Baseball Before We Knew It

David Block's Baseball Before We Knew It traces the origins and evolution of baseball through extensive historical research and newly discovered documents. This comprehensive study challenges long-held beliefs about the game's inception and development. Block examines and dismantles two prominent origin stories: the Abner Doubleday myth and the theory that baseball evolved from the English game of rounders. The book presents significant historical evidence, including a 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts ordinance and references in 18th-century English literature. The research spans multiple countries and centuries, documenting baseball's presence in various forms and under different names across Europe and America. Block follows the transformation of these early bat-and-ball games into the modern sport of baseball. This scholarly work addresses fundamental questions about American cultural identity and the nature of historical truth, revealing how myths about baseball's origins reflect deeper narratives about national character and tradition.

Readers describe this as a detailed historical investigation that challenges common beliefs about baseball's origins. The research methodology and archival evidence receive frequent mention in reviews. Readers appreciated: - Clear explanations of early ball games and their connections - High-quality photographs and illustrations of historical documents - Thorough debunking of the Abner Doubleday creation myth - Extensive footnotes and citations Main criticisms: - Dense academic writing style can be dry - Too much focus on English ball games - Some sections feel repetitive Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (52 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (21 ratings) One reader noted: "Block's detective work through centuries-old documents is impressive, even if the writing isn't engaging." Another wrote: "The illustrations alone make this worth reading - seeing actual 18th century game descriptions brings the history to life." Review counts are relatively low, suggesting this book appeals mainly to baseball historians and researchers rather than casual fans.

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Playing for Keeps by Warren Goldstein The transformation of baseball from casual recreation to organized sport reveals itself through accounts of the first teams, leagues, and administrative structures in 1850s New York.

Base Ball Pioneers by Peter Morris, William Ryczek, Jan Finkel The lives and contributions of early baseball innovators, players, and organizers come to life through biographical profiles based on genealogical and historical records.

🏆 The book disproved the long-standing myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, NY in 1839, providing extensive documentation of much earlier baseball-like games. 📚 A children's book from 1744 titled "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" contains the first known printed reference to "base-ball" and includes a woodcut illustration of the game. ⚾ The author discovered more than 250 references to baseball in British publications predating 1800, challenging the notion that the sport evolved from the English game of rounders. 🏅 David Block spent over a decade researching this book, traveling to libraries and archives across North America and Europe to uncover previously unknown historical documents about baseball's origins. 📜 The 1791 Massachusetts ordinance mentioned in the book actually prohibited playing baseball near a meeting house in Pittsfield - proving the game was already popular enough to be considered a public nuisance nearly 50 years before its supposed "invention."