PORTER'S SPIRIT OF THE TIMES. A Chronicle of the Turf, Field Sports, Literature and the Stage. Volume III, Nos. 1 - 26

New York: [Wm. Porter & George Wilkes], 1857-1858. First Edition. Hardcover. Old water stain to bottom third of most pages, heavier towards the end but not terribly distracting. Contents Good, binding about Fine. Folio (11-1/4" x 16-1/4") in modern leather-backed marbled boards with leather corners. Includes 26 issues (5 September 1857 - 27 February 1858) of this important sports newspaper containing accounts of horse races, billiards, cricket matches, chess, and some of the earliest reportage of baseball games including printed box scores (developed by Henry Chadwick in 1856) and rule changes; 415 pages plus single-page index at the end. Illustrated throughout including a fine engraving titled "Base Ball in America" on the front cover of the second issue (12 September 1857), THE FIRST PUBLISHED IMAGE OF A BASE BALL GAME IN PROGRESS. PORTER'S SPIRIT was one of the first publications in America to devote a considerable amount of space to “base ball.” Nearly every issue in this volume devotes space to baseball, including game results and summaries, commentaries on teams and players, and discussions of rules and regulations. Beginning with the October 24 issue, “X” contributed fourteen “Base Ball Sketches,” which provide invaluable detailed histories of existent clubs. Much more. The first extensive treatment of baseball in an American magazine and a cornerstone for any serious 19th century baseball collection.