Baseball Before We Knew It
Reviewed by Richard C. Crepeau, History Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
MARCH 28, 2005 archive
Historical Research is a long, arduous, and tricky business. Done at its best it builds carefully upon what has gone before, makes corrections on the past, and offers new, and at times, startling information that might even demolish conventional wisdom. Research is affected deeply by the interests and viewpoints of the researcher as one sees what one thinks important and significant. In the case of David Block all of this is clearly present, and those of us who have an interest in Baseball will be forever indebted to Mr. Block. He has transformed the landscape of early baseball history.
Over the years there have been a number of theories and claims about the origins of the game. Those who insisted upon a pure American source for baseball have subscribed to some form of the "Immaculate Conception" school. The best known of these are the Abner Doubleday myth and the Alexander Cartwright variations, often with the New York Knickerbocker accompaniment.
On what has often been presumed to be a more sophisticated level, are the evolutionary analyses. Focusing on the English game of Rounders Henry Chadwick certainly was a strong and effective advocate for this English game as point of baseball origin. The more sophisticated work of Robert Henderson tended to re-enforce the Rounders school and as Block points out American baseball historians seem to suffer from "brainlock" as a result. Once established the Rounders school shaped all before it and baseball people seemed to have a "compelling need to stuff everything into the rounders box." (p.29)
So how did David Block get out of the box? As Leonard Koppett would have said, it was simple. He looked at the evidence, just like historians are supposed to do, and reported what he found. Of course it wasn't quite that simple. As a collector of books on baseball David Block did something that no one else had previously done. He read everything he was able to find in the printed record that had any reference to baseball, bat and ball games, and anything else that looked like it might be related in any way to such games.
Block had hoped in collecting books to produce an annotated bibliography of all such books in his possession. When he finally was ready to begin he found he had something on his hands that required an interpretive narrative as well as the bibliography. He found also that he had developed a body of knowledge that transformed the history of the origins of baseball.
In the end what David Block, with a major assist from his brother Philip, has given us is the narrative that ranges across centuries and across the globe. Block delves into every nook and cranny of the historical record, revisits the myths and legends, and brings us out at the other end producing a sense of awe from his achievement and feeling enlightened about baseball. The narrative is followed by the annotated bibliography full of information, wisdom, and humor which compels one to read on despite the seeming arduous task of reading a bibliography. Seven appendixes of documentation follow, again highly revelatory in nature. The book closes with "notes" which are also packed with information beyond simple citation.
Among the highlights of the journey is a reexamination of the Doubleday Myth by David Block's brother Philip Block who authored Chapter Three. Philip Block's discovery is a fascinating connection between Abner Doubleday, Albert Spalding, Katherine Tingley, leader of the cult of Theosophy, and the spiritualist Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Block suggests that this powerful lineup of personalities may well have made Spalding more inclined to accept the Abner Graves "evidence" of Doubleday as baseball's inventor.
More significant, if less intriguing, is Block's demolition of the Rounders school of thought. This is achieved through a meticulous analysis of historical references to rounders and an examination of the game that shows conclusively that rounders could not possibly have been the precursor of baseball as indeed base-ball in England is much older than rounders.
Block reexamines the Cartwright/Knickerbocker claim and provides an analysis of the 1845 rules of baseball. Personally I find this section of the analysis the weakest link in the work as Block's interpretations and reading of some sections may be a bit too heavily influenced by to great a trust of his own argument. To say this is only to question, not to refute what is here.
Most impressive however is the exploration of sources from England, Germany, Italy and France running back through several centuries. Block creates a roadmap for the origins of baseball. This is a fascinating and delightful journey that is revealing in a multitude of ways. My only reservation in this section is Block's insistence that the French claims to a baseball connection simply can't be allowed to stand because they are French. I was also a bit disappointed that with all of the references to so many bat and ball games around the world, Block does not mention Lapta, the Russian contribution to the bat and ball family.
Going through all these references from all these places, as well as a thorough reading of materials missed by others is the heart of what is new in Block's work, and is the most revelatory thing about this remarkable study.
A final word about the "Forward" by Tim Wiles of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His brief summary of baseball historiography and his highlighting of Block's thesis if deftly done and helps point the way as you begin this marvelous journey into the wonders of Block's achievement.
Baseball Before We Knew It is a rare piece of historical research that transforms the historical landscape. It is also elegantly written and lightened with a subtle humor. No one who makes any claim to being a baseball historian or a student of the game can go forward without Block's stunning work.
David Block. With a forward by Tim Wiles. Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of the Game. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London. Hardcover, 372 pages, notes, annotated bibliography, and index. $22.95.
Copyright © 2005 by Richard C. Crepeau