BOOKS/HISTORY/value

[baseballart]

For those who might think interest in baseball books is dying off, I started a Baseball Books group up on facebook last year. It's now passed 1500 members and counting.

It's not by any means focused on vintage books, but there is certainly lots of interest in those books https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/60231470621/

Most of the classic older baseball books are available in electronic form, or have been reprinted, if you want reading copies.

However, the original editions are as much memorabilia as a Type 1 photo, an RPPC, a pennant, a game or baseball cufflinks (I can't believe I bid on some that recently ended!). As Bruce notes, they are treasures to maintain for the next generation, just as many of the other items we collect are.

[ibuysportsephemera]

Originally Posted by baseballart

For those who might think interest in baseball books is dying off, I started a Baseball Books group up on facebook last year. It's now passed 1500 members and counting.

It's not by any means focused on vintage books, but there is certainly lots of interest in those books https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/60231470621/

Most of the classic older baseball books are available in electronic form, or have been reprinted, if you want reading copies.

However, the original editions are as much memorabilia as a Type 1 photo, an RPPC, a pennant, a game or baseball cufflinks (I can't believe I bid on some that recently ended!). As Bruce notes, they are treasures to maintain for the next generation, just as many of the other items we collect are.

I am a member and it is a very cool page.

Jeff

[Wildfireschulte]

Max - great book display. I love how you have "Bride and the Pennant" by Frank Chance rotated to display the colorful cover. I look at books as more than a great read or source of info - historical books are art when displayed as part of a great collection.

[aelefson]

Scott, here is the chapbook and a close-up scan of the illustration on the front. I am really happy to own it.

Alan

[jpop43]

We too very much enjoy early baseball literature, and although we do not have an abundance of it, I thought I might share with you one of our favorites.

This history of the Boston BBC (copyright 1898) was found at a street fair in NJ about 9 years ago...we simply love it!

Jonathan
www.dugouttreasures.com

[bgar3]

Jonathon, your History of the Boston BBC is a great book. Many people assume because the first numbered page is 3, that it is missing a page, i do not think this is is the case, i have never seen a copy that does not begin at 3 and i have been told that the cover and inside cover account for the other 2 pages, and i think this is supported by the list of advertisements page. If yours is different please let me know. thank you. (also i think it is copyright 1897, if yours is 1898, i might be a later printing which i think would be a new discovery and might have additional material, like the later editions of Spink and Ellard.)

[barrysloate]

Bruce is correct, all copies begin on page 3.

So since I was a baseball book collector for many years, and wrote a well received article on baseball books for VCBC back around 1996, I have of course given a lot of thought as to why baseball book collecting is in decline. I can come up with a few reasons, so here goes:

1) Old time collectors are leaving the hobby, and the new collectors replacing them are gravitating more to cards and not to memorabilia. As much as I hate to say this, the slab is what is keeping this hobby humming. If they slabbed baseball books, more people would collect them. Blasphemy, I know, but sadly true.

2) Collectors simply don't know what is out there and what books are worth. Baseball cards are exhaustively catalogued and priced, and a collector can find out the value of a T206 in just a few moments. But rare baseball books are more exotic, less frequently encountered, and not always easily assessed. Not every collector is up for this challenge.

3) This last one is the toughest, and it's a tad political (sorry folks), but I'll call it the dumbing down of America. Unfortunately, and much to my chagrin, we are living in a society where educated people are often ridiculed and mocked. People who read are considered just a bunch of elitist eggheads, not to be taken seriously. Fewer people read today than ever before, so that has to have some effect on book collecting. This hurts me on many levels, but we'll leave it at that.

I'm sure there are other reasons for the decline, but we have to accept the fact that the hobby has changed since the 1980's and 90's. That's not to say that there still aren't many devoted book collectors out there, but their numbers are fewer.

[murphusa]

I have about 300 baseball books and I haven't read one. To busy to spend that much time on one thing.