The New York Giants Base Ball Club: The Growth of a Team and a Sport, 1870 to 1900 [Library Binding]

James D. Hardy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996

Though baseball came to embody the American spirit in the mid-20th century, it was not always that way. As America emerged from the Civil War, its citizens watched the relatively new sport of baseball with ambivalence. There were a few on-field changes from 1870 to 1900, but overall the game then was remarkably similar to the game today. Labor disputes often dominated discussions of the game, and owners and players each accused the other of being greedy and trying to destroy the sport. No team better exemplified baseball in the 19th century than the New York Giants. The pre-John McGraw Giants were occasionally very good and frequently very fashionable, but they had not yet become the trademark team of the National League that they would become in the early 20th century. The Giants were, however, one of the league's premier teams simply because they played in the country's premier city. New York and its Giants epitomized the rise of industrialized America and the need for organized spectator diversions; they helped propel baseball into being the national pastime.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"examines how, in the late 19th century, baseball was becoming organized" -- Choice

"scholarly...the Giants not only helped establish the sport, but improved the city" -- Village Voice

Product Details

• Library Binding: 251 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786402318
• ISBN-13: 978-0786402311
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,763,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dull, duller, dullest, July 28, 2005

By 

DVDJones "DVD" (Scotia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Giants Base Ball Club: The Growth of a Team and a Sport, 1870 to 1900 (Library Binding)

A deadly dry Ph.D thesis which attempts to marry a dull account of an exciting team with various analogies to developments in 19th century American history. Good photos though.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hardy yields another masterpiece, August 10, 2001

By 

William James Sanks III (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New York Giants Base Ball Club: The Growth of a Team and a Sport, 1870 to 1900 (Library Binding)

Hardy once again proves his strength in combining historical facts with Tolstoy-like prose. An absolutely terrific, scholarly approach to the beginnings of baseball in America and New York. This book will be of great interest to those baseball history buffs as well as to modern theologians. It was once said that America's greatest theologians are sports and comic writers. That quip certainly applies to Dr. Hardy. This book has much historical, literary, and religious value. Very highly recommended.