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Posted By: barrysloate

Hal- the book is actually dated 1838, not 1839.

There are many versions of baseball that have evolved over time. Townball encompassed many aspects of the game that we are familiar with. But with the Knickerbocker rules of 1845, the game began to look a lot more like the one played today.

The best book to research this is David Block's "Baseball before We Knew It." That's a must read for anyone who is interested in the birth of the game.