An exhilarating journey through the centuries in search of clues to the evolution of our modern national pastime.
David Block is a long-time collector of early baseball books and memorabilia, and is a passionate, lifelong fan of the game and its history.
"By pushing beyond baseball's reputed origins in an English children's game, David Block has discovered the game's true origins in an even older English game."--Times Literary Supplement, 12 August 2005 "Given North American baseball fans' nearly inexhaustible appetite for the arcana of their favourite sport, astonishingly few scholars have ever undertaken the detailed historical and anthropological research to find out where the game actually began... Now, through painstaking bibliographic and archival research, on display in his extensive appendices, Block has established ... the true forerunner of American baseball... By pushing beyond baseball's reputed origins in an English children's game, David Block has discovered the game's true origins in an even older English game." Warren Goldstein, Times Literary Supplement "The suggestion that America's Game might have originated somewhere besides America so 'inflamed passions and patriotism,' writes David Block, that the idea still burns us... Block has produced a deliciously researched feast that lays this controversy to rest... Block has assembled such a rich pile of evidence for the game's European origins that one might wonder why there ever was a controversy... Once an American reader gets past the disappointment of discovering baseball's deep European roots, Block's book is a perfect delight. He has unearthed magnificent medieval manuscripts ... That show that baseball is just the latest in a very long line of stick-and-ball games." Charles Hirshberg, Sports Illustrated "As if this country doesn't have enough to worry about, it turns out America's national pastime may not even be American. At least according to Baseball before We Knew It, a new book by David Block. Block contends the origins of the game date to the mid-14th century and can be traced to northern Europe and parts of Africa. Hold on there, pal. What about good old Abner Doubleday? 'There's no evidence he even played baseball,' Block says. 'It's simply a case of people passing down stories that have never been substantiated.' Now, there's something we seem to be very good at." Morty Ain, ESPN: The Magazine "Baseball, Block convincingly argues, was not a product of rounders, and its essential form had already been established by the late 18th century. Where, then, did baseball come from? In search of an answer, Block, a retired systems analyst and an antiquarian book collector, has attacked baseball's literary record with methodical zeal. The result is a joyfully discursive romp through the history of ball sports and a compelling new theory of the game's origins." New York Times Book Review "Baseball before We Knew It is a rare piece of historical research that transforms the historical landscape. It is also elegantly written and lightened with a subtle humor. No one who makes any claim to being a baseball historian or a student of the game can go forward without Block's stunning work." Sports Literature Association. "Block's book obviates the need for any other analysis of baseball's origins and roots. Including the illustrations that go back to the 14th-century manuscripts in the Bodleian Library emphasizing pre-Civil War sources, this one volume contains everything regarding the history of the origin of the American national pastime. Myths are debunked, fables are demystified, and in the end one is left with a comprehensive and convincing historical record." CHOICE "Baseball before We Knew It is a magnificent piece of work that puts an end to the myths and errors that have clouded our understanding of where and how our national game began and developed. This definitely settled, we are now also clear about the source and cause of the previous notionsoaltogether a masterpiece of research agreeably presented." Jacques Barzun, author of From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Lifeo1500 to the Present "Baseball before We Knew It is an important book, erudite, entertaining and truly groundbreaking. David Block goes beyond debunking the game's creation myths to creating a knowledge base upon which all future research will rely. This brilliant book takes a place on my shelf alongside Seymour, Voigt, and Henderson."John Thorn, editor of Total Baseball "To quote from no less an expert than John Thorn, Block has created a knowledge base for the origins of baseball on which all future research will rely. That's a big claim, but if you read Baseball Before We Knew It, you'll know it's correct."Albert Goodwill Spalding, Baseball...Then and Now "Not content with merely demolishing the credibility of Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown once again, Block discerns baseball's true origins in a British children's game of the early 18th century. Masterfully researched and extraordinarily well-documented, this book includes and invaluable 60-page, chronological bibliography of baseball mentions from 1450 to 1861." College & Research Libraries News
