Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908 » (Reprint)

Benjamin G. Rader, author of Baseball: A History of America’s Game is a professor of history at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

This compilation of 120 primary writings documents baseball’s first century, from a loosely organized village social event to the arrival of the National League. Collecting from a wide range of sources—including newspaper accounts, letters, folk poetry, songs, and annual guides—Dean A. Sullivan of Fairfax, Virginia, progresses chronologically from the earliest known baseball reference (1825) to the creation of the Doubleday Myth (1908).

Library Journal

The University of Nebraska Press, which has brought back to print several classic baseball books in the past few years, now offers this original collection of fascinating documents that brings seldom-seen sources to the fingertips of historians and serious fans. The arrangement is chronological, beginning with the earliest known newspaper account of baseball in 1825 and concluding with the reports published in 1908 crediting Abner Doubleday with the founding of the sport. There are many gems here that are normally not available to baseball historians without access to research libraries. Some documents are less useful (e.g., do we really need to see "Casey at the Bat" again?). The language used in the contemporary accounts is somewhat archaic but should not put off readers. On balance, this is a worthwhile addition for the baseball collections of public and school libraries.-William O. Scheeren, Hempfield Area H.S. Lib., Greensburg, Pa.