America's National Game: Historical Facts Concerning the Beginning, Evolution, Development and Popularity of Base Ball with Personal Reminiscences of its Vicissitudes, its Victories and its Votaries
New York: American Sports Publishing Company, 1911.
First edition. xix, [1], 542 pp. With over 100 full-page illustrations (mostly from photographs, some fold-out), including a sepia-tone portrait of the author, with tissue-guard. Bound in original gilt-decorated purple-blue cloth with baseball themed vignette on cover, lettered in gilt. Very Good+ with sharp gilt and clean cloth, hinges cracked but holding, textblock fallen. An attractive copy, internally bright.
One the earliest books solely devoted to America's national pastime. The author, A.G. Spalding (1850-1915), was a professional baseball player himself and the founder of the famous sporting goods manufacturer / publisher. Spalding first played competitively with the Rockford Pioneers, a youth team in 1865. He also helped organize the National League, and published the first official rules guide for the game.
Price: $1,500.00