"By pushing beyond baseball's reputed origins in an English children's game, David Block has discovered the game's true origins in an even older English game."--Times Literary Supplement, 12 August 2005 "Given North American baseball fans' nearly inexhaustible appetite for the arcana of their favourite sport, astonishingly few scholars have ever undertaken the detailed historical and anthropological research to find out where the game actually began... Now, through painstaking bibliographic and archival research, on display in his extensive appendices, Block has established ... the true forerunner of American baseball... By pushing beyond baseball's reputed origins in an English children's game, David Block has discovered the game's true origins in an even older English game." Warren Goldstein, Times Literary Supplement "The suggestion that America's Game might have originated somewhere besides America so 'inflamed passions and patriotism,' writes David Block, that the idea still burns us... Block has produced a deliciously researched feast that lays this controversy to rest... Block has assembled such a rich pile of evidence for the game's European origins that one might wonder why there ever was a controversy... Once an American reader gets past the disappointment of discovering baseball's deep European roots, Block's book is a perfect delight. He has unearthed magnificent medieval manuscripts ... That show that baseball is just the latest in a very long line of stick-and-ball games." Charles Hirshberg, Sports Illustrated "As if this country doesn't have enough to worry about, it turns out America's national pastime may not even be American. At least according to Baseball before We Knew It, a new book by David Block. Block contends the origins of the game date to the mid-14th century and can be traced to northern Europe and parts of Africa. Hold on there, pal. What about good old Abner Doubleday? 'There's no evidence he even played baseball,' Block says. 'It's simply a case of people passing down stories that have never been substantiated.' Now, there's something we seem to be very good at." Morty Ain, ESPN: The Magazine "Baseball, Block convincingly argues, was not a product of rounders, and its essential form had already been established by the late 18th century. Where, then, did baseball come from? In search of an answer, Block, a retired systems analyst and an antiquarian book collector, has attacked baseball's literary record with methodical zeal. The result is a joyfully discursive romp through the history of ball sports and a compelling new theory of the game's origins." New York Times Book Review "Baseball before We Knew It is a rare piece of historical research that transforms the historical landscape. It is also elegantly written and lightened with a subtle humor. No one who makes any claim to being a baseball historian or a student of the game can go forward without Block's stunning work." Sports Literature Association. "Block's book obviates the need for any other analysis of baseball's origins and roots. Including the illustrations that go back to the 14th-century manuscripts in the Bodleian Library emphasizing pre-Civil War sources, this one volume contains everything regarding the history of the origin of the American national pastime. Myths are debunked, fables are demystified, and in the end one is left with a comprehensive and convincing historical record." CHOICE "Baseball before We Knew It is a magnificent piece of work that puts an end to the myths and errors that have clouded our understanding of where and how our national game began and developed. This definitely settled, we are now also clear about the source and cause of the previous notionsoaltogether a masterpiece of research agreeably presented." Jacques Barzun, author of From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Lifeo1500 to the Present "Baseball before We Knew It is an important book, erudite, entertaining and truly groundbreaking. David Block goes beyond debunking the game's creation myths to creating a knowledge base upon which all future research will rely. This brilliant book takes a place on my shelf alongside Seymour, Voigt, and Henderson."John Thorn, editor of Total Baseball "To quote from no less an expert than John Thorn, Block has created a knowledge base for the origins of baseball on which all future research will rely. That's a big claim, but if you read Baseball Before We Knew It, you'll know it's correct."Albert Goodwill Spalding, Baseball...Then and Now "Not content with merely demolishing the credibility of Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown once again, Block discerns baseball's true origins in a British children's game of the early 18th century. Masterfully researched and extraordinarily well-documented, this book includes and invaluable 60-page, chronological bibliography of baseball mentions from 1450 to 1861." College & Research Libraries News
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