America's First Baseball Book: The Base Ball Player's Pocket Companion

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Posted By: barrysloate

There is no indication of what the book originally cost. It's nicely made so it probably was purchased by someone of at least modest means. What isn't clear, and you've raised a good point, is what was the average baseball fan like in the early days? Was he a rowdy sort, or well mannered and monied? I just don't know.

As far as stressing the Massachusetts rules, the publisher was located in Boston but I believe both sets of rules were discussed equally. Perhaps in 1859 it wasn't clear that the Massachusetts rules would soon be on their way out, but in New England in 1859 it's fair to say they were still popular. They were also implemented by less experienced teams in smaller towns for a longer period of time, even after some of the big time league clubs in New York and Philadelphia were already incorporating the newer style of play.