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Publications
27 Lots
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Also see lots 340, 442-450, 483
 Lot 353. 1866 Book of American Pastimes by Charles Peverelly. First edition. Considered the first official baseball history and arguably the most significant baseball book ever written. Of the 566 pages, 187 are devoted to baseball and include a diagram of the field at the time and a beautiful full page woodcut at the beginning of the chapter, which is divided into team histories. These include a rather lengthy section on the Knickerbockers. The information found here, including rosters, scores and game data dating back to the 1850’s cannot be found easily elsewhere. The book is in excellent condition except for a small section of 20 pages which is loose.
Winning Bid $605.
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 Lot 354. Incredibly rare “Play Ball” by Mike Kelly. Kelly’s autobiography “Play Ball” was published while he was with the Beaneaters in 1888. Above average example of one of the most desirable, and elusive, of all nineteenth-century baseball books. The full title of this rarely seen volume is Play Ball - Stories of the Ball Field. There are 96 pages. This is an especially noteworthy book to collectors, not just because of its contents and extreme rarity (fewer than ten examples are known), but also because the front cover features a woodcut portrait of Kelly. One of the most highly prized of all early baseball volumes, this book holds the distinction of being the earliest published book of stories of the ball field by a professional baseball player. It is also a very substantial nineteenth-century display piece, and one of the most interesting and significant items relating to the great Kelly in the collecting world. It is surprising, based on Kelly’s popularity, that so few would survive. The somewhat low paper quality of the soft cover book makes condition problems a virtual certainty. The book measures 5 1/2” x 7 1/2” inches. There is some loss of paper on the spine and a piece of tape at the top and bottom of the spine. A corner crease on the front cover and a tiny chip on the back cover is at the upper left.
Winning Bid $1,612.
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 Lot 355. Busting ‘Em by Ty Cobb with dust jacket. Just the book Busting ‘Em is a hobby raritiy. The book with the dust jacket is virtually never seen. Published in 1914, Busting 'Em was the first of three books credited to Ty Cobb as the author, though in fact it was ghostwritten by John N. Wheeler, who also penned Mathewson's Pitching in a Pinch. The book fascinates with its insights into Cobb as a public figure. The reader is presented Cobb's explanation of the beaning incident at Hilltop Park, the Baker spiking, and his contentious relationship with teammates. His thoughts, or those he sanctioned, of umpires, his contemporaries, crowds, and strategy are also shared. This book, long out of print and increasingly hard to find, is essential reading for those who would understand Cobb's awareness of and investment in the shape of his public image. The cover, while almost all there, does have some problems. There is separation on the side and a piece of tape going along the top and into the spine. There is an acetate cover on the dust jacket for protection.
Winning Bid $1,000.
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 Lot 357. A near complete run of 22 very rare early Reach Guides from 1883-1904. The run, which was edited by Francis Richter, includes a bound volume of 4 years from 1883-6, and matching bound volumes for 1892-3, 1894-5, 1896-7 and 1898-1900. The last four volumes are from the library of Seymour Church, the noted 19th Century baseball historian (See lot 364). Condition details are as follows: 1883-6 (professionally bound in a green binder embossed REACH BASEBALL GUIDES 1883-1886 on the spine. All four guides have their original covers inside), 1887 (both covers but some tape stains on the covers), 1888 (both covers but tape and some pieces missing, back cover has ad with Comiskey), 1889 (no back cover, otherwise excellent), 1890 (neatly bound with original covers), 1891 (Both covers, but lower right of front has been created), The 4 volumes (1892-1900) from the Church collection are all neatly bound with all the original covers. 1901 (upper right corner of cover missing, as well as the back cover), 1902 (neatly bound in green, missing front cover), 1903-4 (excellent, except for crease on 1904 cover);
Winning Bid $2,600.
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 Lot 358. A near run of 21 of the pre-1905 rare Spalding volumes issued from 1882-1904 missing only 1890 and 1893. All guides have their original covers except 1882, 1887, 1892, 1895 and 1898, which are missing the back cover. Individual grades are as follows: 1882 (no bc, and last couple of pages are tattered), 1883 (tape on spine), 1884-7 (vg-ex, chipped front corner on 1886), 1887 (wear, good), 1889 (first color cover, vg-ex), 1991 (vg, chipped back cover), 1892 (vg), 1894 (gd-vg), 1895 (tape, pieces missing), 1896 (vg), 1897 (tape and pieces missing), 1898 (fair detached front cover), 1899 1 (fair, detached front and rear covers), 1900 (vg-ex), 1901-2 (piece of tape on rear, piece out on rear of 1902), 1903-4 (ex).
Winning Bid $2,600.
