March 2014 Pick Ups

[aelefson]

I posted this on the book thread, but I am very excited about it so I figured I would post here as well. I purchased the 1841 chapbook below for 20.00 at an antique shop Friday afternoon. Although the book is entirely about animals, there is a small illustration on the front cover of a boy swinging a bat (see below for a close up scan). This book becomes my oldest "baseball" related item, more than ten years before an 1852 newspaper I have that describes a game.

These chapbooks, or others very similar to mine, also by Babcock, were once offered for sale on the BST here for about 75.00 each (8 or 9 years ago?). I think a member found 10-20 of them. I regretted that I never purchased one, but now that regret is gone. I love antique shops!

Alan