Spalding's Reach's Official Baseball Guide 1940

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Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide was published from 1878 until 1939. Published by Albert Spalding's sporting goods company , it was the official publication of the National League for its entire history. From 1908 to 1924, the Guide carried only major league statistics and recaps, with abbreviated narrative and standings for the minor leagues, while the separately published Spalding's Official Record Book carried the complete statistics for all professional leagues, plus a chronology of the previous year and information on semi-pro and college teams. In 1925 the two books were recombined. The Spalding Guide competed for many decades with the Reach Guide . The Spalding Company bought out the Reach Company in 1934, but the two guides continued to be published separately until 1939, after which they merged into the Spalding-Reach Guide for two more years, replaced by The Sporting News Baseball Guide after the 1941 publication. This auction is for a 1940 Spalding's Reach's Official Baseball Guide. Softcover. Illus. w/ b&w photos and drawings. 475 pages plus a 64 page Official Base Ball Rules 1930 supplement. Also, great advertising for Spalding sporting goods. Clean and bright copy.Has some edge/corner rubs/wear. Creased front cover corner tip. In very good condition. "Baseball Guides Galore By Ralph E. LinWeber Record books have been compiled on every game of skill and athletic endeavor that exists. Baseball, America's national game, is, of course, the most prominent because of its long history, the long season in which it is played, the endless flow of statistics, and the broad interest it affords. Although statistical based newspaper and magazine articles had appeared before, the first known baseball guide made its appearance in 1860. It was called the Beadle Base Ball Guide or Beadle's Dime Base Ball Guide - an indication of its cost. It is a rare item and today the few in existence are known to be in collectors' hands. The Beadle Guide continued publication until 1881 and in that period showed the evolution of various baseball terms and statistical categories. Baseball "matches" eventually became games and "hands lost" became number of times the batter was put out. In 1868 the Dime Baseball Guide added base hits to the score with outs coming first, runs second, and hits last in the three columns. In 1871 the Boston and Cleveland National Association clubs issued batting averages based on hits to times at bat. However, it was many years before all clubs started to show at bats in the box score. From 1868 to 1885 the DeWitt Baseball Guide was in publication, with Henry Chadwick the editor from 1869 on. It was smaller than the Beadle Book and contained less information, but it boasted a larger circulation. Chadwick also put out his own Baseball Manual in 1870 and 1871. The man called the "Father of Baseball" was a statistician of note and his endless research into the records uncovered facts and figures that enlightened the sports world. George Wright, one of the early star players, also published a record book on baseball in 1875 while he was with the Boston club of the National Association. In 1877, A. G. Spalding, a former star player who became a sporting goods magnate, launched Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide. It lasted for many years and enjoyed the greatest success of any publication of its kind. It first covered the National League and expanded to other leagues as they were established. In 1883, Alfred J. Reach, like Spalding, a former player who moved into the sporting goods field, introduced the Reach Guide. It contained the first year averages of the American Association as well as the National League and was similar in coverage to the Spalding Guide. With the establishment of the American League as a major circuit in 1901, the Reach Guide took the title of Reach Official American League Base Ball Guide. Of course, Spalding also covered the AL. Starting in 1908, Spalding published two books, which caused some confusi... read more

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