israel Putnam, Tapping Reeve, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Tallmadge, Jonathan Trumbull, Noah Webster, Oliver Wolcott, and David Wooster. Women, such as Eunice Burr, Lucretia Shaw, Mary Silliman, and Elizabeth Hull are also featured for their valuable contribution to the American Revolution.

Currently a contributing writer to numerous periodicals, including Goldmine magazine,[7] Baker has focused much of his recent attention on music. This, along with his passion for regional history-the author has also spoken at many historical sites including the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in New London, Connecticut and even given the 2015 Keynote Address at the annual meeting of the Norwich Historical Society inside the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, Connecticut-has occupied a bulk of his recent time. On May 16, 2015, Baker was awarded a certificate of appreciation "For Outstanding Preservation and Promotion of American History" by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution. The organization Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' independence.

Biographies

“It is simply the best book ever written on the life of Battling Nelson. Not only does Mr. Baker bring to life the long forgotten pugilist, but his era is vividly reconstructed where the reader feels as if he were sitting in the early years of the 20th Century…To those fans who enjoy reading about a bygone era and the great fighter who plied their trade, this is the book for you. It is terrific.”

– The USA Boxing News, July 2017 (vol. XV, No. 7)

Turning his focus toward biography in 2016, Baker released, Battling Nelson, The Durable Dane. It is the author's eighteenth book and his first biography for McFarland & Company. The incredible story of Oscar Battling Matthew Nelson is a "rags, to riches, to rags" tale. As the toughest and most durable professional boxer ever to enter a ring, Battling Nelson held the World Lightweight Championship from 1908 until 1910. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992, Battling Nelson is often recalled for his boxing trilogy with Joe Gans which is still considered one of the greatest in sports history. Garnering significant interest, the author will neither confirm nor deny cinematic attention in the work. With the release of this book, Baker holds the distinction of being the only person to serve the International Boxing Hall of Fame as an author, historian, chairperson, sponsor, volunteer, and biographer.

Baker's The Fighting Times of Abe Attell hit #1 on Amazon's List of Hot New Releases in Boxer Biographies-the book also hit #1 New Release in Jewish Biographies in December 2017.

The author's nineteenth book, The Fighting Times of Abe Attell, was published in the fall of 2017. Known for his record-setting, six-year consecutive reign as World Featherweight Champion from 1906-1912, Abraham Washington Attell (1883-1970) was among the cleverest, most scientific professional boxers ever to enter the ring. Attell's success inspired his brothers Caesar and Monte to take up the sport—Abe and Monte both held simultaneous world titles for a time. This first-ever biography covers Attell's life and career. Growing up poor and Jewish in a predominantly Irish neighborhood, he faced his share of adversity and anti-Semitism in and out of the ring. He was charged for alleged involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. The charges were dropped but Attell was branded by association for the remainder of his life. During the third week in January 2017, The Fighting Times of Abe Attell hit #1 on Amazon's List of Hot New Releases in Boxer Biographies-the book also hit #1 New Release in Jewish Biographies in December 2017.

“Baker has done a Herculean task with his intensive research and thrilling writing style. For those who love to read about the old-time boxing legends and the 1919 Baseball scandal, this terrific book is right up your alley.”

– The USA Boxing News, August 2018 (vol. XV, No. 9)

“Mark’s research is extensive and filled with fascinating facts about Abe’s lengthy boxing career and life. Also, the book contains insights about the Roaring Twenties, California history in the early 1900s, The Great Depression, and many striking images. A notable achievement.”

– Roger Zotti (IBRO), The Fighting Times of Abe Attell, The Resident, October 3–16, 2018)

Baker's twentieth book is Connecticut in World War II. The work, consisting of over 200 black & white images, continues the author's proud commitment to regional history. With the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, and the United States’ entry into World War II, our nation turned to Connecticut―as it did during World War I―for munitions, clothing, and other goods. And Connecticut answered the call: Manchester Mills increased silk production, Waterbury brass producers altered their manufacturing lines, and Bridgeport's Remington Arms―which had produced 50 percent of the US Army's small arms cartridges in World War I―increased its mass production capabilities. By the time Electric Boat, Hamilton Propellers, Pratt & Whitney, and many other Connecticut companies tallied up their production back in 1945, it amounted to over $8 billion in war contracts.

Social Science

“Between the Ropes at Madison Square Garden combines a crucial aspect of boxing history with a portion of American History. It’s a book written with a narrative that unfolds in a clear and relaxed manner and should be read and relished.”

– IBRO Journal (International Boxing Research Organization), September 2019 (Issue 143)

Author Mark Allen Baker (right) with boxing trainer and fight commentator "Teddy" Atlas at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York (2019).

As a category of academic disciplines, social science has always fascinated the author. Between the Ropes at Madison Square Garden, The History of an Iconic Boxing Ring, 1925-2007, is the author’s twenty-first book and was published in July 2019. As a cultural symbol, this historic boxing ring now rests majestically at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Hosting championship fights, historic main events, and memorable undercards, it not only wrote boxing history punch-by-punch, it recorded world history one round at a time. Baker believes there was no better portrait of a sport or our society than the (New York) City Ring, and there never will be.

