Baseball: The Early Years

"Now available in paperback, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills' Baseball: The Early Years recounts the true story of how baseball came into being and how it developed into a highly organized business and social institution. The Early Years, traces the growth of baseball from the time of the first recorded ball game at Valley Forge during the revolution until the formation of the two present-day major leagues in 1903. By investigating previously unknown sources, the book uncovers the real story of how baseball evolved from a gentleman's amateur sport of 'well-bred play followed by well-laden banquet tables' into a professional sport where big leagues operate under their own laws. Offering countless anecdotes and a wealth of new information, the authors explode many cherished myths, including the one which claims that Abner Doubleday 'invented' baseball in 1839. They describe the influence of baseball on American business, manners, morals, social institutions, and even show business, as well as depicting the types of men who became the first professional ball players, club owners, and managers, including Spalding, McGraw, Comiskey, and Connie Mack."
amazon

Early Catchers Paid a Heavy Price
"... Pioneer catchers were daredevils who stood directly behind the batter with a simple rubber mouthpiece as their only protection. The mask arrived in 1877 and was soon joined by the chest protector and the mitt, but these safeguards offered minimal cushioning because full range of motion was valued far more than safety. The position was made still more hazardous by ignorance of the cumulative danger posed by the inevitable blows to the head, which has now been made clear by looking at boxers in the late 20th century and football players today. Catchers earned high praise if, after being knocked unconscious, they insisted on completing the game. A typical 1883 account described the mask of George Myers of the Port Hurons in Michigan being ripped off his face by a foul ball. He gamely borrowed a replacement, only to be clobbered on the next pitch by another 'terrible blow' that 'threatened to disable him,' The Cleveland Herald reported."
NY Times