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Synopsis
Hailed by Sports Illustrated as the "Edward Gibbon of baseball history," Harold Seymour is the first professional historian to produce an authoritative, multivolume chronicle of America's national pastime. The first two volumes of this study—The Early Years and The Golden Age—won universal acclaim. The New York Times wrote that they "will grip every American who has invested part of his youth and dreams in the sport," while The Boston Globe called them "irresistible."
Now, in The People's Game, Seymour offers the first book devoted entirely to the history of the game outside of the professional leagues, revealing how, from its early beginnings up to World War II, baseball truly became the great American pastime. He explores the bond between baseball and boys through the decades, the game's place in institutions from colleges to prisons to the armed forces, the rise of women's baseball that coincided with nineteenth century feminism, and the struggles of black players and clubs from the later years of slavery up to the Second World War.
Whether discussing the birth of softball or the origins of the seventh inning stretch, Dr. Seymour enriches his extensive research with fascinating details and entertaining anecdotes as well as his own wealth of baseball experience. The People's Game brings to life the central role of baseball for generations of Americans.
Publishers Weekly
In the third book of a projected four-volume series--which may well become the definitive history of our national pastime--Seymour ( Baseball: The Golden Age ) writes of baseball as a people's game. Himself a former Brooklyn Dodgers batboy (circa 1927), the author looks first at the game as played by children on sandlots and in schools, boys' clubs and even reform schools, concluding--unsurprisingly--that even at its most ragtag, baseball is an important part of growing up American. He claims that playing the game often spurred the assimilation of young immigrants, although its effectiveness in reforming juvenile delinquents is more debatable. Seymour also weighs baseball's role at the college level, where nonstudents have often been recruited and even professional players have been hired, as well as considering adult versions of the sport--town teams, industrial leagues, semi-pro ball and baseball in the armed forces, which has spread the game worldwide. Impressively researched and delightful to read, this third installment of his opus is enlivened by Seymour's many wry asides. Photos not seen by PW . (Apr.)