“The Father of Baseball”

Henry Chadwick remains one of the titans of baseball history. As a pioneering baseball journalist and author, an innovator of scorekeeping practices and statistics, and chairman of the first rules committee, Chadwick left an indelible mark on the history of the game. This deeply researched biography is the first book-length work on the Hall of Famer, known at the time of his death as the “Father of Base Ball.”
It covers Chadwick’s driving role in the symbiotic rise of baseball and sports journalism, and demonstrates how Chadwick helped baseball to become firmly established as an American cultural institution. Appendices provide a selected bibliography of Chadwick’s writing and a guide for further research.

Andrew J. Schiff, a freelance writer and member of SABR, lives in New York.

Andrew J. Schiff
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 268
Bibliographic Info: 34 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3216-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1071-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

Introduction      5

1. Hoboken      11

2. The Manly Pastime      40

3. Scoring One for the Records      59

4. On Tour with Mr. Chadwick      90

5. Hulbert’s Startling Coup d’État      136

6. Chadwick and the Players’ Revolt      164

7. Al Spalding and the Origins for a Feud      189

Appendix 1: Writings by Henry Chadwick      225

Appendix 2: What Has Been Said About Chadwick      227

Chapter Notes      237

Bibliography      253

Index      259

• Finalist, Seymour Medal—Society for American Baseball Research
• “Riveting account…marvelous job…wonderful”—www.bleacherreport.com
• “Interesting”—Choice
• “Diligent”—Financial Times