“This is a special book ( Between the Ropes at Madison Square Garden...) that every fan of boxing’s rich history and its fabled warriors should have in one’s library. It is also the kind of manuscript that one would reread on and on. Tha talented author has culminated his (recent) trilogy of terrific books with his best one yet that packs a mighty wallop. This book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!”

– The USA Boxing News, November 2019

The World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a leverage mechanism, or tool, used as a technique to counter a social element, “the color line.” While the title certainly proved useful, it took some extraordinary individuals, both Black and White, to step into the limelight and challenge the existence of the color line. This history, the author’s twenty-second book, traces the advent and demise of the Championship, the stories of the 28 incredible professional athletes who won it, and the demarcation of the color line both in and out of the ring.

Baker will return to biography with his twenty-third title in early 2021, then to regional history, with his twenty-fourth book, in spring 2021. The author’s twenty-fifth book is slated for a spring 2022 release and will also be the author’s fourth biography.

Personal life

As an active member of the community, Baker regularly contributes organic fruits and vegetables to local food banks. He served as a member of the Hebron (Connecticut) Charter Revision Commission (2018-2019), and was elected to the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (2019).

Mark Allen Baker lives in New England and Florida. He has three children: Aaron (b. 1985), Elizabeth (b. 1986) and Rebecca (b. 1990).

Selected Books

Biography

• Battling Nelson, The Durable Dane (2016) ISBN 978-1-4766-6372-2
• The Fighting Times of Abe Attell (2017) ISBN 978-1476664323

Sports & Social Science

• Between The Ropes at Madison Square Garden, The History of an Iconic Boxing Ring, 1925-2007 (2019) ISBN 978-1-4766-7183-3
• The World Colored Heavyweight Championship, 1876-1937 (Drawing The Color Line) (2020) ISBN 978-1-4766-7765-1

Photography

• Connecticut in World War II (Images of America) (2017, softcover) ISBN 978-1-4671-2698-4; (Images of America) (2017, hardcover) ISBN 978-1-5402-2672-3

National and Regional History

• Connecticut Families of the Revolution, American Forebears from Burr to Wolcott (2014, softcover) ISBN 978-1-62619-664-3; (2014, hardcover) ISBN 978-1540211361
• Spies of Revolutionary Connecticut: From Benedict Arnold to Nathan Hale (2014, softcover) ISBN 978-1-62619-407-6; (2014, hardcover) ISBN 978-1540223210
• Basketball History in Syracuse, Hoops Roots (2010, softcover) ISBN 978-1-59629-983-2; (2010, hardcover) ISBN 978-1540229533
• TITLE TOWN, USA, Boxing in Upstate New York (2010, softcover) ISBN 978-1-59629-769-2; (2010, hardcover) ISBN 978-1540234605

Reference and Popular Culture

• The Official Autograph Collector Price Guide (2004) ISBN 0-9669710-9-4
• Celebrity Autographs, SECOND EDITION (2000) ISBN 0-87341-838-7
• Advanced Autograph Collecting (2000) ISBN 0-87341-632-5
• The Standard Guide to Collecting Autographs (1999) ISBN 0-87341-613-9
• Goldmine's Price Guide to Rock & Roll Memorabilia (1997) ISBN 978-0-87341-490-6
• Celebrity Autographs (1996) ISBN 0-87341-464-0
• Auto Racing (1996) ISBN 0-87341-437-3
• All-Sport Autograph Guide (1994) ISBN 0-87341-316-4
• Team Baseballs (1992) ISBN 0-87341-316-4
• Baseball Autograph Handbook, SECOND EDITION (1990) ISBN 0-87341-169-2
• Baseball Autograph Handbook (1990) ISBN 0-87341-125-0

Contributions

• Boxing Legends of All-Time by Robert Cassidy, Jr. and Steve Nicolaisen. Publications International, 1996. ISBN 9780785316909
• Baseball Memorabilia by Mark Larson. Krause Publications, 1992. ISBN 0873411900
• Mickey Mantle Memorabilia by Mark Larson and Dave Platta. Krause Publications, 1993. ISBN 0873412613
• Antique Golf Collectibles by Chuck Furjanic. Krause Publications, 2003. ISBN 0873496728
• Computer Graphics for Designers and Artists by Isaac Kerlow and Judson Rosebush. Van Nostrand and Reinhold Company, 1986. ISBN 9780442014308
• Computer Graphics by John Lewell. Van Nostrand and Reinhold Company, 1983. ISBN 978-0442260453

References

1. Humphries/Hunt, Patrick/Chris (1985). Springsteen, Blinded by the Light (First ed.). London, UK: Plexus Publishing Lmited. p. 86. ISBN 0-85965-086-3.
2. Lewell, John (1983). Computer graphics. NY, NY: Van Nostrand and Reinhold.
3. Baker, Mark (1992). Team Baseballs. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. pp. Introduction. ISBN 0-87341-316-4.
4. Baker, Mark (2010). Title Town, USA, Boxing in Upstate New York. Charleston, NC: The History Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-59629-769-2. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
5. Baker, Mark (April 2014). "Spring Book Report, This Spring Sees The Publication of Five Books with Strong Connecticut Historical Connection" (Doctors). Connecticut Magazine.
6. Bendici, Ray (April 2014). "AMC's 'Turn' Features Connecticut Spies of the American Revolution" (History). Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
7. Baker, Mark (February 2000). "Live Throwing Platinum". Goldmine Magazine (Live (cover story)). Krause Publications.