Game Faces: Early Baseball Cards from the Library of Congress

by Peter Devereaux, Library of Congress, John Thorn (Foreword)

A charming gift book showcasing baseball cards from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries alongside photos from the early days of the nation's beloved pastime

Game Faces showcases rare and colorful baseball cards from the Library of Congress's Benjamin K. Edwards Collection, bringing to life an era of American history that saw the game explode in popularity. Marrying gems from the collection's 2,100 baseball cards to images of American life from 1887 to 1914, the book also offers engaging insights into the players and the game, giving readers an intimate view of both baseball's development and American culture at the turn of the twentieth century. The book highlights cards depicting many of the game's first stars--including Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Christy Mathewson--as well as less widely known figures, shown with extravagant ornamentation and boldly juxtaposed colors that render the cards works of art in their own right. Game Faces is a rich, engrossing history of the baseball card and the ways that it has illustrated and influenced American culture as a whole. It is a must-have for those who love baseball.

Genres: Baseball, Nonfiction, Sports, History

168 pages, Hardcover

Published October 23, 2018

Reviews

[David Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

This colorful book highlights the history of the National Pastime from its early days of organization through 1914, Babe Ruth's rookie year. It also shares numerous examples of baseball cards (examples of the collection housed in the Library of Congress). The cards were first issued by tobacco companies. There was a short hiatus in the 1890s, when the tobacco trust was established, and companies no longer felt the need to advertise their product. Among the topics covered in the historical overview of baseball and its progress are racism, immigration, juvenile smoking, and gangster involvement in the game. -- I found the history fascinating and enjoyed looking at the various types of cards produced through the years, some of them quite stunning from an artistic point of view. Highly recommended to fans of the game, especially those "bugs and cranks" who relish the history of what once was called (among other names) "two-old-cat"!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun visual history of early baseball cards, using photos of cards within the Library of Congress's collection. It's heavy on photos and short essays explaining various aspects of early baseball and early baseball cards. It's that rare book that would be useful either to somebody with no real background knowledge or to those who are familiar with the old-time game and cards. Again, heavy on pictures and about 150 pages long, but still very much enjoyable.

[Brace1737 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dewey decimal number 796.357 leads you to the collection of baseball books in your favorite public library. Game Faces is certainly worthy of a place on your public library shelves. More than just a history of the per-World War I development baseball cards it is a lively social history of American life from the end of the Civil War to the entry of the USA into World War I.Now your have two good reasons to put it onyour reading list.

[Mallory Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it's interesting to see all the older, rare baseball cards, there's a lot of great text in the book too. The author details the different eras in baseball and provides a lot of history into the sport's development and rising popularity. I especially loved the facts and anecdotes shared about key players.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to interview on Justin McGuire's Baseball by the Book podcast on 10 Dec 2018

[Cody Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book combined two of my loves: baseball cards and turn of the century American history. I feel like this book was written just for me. I haven’t read a book this fast in a long time!

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

While pictures of the old cards were interesting to look at, the narrative of the book was all over the place. Not exactly a coffee table book but not a book I would keep on my shelf either.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for the lay reader, I suspect, 4 for budding collectors.

[Sam Kauffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine overview of early base ball cards. Provides interesting context for the economic situation of the country in the time covered. And a must for such a work - it’s largely a picture book!