Most pre-war card collectors are interested in the history of the game, so I thought this might be okay to post here.
I was digging through my collection of vintage baseball history articles, and found an old copy of an 1889 'Century' magazine, with 'Base-Ball for the Spectator' by Walter Camp. I was going to scan and post, but found that already done for me on the internet:
Base Ball for the Spectator by Walter Camp
Of particular interest is the part on page one that refers to the origins of the game. I figured Camp's view was probably better than most we've read, since he wrote it in 1889 as an adult. He talks about pro, college, etc. I found it interesting - maybe you will.