[Rarebooks] baseball item #11 from the Norman Kane collection (FS)

[Peter B. Howard]

Introducing the "Babe Ruth Line" of sporting equipment


1928                REACH AND WRIGHT & DITSON ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT / Spring & 
Summer 1928.  [= cover title].   New York: A. J. Reach, Wright & Ditson 
Incorporated (1928) Original pictorial wrappers in colors, 96 pp. Covers 
lightly soiled, a very good copy.  First edition of this periodic sports 
trade catalogue  A wide range of gear is offered, including basket balls, 
bathing accessories, boxing gloves, camp goods, cross bars and cords, 
discus, elastic bandages, footballs, gloves, golf sundries, gymnasium 
goods, hand ball goods, indoor and playground balls, bases, bats, indoor 
shot, javelins, medicine balls, score books, shoes of varying types, soccer 
foot balls, dumb bells, squash tennis, striking bags, swimming suits, cable 
gear, tether ball, tights, trunks, vaulting poles, volley balls and 
netting, women's swimming suits, wrist and ankle supporters. But one third 
of the catalogue is devoted to base ball equipment only. Reach was now the 
maker of the official American League baseball, patented March 17, 1925, an 
important cachet.  Rectangular blank white portion on front cover left 
unprinted, for the stamp of a local rep or distributor, none entered on 
this copy.

             Balls, basemen's mitts, bases and plates, bat bags, bats, 
caps, catchers' mitts [Mickey Cochran or Perkins or Babe Ruth!  models] , 
fielders' gloves [including Babe Ruth RB1 and the RFO & RF1 % RF2 Babe Ruth 
Home Run Special Gloves], leg guards, masks, catchers and umpires, metal 
shoe plates, protectors, score books, scoring tablet, shoes, sliding pads, 
umpire indicator, uniforms and uniform bags.

Twenty four bats are distinguished, and a careful fan has identified in 
pencil the bat number for each player whose brand name applies.  The bats 
are second growth white ash.  The umpire's mask is pictured next to ten 
regular catcher's masks, to allow the reader a basic understanding of the 
distinctions, information not readily obtained by this 
cataloguer.  Uniforms are offered in major league or minor league quality, 
as well as in collegiate, club, high school and amateur versions, at ever 
declining prices. Caps and stockings in many grades, as well as six styles 
of shoes and six types of toe plates (two of which are hand forged).

"'Babe' Ruth worked with us in designing The 'Babe Ruth' Line and his 
signature on each number is his endorsement of its fitness for use in 
playing the game [gloves, mitts, balls, first baseman's mitt]".

Harvard has a 1929 version of this catalogue, but OCLC locates no other and 
none for 1928. Compare the 1907 spring / summer Reach catalogue (36pp), 
offered above.

$150.00


Peter B. Howard
Serendipity Books
1201 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
voice: (510) 841-7455
fax: (510) 841-1920
e-mail: pbhoward at serendipitybooks.com
http://www.serendipitybooks.com