[Rarebooks] FS: BASEBALL: Early, Important, and Scarce: 1834

[Charles Agvent]

CARVER,  Robin. THE BOOK OF SPORTS. Boston: Lilly, Wait,  Colman &
Holden  1834.  First Edition. Small octavo (4-5/8" x  5-3/4"),  almost
square,  in  original pink boards with a small illustration of  a  boy
shooting  a cannon above the printed title pasted on the front  cover;
[3],  viii-xii,  [1],  14-164 pages. This famous  children's  book  is
illustrated  throughout with woodcuts in the text including the  first
diagram  of  a  diamond and the famous woodcut  illustration  of  boys
playing  baseball on the Boston Commons, one of the most reproduced of
all  early baseball images and THE EARLIEST PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATION  OF
AN  ACTUAL  AMERICAN BASEBALL GAME IN PROGRESS. Carver's book is  also
the  first volume published in America featuring the rules of the game
of  baseball and the first book to refer to baseball by name ("base or
goal  ball").  Much of this information was taken by Carver  from  the
portrayal  of the game rounders in William Clarke's THE BOY'S OWN BOOK
published  in London, the first description of a game like baseball to
appear  in English. Carver also describes many other sports  including
foot-ball,  skating, cricket, etc. Only minor soiling to the text  and
covers,  which  are  tight and firm. A truly superior copy of  a  rare
book,  with one baseball expert stating that fewer than ten copies are
known  to  be in private hands. We cannot verify this, but we do  know
that  you  will  be hard pressed to find another copy,  especially  in
this condition. Near Fine copy of an early and important baseball book.
                                                               $7500.00

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CHARLES AGVENT
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Mertztown, PA  19539-8750
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