A Ball Player's Career by Adrian C. Anson (Era Publishing, 1900)

I recently finished a more in-depth review of Anson's book than what will be included here. For those who may be interested, my relatively lengthy review is scheduled to be published in the fall 2011 edition of Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game. In the present edition of Base Ball, an article I wrote dealing with the 1906 Scranton Miners (local minor league baseball heroes a century ago) is included.

Anyway, "Cap" Anson certainly seems fit for inclusion in this blog. He is a baseball Hall of Fame first baseman who played professional ball from 1871 to 1897. He grew up on the frontier in Iowa (at least the frontier for European Americans) surrounded by members of the Pottawatomie Indian tribe. Anson provides a terrific history of early baseball from thoughts on the beginning of the game, to his childhood participation in variations of baseball including soak-ball and old cat, to the rise of the professional game, to early organizational meetings he attended for what would become the American League, his insights on the game from a 1900 perspective are priceless. He delivers firsthand accounts of such early baseball luminaries as A.G. Spalding, Al Reach, John Ward, William Hulbert, Henry Chadwick, and Billy Sunday. In 1888-89, Anson was among a group of baseball ambassadors that circumnavigated the globe playing many games along the way. Just short of half of Anson's book describes the people and surroundings he came in contact with during the trip, and he does not shy away from voicing his opinion on numerous subjects. Cap met presidents and kings. He fought with police officers in a barroom brawl, spent a night in prison, and took the officers out for drinks the next evening. In other words, he led a colorful life.

Anson was a modestly educated person who was able to travel the world due to his athletic prowess. He was a strongly opinionated product of his times, and his seemingly unvarnished commentary paints a vivid picture of a bygone era. Yes, Cap Anson is astonishingly (especially to 21st century readers) politically incorrect at times. However, as the first substantial baseball autobiography and as a glimpse into late-19th century culture, A Ball Player's Career is a fascinating read.

If you wish to take a look at Anson's book, a first edition copy is available online thanks to Google and the libraries of the University of Michigan.