Live All You Can

Alexander Joy Cartwright and the Invention of Modern Baseball

Nonfiction, Sports, Baseball, History, Biography & Memoir, Business & Finance
Cover of the book Live All You Can by Jay Martin, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jay Martin ISBN: 9780231519694
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: July 9, 2009
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Jay Martin
ISBN: 9780231519694
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: July 9, 2009
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Laying waste to the notion that Abner Doubleday established the modern game of baseball, acclaimed biographer Jay Martin makes a bold case for A. J. Cartwright (1820-1892), an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and avid ballplayer whose keen perception and restless spirit codified the rules of the sport and engineered its rapid spread throughout the country.

Consulting Cartwright's personal correspondence and papers, Martin shows how this American archetype synthesized a number of elements from popular ballgames into the program, bylaws, and positions we find on the field today. After formalizing his blueprint, Cartwright worked tirelessly to promote baseball nationwide, appealing to both upper- and lower-class spectators and ballplayers and weaving a trail of influence across nineteenth-century America.

Addressing the controversy that has roiled for years around the claims for Doubleday and Cartwright, Martin revisits the original arguments behind each camp and throws into sharp relief the competing ambitions of these figures during a time of aggressive westward expansion and unparalleled opportunities for individual reinvention. Martin's story of modern baseball not only offers a fascinating window into a thoroughly American phenomenon but also accesses a rare history of American ideals.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Laying waste to the notion that Abner Doubleday established the modern game of baseball, acclaimed biographer Jay Martin makes a bold case for A. J. Cartwright (1820-1892), an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and avid ballplayer whose keen perception and restless spirit codified the rules of the sport and engineered its rapid spread throughout the country.

Consulting Cartwright's personal correspondence and papers, Martin shows how this American archetype synthesized a number of elements from popular ballgames into the program, bylaws, and positions we find on the field today. After formalizing his blueprint, Cartwright worked tirelessly to promote baseball nationwide, appealing to both upper- and lower-class spectators and ballplayers and weaving a trail of influence across nineteenth-century America.

Addressing the controversy that has roiled for years around the claims for Doubleday and Cartwright, Martin revisits the original arguments behind each camp and throws into sharp relief the competing ambitions of these figures during a time of aggressive westward expansion and unparalleled opportunities for individual reinvention. Martin's story of modern baseball not only offers a fascinating window into a thoroughly American phenomenon but also accesses a rare history of American ideals.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book The Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Between Ally and Partner by Jay Martin
Cover of the book A Natural History of the Common Law by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Experiencing Music Video by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Terrorism and Counterintelligence by Jay Martin
Cover of the book The Cinema of George A. Romero by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Eastwood's Iwo Jima by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Slow Movies by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Rewiring the Real by Jay Martin
Cover of the book The Traveler's Guide to Space by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Extreme Domesticity by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Memories of Life in Lhasa Under Chinese Rule by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Dispossession and the Environment by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Race in a Bottle by Jay Martin
Cover of the book Essential Law for Social Workers by Jay Martin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy