old school suggestions?

04-04-2002, 11:49 PM

Anyone have any suggestions on books about 1800's baseball? Looking for something concerning biographical info on old players like Anson and Kelly,etc.

Or something really in-depth on the Gas House Gang.

SmedIndy · 04-04-2002, 11:56 PM

Well, the Biographical Encyclopedia of Baseball will have that and more.

They do have a 19th Century Baseball Encyclopdia by Nemec out there. I also liked the Beer and Whiskey League a lot.

Hit 'Em Where They Ain't covered that era, too.

James' Historical Abstracts are a good starting point.

There's a biography on Chris von der Ahe that I recommend.

I also have a book, that's out of print, about the woeful 1899 Cleveland Spiders.

04-05-2002, 02:30 AM

Thanks Smed.

I'll check out Nemec.

Maybe I should have been a little more specific...I am more interested in their life on the filed, and game stories, in particular, than the regular this-is-when-he-was-born kinda stuff. ( Something along the lines of "Boys of Summer".) I don't know if that would change your picks or not, but I will check out the titles you gave.

If you can think of it, can you pm me the title of the von der Ahe book?

Thanks again.

SmedIndy · 04-05-2002, 08:14 AM

I don't know how many of those Boys Of Summer books you will find. Most of the 19th century stuff has a lot of stories, but these guys didn't have much of a media base back then.

The Biographical Encyclopedia is highly recommended.

Craig S. · 04-06-2002, 10:19 AM

I think the Chris Von der Ahe book is just titled "Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns."

Smed is right about the lack of anecdotal information contained in a lot of the books on early baseball. I would highly recommend "Slide, Kelly, Slide," which is a bio of Mike Kelly, but also contains many of the era's characters, including Cap Anson. It's a few years old now, but still a great book.

A couple of other 1800's-baseball titles that I'd recommend are "Early baseball and the rise of the National League" by Tom Melville (a little dry but not lengthy - 150 pages) and Warren Goldstein's "Playing for Keeps", which actually starts with baseball in the 1850s.

04-04-2002, 11:49 PM	#1
johnny Posts: n/a	old school suggestions? Anyone have any suggestions on books about 1800's baseball? Looking for something concerning biographical info on old players like Anson and Kelly,etc. Or something really in-depth on the Gas House Gang.

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04-04-2002, 11:56 PM	#2
SmedIndy NetShrine's Historian Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Zionsville, IN Posts: 10,569	Well, the Biographical Encyclopedia of Baseball will have that and more. They do have a 19th Century Baseball Encyclopdia by Nemec out there. I also liked the Beer and Whiskey League a lot. Hit 'Em Where They Ain't covered that era, too. James' Historical Abstracts are a good starting point. There's a biography on Chris von der Ahe that I recommend. I also have a book, that's out of print, about the woeful 1899 Cleveland Spiders.

04-05-2002, 02:30 AM	#3
johnny Posts: n/a	Thanks Smed. I'll check out Nemec. Maybe I should have been a little more specific...I am more interested in their life on the filed, and game stories, in particular, than the regular this-is-when-he-was-born kinda stuff. ( Something along the lines of "Boys of Summer".) I don't know if that would change your picks or not, but I will check out the titles you gave. If you can think of it, can you pm me the title of the von der Ahe book? Thanks again.

04-05-2002, 08:14 AM	#4
SmedIndy NetShrine's Historian Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Zionsville, IN Posts: 10,569	I don't know how many of those Boys Of Summer books you will find. Most of the 19th century stuff has a lot of stories, but these guys didn't have much of a media base back then. The Biographical Encyclopedia is highly recommended.

04-06-2002, 10:19 AM	#5
Craig S. Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,330	I think the Chris Von der Ahe book is just titled "Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns." Smed is right about the lack of anecdotal information contained in a lot of the books on early baseball. I would highly recommend "Slide, Kelly, Slide," which is a bio of Mike Kelly, but also contains many of the era's characters, including Cap Anson. It's a few years old now, but still a great book. A couple of other 1800's-baseball titles that I'd recommend are "Early baseball and the rise of the National League" by Tom Melville (a little dry but not lengthy - 150 pages) and Warren Goldstein's "Playing for Keeps", which actually starts with baseball in the 1850s.

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