McFarland and Co. has published Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography, by chapter member Brian E. Cooper, of Dubuque.

Schalk, star catcher for the Chicago White Sox (1912-28), entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. He was one of the so-called Clean Sox, who saw their teammates throw the 1919 World Series in the Black Sox Scandal.

Though he batted just .253 over his career, Schalk was valued for his aggressive and talented defense -- including his ability to handle the spitball and other "trick pitches" -- his game management and handling of pitchers.

This is the second full biography written by Cooper, long-time executive editor of the Telegraph Herald in Dubuque. His first, of Dubuque County native Urban "Red" Faber, was published by McFarland in 2007 and was a finalist for SABR's Larry Ritter Award. Faber and Schalk, lifelong friends, hold the record for most appearances (307) and seasons (15) among batterymates enshrined in the Hall of Fame.