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Posted By: barrysloate

Jason- your 1864 book is the first in America to have a color plate of a baseball game, and is a favorite of mine. But the first American children's book to feature baseball was Robin Carver's 1834 The Book of Sports.

I should add that as you said the rules were more rudimentary in Carver, but they slowly evolved over time and I don't believe the 1864 rules represent any touchstone in baseball history. I realize though that they are more comprehensive than in Carver.