A Legend for the Legendary

by James A. Vlasich

1990 · Popular Press

The origins of baseball are controversial. James A. Vlasich discusses the debates between two men intimately involved in nineteenth-century baseball, Henry Chadwick and Albert G. Spalding. Abner Graves of the Mills Commission claimed that Abner Doubleday had invented the game and he had done it in Cooperstown, New York. This claim was scrutinized at the time but the myth became etched into baseball history. Through the years, however, some critics have questioned the Mills Commission report. The problem is that the Baseball Hall of Fame is built on this shaky foundation. The lack of diligence on the part of Spalding's self-appointed committee has led to a credibility gap for the baseball shrine that continues a half century after its dedication. Indeed, the story of the building of the Baseball Hall of Fame is filled with intrigue worthy of a political thriller.

The Manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of Portland

by Great Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck Duke of Portland

1907

Vol. 1 is a calendar of twenty-two volumes of the collection of state papers, 1628-1660, formed by Dr. John Nalson, canon of Ely; v.3-10 are calendars of the Harley manuscripts, mainly private and official papers and letters of Robert Harley, 1st earl of Oxford; v. 7 is a calendar of the letters written from 1710 to 1720 to Edward Harley, 2d earl of Oxford, by Dr. William Stratford, canon of Christ's Church, Oxford.