1857.42
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The "X" Letters
| Salience | Prominent |
|---|---|
| Tags | Base Ball Stratagems, Business of Baseball, Club Constitutions/Bylaws, EquipmentBase Ball Stratagems, Business of Baseball, Club Constitutions/Bylaws, Equipment |
| Location | Greater New York CityGreater New York City |
| City/State/Country: | NYC, NY, United States |
| Modern Address | |
| Game | Base BallBase Ball |
| Immediacy of Report | Contemporary |
| Age of Players | AdultAdult |
| Holiday | |
| Notables | |
| Text | "DEAR SPIRIT:- As the season for playing Ball, and other out-door sports has nearly passed away, and as you have fairly become the chronicle for Cricket and Base Ball, I take the liberty of writing to you, and to the Ball players through you, a few letters, which I hope will prove of some interest to your readers." Between October 1857 and January 1858, New York- based Porter’s Spirit of the Times, which covered Knickerbocker Rules base ball on a regular basis, published a series of 14 anonymous letters concerning the game. Identifying himself only as “X”, the author’s stated purpose was to “induce some prominent player to write or publish a book on the game.” The letters described the origins of the game, profiled prominent clubs in New York and Brooklyn, offered advice on starting and operating a club, on equipment, and on position play, and, finally, commented on the issues of the day in the base ball community. As the earliest such effort, the letters are of interest as a window into a base ball community poised for the explosive growth which followed the Fashion Race Course games of 1858. |
| Sources | Porter's Spirit of the Times, Oct. 24, 1857 - Jan. 23, 1858 |
| Warning | |
| Comment | The identity of "X" has not been discovered. Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| External Number | |
| Submitted by | Bob Tholkes |
| Submission Note | 3/18/2014 |
| Has Supplemental Text |
1857.42 The "X" Letters"
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