Lot # 55: 1889 First Edition Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia

Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia, published in 1889 by Hubbard Brothers, Philadelphia. Harry Clay Palmer is listed as the first author, but the book is a collaborative effort of a number of prominent sportswriters at the time, including Frank Richter, J. A. Fynes, and W. I. Harris. The introduction is written by Henry Chadwick. This 711-page book (which includes several color plates) is regarded as one of the most important of all nineteenth-century baseball reference works due to its detailed coverage of the Spalding 1888/1889 World Tour. A total of 309 pages are devoted exclusively to the tour, providing nearly a day-by-day account of that historic sojourn. Additionally, another 121 pages detail the history of baseball up to that point, and a separate chapter covers college baseball. The book has brown cloth covers with gilt lettering on the front cover and spine. Moderate wear throughout, including light surface abrasions and staining on the covers and a written notation on the first page. There is also some discoloration and spotting to the first few interior pages, but they are otherwise generally bright and clean and completely intact. In Good condition overall.