WARD, John Montgomery

Base-Ball: How to Become a Player; With the Origin, History, and Expansion of the Game

First edition, hardcover issue. 149pp. Early owner name, very slight rubbing to the extremities, a lovely, fine copy. Ward was one of the great pitchers; when he injured his arm, he became a star shortstop for the New York Giants. Unlike most players of his day, he was a college graduate, earning a law degree from Columbia while playing. He was the first President of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players, the first players' union, and in 1890 helped to form the Players' League, which folded after one season. The Hall of Famer retired at 34 as player-manager of the world champion Giants. This is considered the first truly important book on baseball as a game. Further, most copies were issued in wrappers. We have heard informed speculation that the few extant hardbound copies were intended for presentation. Only one copy has appeared at auction in the past quarter century (a wrappered copy in 1993, $2100).

[BTC #77775]