Baseball: The Early Years

by Harold Seymour, Dorothy Seymour Mills, Dorothy Z. Seymour

Now available in paperback, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills' The Early Years recounts the true story of how baseball came into being and how it developed into a highly organized business and social institution.

The Early Years , traces the growth of baseball from the time of the first recorded ball game at Valley Forge during the revolution until the formation of the two present-day major leagues in 1903. By investigating previously unknown sources, the book uncovers the real story of how baseball evolved from a gentleman's amateur sport of "well-bred play followed by well-laden banquet tables" into a professional sport where big leagues operate under their own laws. Offering countless anecdotes and a wealth of new information, the authors explode many cherished myths, including the one which claims that Abner Doubleday "invented" baseball in 1839. They describe the influence of baseball on American business, manners, morals, social institutions, and even show business, as well as depicting the types of men who became the first professional ball players, club owners, and managers, including Spalding, McGraw, Comiskey, and Connie Mack.

On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on The Early Years (1960), The Golden Age (1971) and The People's Game (1991).

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History, 19th Century

373 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel bad giving this work such a low review considering the Herculean effort made by Harold and Dorothy Seymour to put together what is still one of the definitive works on early baseball history. But this is about how much I liked the book, and frankly, this one was a tough read. The writing is dense and dry, and the last names of people or a reference to an event mentioned in passing pop up again fifty pages later when the reader doesn't remember who they are and has to look back to find them. And yet one has to appreciate the ambitiousness of such a extensive volume on baseball history -- the amount of labor in its research before the age of the Internet, in an era when there weren't baseball books published on every obscure topic and a society full of experts to share this research. This book is also an interesting timepiece; this review is approximately as temporally removed from its publication as the book was from the founding of the American League (where it ends). In 1960, the reserve clause was still very real, and the authors make some eye-opening arguments for keeping it that today would be pretty preposterous (I had to laugh when they alluded to the "fat salaries" of contemporary players -- you ain't seen nothin' yet!). Major league baseball was on the eve of expansion -- of both the leagues and the amount of regularly scheduled games, integration was still very recent history, and people were only starting to realize just what all that throwing could do to a pitcher's arm. "Modern" comparisons aside, much of the history still holds up, though I wish footnoting were common practice the way it was now, so one could follow their trail -- the book still holds up as an invaluable resource on the early history of the game, albeit its tedium to give you what you need.

[Brennan Probst · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for joining a vintage-rules base ball team, and it definitely gave me a better understanding of the game's history. The first section of the book is great, and deals mostly with the origins of the national pastime. Further sections are a bit dense, and cover (often in excruciating detail) the multiple trade wars between the various early leagues. However, there are still pockets later on in the book that go back to interesting stuff like rule changes, player/fan/umpire/manager relations, and baseball's overall influence on society.

[John Ogden · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is obvious that a lot of work and care went into this book, and the information contained is very valuable from a historical point of view. If you want to know why one team replaced another team in a certain league in 1878, this is the book for you. I'm sure that the number of first-hand accounts from players of this era are few and far between. I just wish this was a bit more from the human perspective and not the front offices of the time.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing read, though perhaps a little complicated in parts, about the history of America's greatest pastime. (8.25)

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially assumed that this book would be a history of the on-the-field aspects of early baseball: equipment, rule changes, functional changes, game strategy, etc. While the first part of the book focuses on this, the remaining three-quarters of the book focuses on the business aspects of early baseball: labor disputes, tensions between leagues, and legal challenges. It was well-written and well-researched, but it was tedious to read and not what I was looking for. But, if it is what you're looking for, it's good.

[Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine but should really be titled "The Business of Baseball: The Early Years." Very light on the players, teams or much else that happens on the field. Good stuff on the early game, and transition from sport to profession, but pretty dry. Prefer John Thorn's Baseball in the Garden of Eden for a more enthusiastic look at the early game.

[Kyle Tait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. There were a lot of out-of-date ideas and facts (expected from a book written in the 1950s). Also, the writing wasn't the most professional. But from a historical overview standpoint, I thought it was outstanding and really painted a nice picture of how baseball got its start. I can really use some of the ideas and stories on broadcasts during a lull in the game.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the days of HGH and all, it is nice to think about the days of whiskey and gambling. And McGraw getting all crazy. What has really changed in the great game of baseball?

[Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book on Baseball at the end of the 19th Century.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of three volumes that explore the history of baseball. This one was my favorite because I learned so much about the pre 1920s baseball history.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best book on the early history of the game that I have read. It is very detailed yet the style is readable. Recommended.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

read some time in 1993

[Frank Chimkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Date approximate

Note: edition is paperback with this cover image