From his 1856 introduction to the then new game of baseball, Henry Chadwick became one of the prime movers in the rise of baseball to its unprecedented popularity at the turn of the 20th century. A newspaper reporter and a keen amateur statistician, he helped mold the public perception of the game, as well as providing the basis for recording team and player achievements in the form of baseball statistics.
Chadwick's many contributions to the game also included the cryptic method in which he recorded plays (the forerunner to today's scorecard) and the acceptance of the fly ball rule. Teaching by example, Chadwick's The American Game of Baseball includes early plays and players to illustrate the rules and the nuances of the sport. With these glimpses from the early days of baseball, The Game of Baseball is more than a manual. Iit is a uniquely important piece of sports history. Originally published in 1868. This facsimile edition is a must for baseball aficionados everywhere. Henry Chadwick (October 5, 1824 – April 20, 1908), often called the ""father of baseball,"" was a sportswriter, baseball statistician and historian.