Forget that you ever heard the name Abner Doubleday. In this new book from America s most important baseball historian, the myth of that Army general s role in creating baseball is forever shattered. Instead, Thorn fills readers in on the real story of how a game played by kids with bats and balls became a sport played and loved by millions, in the United States and around the world. Be the first kid on your baseball team to know why your shortstop should thank Doc Adams, why your hitters should remember Louis Wadsworth, and why the umpires tip their caps to William Wheaton. Meet unsung heroes like these and more . . . in FIRST PITCH! Every baseball game starts with the first pitch. But who threw the first pitch . . . ever? That s the question that historian John Thorn tries to answer in this amazing tour of the earliest days of our National Pastime. Using detective work, tons of research, and a deep love of the game, Thorn takes readers back in time to meet some people who had a huge impact on the game that millions play and love today. Readers will find out that much of what many people think about early baseball is wrong . . . and Thorn will put you on the right basepath to finding out what the real story is. (Hint: Gen. Doubleday had nothing to do with it!) Make FIRST PITCH the first baseball book you read this summer!
First Pitch: How Baseball Began
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First Pitch: How Baseball Began John Thorn. Beach Ball Books Packed with vintage images and photographs, this history of baseball takes readers from the origins of the sport to the present day. Thorn, the official historian for Major League Baseball, describes how, although many individuals erroneously received credit for inventing baseball, it actually originated with children; the first games can be traced by the laws that banned them (for instance, laws that said it was illegal to play ball on the Sabbath). Thorn, who writes clearly and eloquently, credits members of New York's Knickerbocker club for recording baseball's rules; a charming photograph depicts the 1845 Knicks, whose waistcoats, broad-brimmed hats, and cravats are a far cry from contemporary uniforms. Fans who think they know baseball may discover they have much to learn. Ages 8 14. (June) --Publishersweekly.com
About the Author
John Thorn is America s most important baseball historian. The author of numerous books and the editor of a baseball history journal, in 2011, Thorn was named the Official Historian, Major League Baseball®. In that role, he ll expand on the league s education efforts about baseball history. He ll also run a special, star-studded committee that will explore baseball's roots even more deeply. Thorn was also a senior consultant on the Ken Burns documentary, Baseball. He is the author of The Hidden Game of Baseball, The Pitcher, Total Baseball (editor), and the current editor of Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game. The winner of the Society for American Baseball Research s Bob Davids Award for numerous contributions to the field, Thorn lives in upstate New York.
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By Ohioan
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a picture book for older kids, ages 8 and up and, frankly, adults will enjoy the book, too. Coming in at under 48 pages, this full-color book is divided into five chapters and an epilogue, and in those five chapters and epilogue the reader is introduced to the origins of baseball, the supposed origins of baseball, and the growth and evolution of the game. The book is the work of the Official Historian of Major League Baseball, John Thorn. The illustrations, most of them old photographs, are magnificent: they bring the 19th century and baseball to life. The page design is particularly attractive, leading readers to either follow the main argument of each chapter, or to wander off into fascinating sidebars of facts. There, unlike a runner who wanders off the bag and gets tagged, they will always be safe. Very enjoyable.
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By someone
Format:Kindle Edition
i thought it could have been better but i think fink drink red said sea go fifteen cent rent fight night you