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 Lot 359. A complete run of the 35 modern Reach Guides from 1905-1939. The 1905 Guide is bound with original covers though the binding says "1904". The 1906 has paper covers over the original covers. 1907-13 average vg-ex condition, 1909 has a small piece out of the back cover and 1912 has a piece of tape on the spine. 1914-1916 have tape on the covers, 1917 is excellent, 1918 is also, but the back cover is loose. 1919 is bound with a poor condition real front cover and no back cover. 1920-1923 are excellent. 1924-1934 are all intact with original covers, 1924 and 1930 show some tape on the spine, overall very good+. 1935-1939 average very good-excellent including the two with Lou Gehrig on the cover.
Winning Bid $1,463.
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 Lot 361. 1889 Athletic Sports in America by Harry Palmer. Hubbard Brothers, Publishers, Philadelphia, 1889. Volume has original cloth with gold leaf on the 711 pages, which are in excellent condition. The volume includes four chromolithographic plates, with tissue-guards; 36 black-&-white plates including most Major league teams and many text illustrations. Two thirds of the contents being devoted to baseball and almost half of those pages recounting the extraordinary global barnstorming tour of members of the Chicago Baseball Club and the All-American team, made up of members of other clubs, in 1888-1890. MB $300.
Winning Bid $646.
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 Lot 361a. Very rare Paper edition of George Touhey’s classic “History of the Boston Base Ball Club 1871-1897. Published in 1897, this 242-page book is rare and historically important. This is the only known paperback example I know of. In the first 125 pages, Tuohey provides a concise history of Boston baseball, starting with the National Association teams (1871-75) and continuing with the National League (1876-97). He covers also Boston teams in the Players League (1890) and the American Association (1891). The second half of the book contains articles on 50 players, including Harry Wright, George Wright, Sliding Billy Hamilton, King Kelly and Old Hoss Radbourne. There are more than 45 illustrations. The front creased cover is loose and shows the remains of tape stains that held the book together as does the rear cover.
Winning Bid $605.
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 Lot 362. A terrific group of Ten 19th or early 20th Century Guides. Excellent Group includes all 3 1906-1908 Lajoie Guides (very good); An 1870 Beadle Guide, bound with original covers (vg), An early 1872 Beadle Guide (excellent); 1889 Chadwick Baseball Manual (excellent); A 1911 Wright & Ditson Guide bound with orig. covers (excellent +), Spalding Guides from 1894 and 1912 with original covers (vg) and a 1912 Spalding Baseball Record with covers (very good);
Winning Bid $1,463.
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 Lot 363. "A Ballplayers Career" by Adrian Anson. Anson’s autobiography runs 339+ pages. Published in 1900, it is both biased and informative with many good plates of Anson’s illustrious career with Marshalltown, the Forest Citys, Philadelphia and the White Stockings. The volume has some weakness at the spine in front and back, but is otherwise excellent.
Minimum Bid $200.
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 Lot 364. 1902 Baseball 1845-1871 Volume 1 by Seymour Church. Fabulous classic, coffee table book generally referred to as the "Church book" must rate at the top of the list of any baseball publication collection. The book reviews the infancy of baseball history with five stunning color plates highlighted by HOF’er "George Wright and the Golden Gate". Several other important black and white plates can be found. The book was self published by Church in 1902 in San Francisco and focuses on the game in California in the 19th Century with extraordinary photographs. A sequel was obviously planned but never done. The spine shows some minor damage at the top and bottom and there is separation of the inside front page and the following two pages.
Winning Bid $750.
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 Lot 365. The National Game by A.H. Spink. Written in 1910 by one of the most famous sportswriters ever. Much rarer than the similar America’s National Game and generally considered to be a better history. There are 410 pages with many terrific photos. Excellent condition.
Winning Bid $300.
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 Lot 366. 1911 P.F. Colliers The Book of Baseball. One of baseball’s earliest "coffee table" books, measuring 15 ½’ x 11" and edited by Wm Patten and J. Walter McSpadden. Issued with cloth boards and a colorful cover, the book gives a historical background of the game but focuses on the 1910 era with extraordinary illustrations numbering close to 200. The book is in excellent condition though the cover shows some aging spots.
Winning Bid $267.
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 Lot 367. America’s National Game by A.G. Spalding. This 5" x 7" hardback is 542 pages long, close to 2" in thickness. The volume was published in 1911 by The American Sports Publishing Company, and is intact with line-drawing illustrations by Homer C. Davenport along with abundant black-and-white historic images. This is the standard format with a blue cover and the title and the illustration of Uncle Sam in gold leaf. The pages of this 100-year-old book are just beginning to reveal toning and the spine is a bit loose. One of the fold-out photo leaves has been removed. Overall an exciting period volume from a Hall of Fame author! Minimal wear and in very good condition.
Minimum Bid $200.
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