by Jack Pelikan (Author)
Vintage Base Ball's Enduring Legacy is a celebration of one of America's few longstanding and fully intact traditions. Beginning with its humble, early-19th century origins, it chronicles the game's history including its meteoric rise as the national pastime, subsequent commercialization, scandal and adaptation that has led to the nationwide revival of the 19th century game. The book discusses today's proud yet unheralded community of vintage ballists (players), who nobly carry on the game of their ancestors. Inside its pages are a compendium of historical research balanced by interviews with today's vintage clubs including St. Louis' Lafayette Square Cyclone, Upstate New York's Mountain Athletic Club, Columbus' Ohio Village Lady Diamonds, Arizona's Fort Verde Excelsiors, Akron's Black Stockings and Washington State's Whatcom Aces. Vintage Base Ball's Enduring Legacy also offers dozens of photographs, rules, a lexicon and is a must read for historians, nostalgists and fans alike.