[Rarebooks] FS: Henry Chadwick: The first official baseball rule book, 1867

[Charles Agvent]

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CHADWICK,  Henry.  HANEY'S BASE BALL PLAYER'S BOOK  OF  REFERENCE.
[The  first official baseball rule book]. New York: Haney & Co.  1867.
First  Edition. ...CONTAINING THE REVISED RULES OF THE GAME FOR  1867,
WITH  AN  EXPLANATORY  APPENDIX  TO  EACH  RULE,  TOGETHER  WITH  FULL
INSTRUCTIONS  FOR UMPIRES AND SCORERS, AND ALSO FOR PITCHING,  BATTING
AND  FIELDING. THE WHOLE FORMING A STANDARD AUTHORITY ON ALL POINTS OF
THE  NATIONAL  GAME. Small octavo (3-3/4" x 5-7/8") in original  green
wraps  depicting  three  ballplayers on the front holding  a  bat  and
examining  the  rule  book; [ii], 139, [iii] pages, plus  covers.  The
issue  published  just  nine  years  earlier in  1858  was  the  FIRST
OFFICIAL  BASEBALL  RULE  BOOK. Its author, Henry  Chadwick,  was  the
sport's   first  great  journalist  and   a  leading  figure  in   the
development  of the game. Illustrated with about a dozen engravings in
the  text  including  full-page depictions of  a  regulation  baseball
field  and a baseball pitcher. Includes not just rules but much advice
on  how to form and manage a club as well as specific hints on how  to
field,  pitch, and bat. With several pages on how to play baseball  on
the  ice!  Owner  name of E. S. Hughes of South Trenton, New  York  in
light  pencil  on  the top of the front cover and  title  page.  Light
foxing  to  some pages, heaviest on the bulked fore-edge of the  text.
The  front cover has an inch-long vertical closed tear along the spine
edge  and  a small triangular piece torn off the fore-edge  and  still
present,  laid  in loosely, with no loss in either case. A  Very  Good
copy of a scarce and important baseball book.                 $6000.00

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CHARLES AGVENT
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