Description:

Baseball
New York, NY; [Baltimore, MD], ca. October 26, 1911; October 27, 1864
A.G. Spalding Signed 1st Ed. "America's National Game" Baseball History, With Bonus Abner Doubleday Sig!
SB

A 2x signed first edition copy of Albert Goodwell Spalding (1849-1915), "America's National Game: Historic 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), signed by its author on the front free endpaper, and also containing the bonus signature of Abner Doubleday affixed to the half title page. New York, New York; October 26, 1911. [Baltimore, Maryland]; October 27, 1864. Spalding inscribed, signed, and dated the front free endpaper as: "To / J.F. Gray / with my compliments / A.G. Spalding / New York / Oct. 26, 1911." The bonus signature of Abner Doubleday (1819-1893) is on a partial slip of blue-lined "Coleman's Eutaw House" (Baltimore, Maryland) hotel stationery laid down on the half title page, and was signed as: "A. Doubleday / Major General" on October 27, 1864.

In original publisher's electric blue binding as issued, with a large gilt-embossed figural representation after Homer C. Davenport depicting Uncle Sam with a baseball bat on the front cover. Expected wear including partly cracked front binding and separated back binding, with minor shelf rubbing to edges and corners. The interior is slightly toned with isolated wrinkles or cropped corners, else near fine. Profusely illustrated with 100+ black and white illustrations, cartoons, photographs, diagrams, portraits (both individuals and teams), and fold-out panoramic pages, some double-sided, measuring approximately 7.75" x 20" unfolded. Dedication: vii; Foreword: ix-xi; Acknowledgements: xii; Table of Contents: xiii-xvi; List of Illustrations: xvii; 3-542pp. The book measures 5.625" x 8.125" x 1.875" and is currently housed in a dark blue gilt-embossed clamshell case measuring 6" x 8.375" x 2."

A.G. Spalding's monograph "America's National Game" is regarded as the first serious twentieth-century treatment of baseball and its history. Spalding served as a professional baseball pitcher from 1871-1878, and then managed the Chicago White Stockings after his retirement. Spalding was also instrumental in convening the Mills Commission, a 7-man investigative committee comprised of former players and National League officers, to determine the exact origins of the game of baseball.

In 1907, the Mills Commission in its final report repeated claims that Civil War general Abner Doubleday had developed the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. This belief - commonly held in the twentieth century but discredited by modern baseball historians - is thoroughly explored in Spalding's book, notably pp. 19-26. The urge of Spalding and the Mills Commission members to pinpoint baseball's origin story should be considered as a response to contemporary sportswriters' claims that baseball was simply derivative. Take for instance British-born Henry Chadwick, who compared baseball to British first-generation bat-and-ball games like rounders and cricket. Spalding contended that, not only was baseball developed by Americans in America, but in many ways, it was a quintessentially American sport.

In part:

"I claim that Base Ball owes its prestige as our National Game to the fact that as no other form of sport it is the exponent of American Courage, Confidence, Combativeness; American Dash, Discipline, Determination; American Energy, Eagerness, Enthusiasm; American Pluck, Persistency, Performance; American Spirit, Sagacity, Success; American Vim, Vigor, Virility. Base Ball is the American Game par excellence, because its playing demands Brain and Brawn, and American manhood supplies these ingredients in quantity sufficient to spread over the entire continent…" (p. 4-5).

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: clamshell case: 6" x 8.375" x 2"
  • Artist Name: Baseball
  • Medium: SB

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