Anybody who has ever thrown, caught, bounced, hit (or whiffed) a ball will mightily enjoy John Fox’s stories of where all these balls came from, and why, from our earliest days, they have been such an integral part of the very fun that makes us human.
A fun and anecdotal new book…which uses the evolution of the ball itself to trace mankind’s progress from prehistory through ancient Egypt and gladiatorial Rome to the births of modern sports like tennis and “base-ball.
In tracing the fascinating history of ball games — from the primal contests between prehistoric tribes playing with stuffed balls of grass, to the hypercommercialized violence of twenty-first-century Super Bowls — readers witness the evolution of more than just sports…A book for fans and scholars alike!
John Fox is dauntless…The Ball is a fascinating read that – like a good ball game – is both compelling and fun.
[In THE BALL], a realm of behavior that we take for granted is seen anew in all of its original strangeness. The ball itself—whether made of grass and beeswax, opossum pelts, kangaroo scrotums or seal hides—is depicted freshly as an extraordinary invention of human happiness.
John Fox is equal parts historian, anthropologist, world traveler, sports nut, and storyteller. The Ball is a fascinating exploration not just of the games we play but why we play them—of what our ballgames tell us about ourselves.
In tracing the fascinating history of ball games — from the primal contests between prehistoric tribes playing with stuffed balls of grass, to the hypercommercialized violence of twenty-first-century Super Bowls — readers witness the evolution of more than just sports…A book for fans and scholars alike!
A fun and anecdotal new book…which uses the evolution of the ball itself to trace mankind’s progress from prehistory through ancient Egypt and gladiatorial Rome to the births of modern sports like tennis and “base-ball.
John Fox is dauntless…The Ball is a fascinating read that – like a good ball game – is both compelling and fun.
Anybody who has ever thrown, caught, bounced, hit (or whiffed) a ball will mightilyenjoy John Fox’s stories of where all these balls came from, and why, from our earliestdays, they have been such an integral part of the very fun that makes us human.
An anthropologist and freelance journalist debuts with a peripatetic analysis of our ball games--where they came from, how they evolved and why we love them. Fox darts around the globe to show us the origins of our games. Locales include Ecuador, the Orkneys, France, Mexico, Onondaga, N.Y., Newbury and Springfield, Mass., and Ada, Ohio. In a mostly chronological fashion, the author reveals a variety of odd, amusing and even horrifying facts. Dolphins prefer balls to any other toys; Galen loved the popular Roman game of harpastum, a roughhouse contest; the Mayan game of ulama, a soccer-like competition with a much heavier ball advanced by hitting it with the hips, sometimes cost the losers their lives. In the Orkneys Fox witnessed a violent street game, the Kirkwall Ba', that divides the town, as many as a hundred on a side, a contest that continues until a side wins. Bruises, blood, broken bones--all are part of the action. The author played the medieval game of indoor tennis, teaching us about the origins of tennis terms like "love." He also explored the New World games of lacrosse, baseball, football and basketball. He dismisses legends (Abner Doubleday), confirms truths (James Naismith and basketball), participates as well as observes and teaches us how all sorts of balls were and are made. Occasionally, he speculates about the significance of it all--did our ability for language develop because we figured out how to throw? Sometimes he pontificates: "We play, therefore we are." The accounts of the ancient games engage more than the recent ones. The conclusions don't surprise, but crackerjack reporting crackles throughout.
