Spalding's Athletic Library were a series of sports and exercise books published through "American Sports Publishing Company" from 1892 to 1941. Both brands were owned and founded by American sporting goods manufacturer Spalding. Books covered over 30 different sports and exercises, and over 20 different organizations.
History Growth of Spalding Athletic Library Albert Spalding created the Spalding (company) in 1876. Spalding has sold sports equipment from late 1876 to present.Spalding Company website. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020 "Spalding Athletic Library" sold sports and exercise books through the American Sports Publishing Company from 1892 to 1941. Both companies were owned and founded by Spalding. Spalding created the Spalding Athletic Library in 1892.Successful Men; The History Box. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020 and founded the American Sports Publishing Company,Successful Men. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020 incorporated in New Jersey in 1892.Corporations on New Jersey. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020 American Sports Publishing Company used a New York address from 1892 to 1941.
James Edward Sullivan was President of the American Sports Publishing Company from 1892 to 1914Library of Congress. Spalding. Retrieved Dec 19, 2020Billings Gazette, Montana, Aug 18, 1921. Retrieved Jan 24, 2021 which published the Spalding Athletic Library.GoogleBooks. Patriotic Games: Sporting Traditions in the American Imagination, 1876–1926. Page 31. Retrieved Dec 19, 2020 John Doyle (vice president) was another key executive for the publishing company from 1892 to 1941.Kansas City Star, Missouri, Apr 24, 1941. Retrieved Feb 22, 2021UPI, Feb 9, 1984. Retrieved Feb 22, 2021MSU. Retrieved Feb 22, 2021
Spalding Co purchased Wright & Ditson Co in 1892 and AJ Reach Co. in 1889.Mysterious Partnership. Retrieved Dec 15, 2020 For several years after the purchases, Wright & Ditson Co and AJ Reach Co continued to publish sports books separately from the Spalding Athletic Library name.REA History. Retrieved Dec 15, 2020Our Game. Retrieved Dec 15, 2020 Professional baseball player George Wright co-founded Wright & Ditson Co; and professional baseball player Al Reach founded AJ Reach Co. The Spalding Baseball Guides were published under AG Spalding & Bros until 1893–1894, and starting in 1894–1895 by American Sports Publishing Company (but not using the Spalding Athletic Library name).Arkansas Baseball. Retrieved Dec 15, 2020
1941, the American Sports Publishing Company (and Spalding Athletic Library) was sold to A.S. Barnes & Co.Press and Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, NY, August 28, 1941. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020 The books now sold under A.S. Barnes & Co. name. In 1941 A.S. Barnes & Co. took over publishing the NCAA sports rules and record books from Spalding.Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, Nebraska, Apr 28, 1941. Retrieved Feb 22, 2021
Mail order catalogue Spalding produced mail order catalogues that provided a description, price and picture of their sports equipment, sports books, and exercise books. A couple of examples are How to Play Golf for 25 cents, How to Play Basketball at 10 cents, and How to Train for Bicycling at 10 cents.Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library; Spalding Catalogue. Retrieved Oct. 24, 2020
Organizations Sports and exercise books (guide books and rule books) were produced by Spalding Athletic Library for numerous organizations.
Some of the organizations included: Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Association Football, Athletic League of the Young Men's Christian Associations of North American (YMCA), Inter-Collegiate Association of Amateur Gymnasts of America, Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IC4A), National Association of Professional Base Ball Leagues, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Indoor Baseball Association of the United States, National Roque Association of America, Olympic Games, Public Schools Athletic League, Pacific Association of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Pacific Northwest Association of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Public School Athletic Association of Jersey City, Public School Athletic Association of Newark, Texas Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association, United States Inter-Collegiate Lacrosse Association, and Young Men's Christian Associations of North American (YMCA).Bulletin of the New York Public Library, Volume 26, January to December, 1922. Retrieved Dec 31, 2020Books Added, 1911–1915, Chicago Public Library, Part II, Issued 1916. Retrieved Dec 31, 2020University of Notre Dame, Hesburg Libraries. Retrieved Dec 31, 2020
May 1896 the Official Rowing Guide was issued. Frederick R Fortmeyer (secretary of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen) compiled the 86-page guide. It also includes laws governing the association.Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, May 25, 1896. Retrieved Jan 30, 2021
By 1898 the following leagues (associations) had already formed: The Amateur Hockey League of New York, The Amateur Hockey Association of Canada, and The Ontario Hockey Association. The 1898 Spalding Athletic Library book includes rules (laws) and results for each league (association).US Archive, Spalding Athletic Library 1898 Ice Hockey and Ice Polo. Retrieved Jan 8, 2021
July 1908, Spalding issued the official athletic rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States.Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, Aug 23, 1908. Retrieved Jan 30, 201
In 1918 Spalding issued a book, Army and Navy Camp YMCA Physical Work to support athletic activities.Oakland Tribune, Jan 23, 1918. Retrieved Jan 1, 2021 In 1919 Official Athletic Almanac of the American Expeditionary Forces 1919 A.E.F. Championships Inter-Allied Games was issued.1919 Spalding Athletic Library. Retrieved Jan 1, 2021
First 37 books The following are books published between 1892 and April 1896. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 were "issued monthly" under the Volume and Number. "Issue monthly" was later dropped from the cover. The first eighteen books were issued in between 1892 and 1894. Books nineteen to thirty six were issued between 1894 and May 1895.
NumberName of BookRef 01 "Life and Battles of James J. Corbett", Volume 1, Number 1, issued in 1892. The book includes stories of Corbett's past opponents. The first book was published under: Spalding's Athletic Library, American Sports Publishing Company, New York. The editor of the first book was Richard K Fox, and Corbett is referred to as the California Wonder. Buffalo Courier, Buffalo, NY, October 30, 1892. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020Open Library. Retrieved Nov 22, 2020 02 "Indian Clubs and Dumb Bells", Volume 1, Number 2, issued November 1892, editor was J H Dougherty Standard Union, Brooklyn, NY, Nov 30, 1892. Retrieved Dec 16, 2020 03 "Bowling" Volume 1, Number 3, issued December 1892, editor was A E Vogell 04 "Boxing: a complete manual of the art of self-defense" Volume 1, Number 4, issued January 1893. Includes how to, rules, and illustrations FDOCUMENTS. Spalding. Retrieved Dec 17, 2020 05 Gymnastics by Robert Stoll Internet Archive, Spalding Official Sporting Rules, 1894. Retrieved Dec 29, 2020 06 Lawn Tennis by OS Campbell 07 Base Ball by Walter Camp 08 Golf by Stuart Balfour 09 Athletes' Guide 10 Croquet 11 Official Foot Ball Guide and Referee's Book by Walter Camp 12 Gaelic and Association Football 13 Hand Ball 14 Curling, Hockey and Polo 15 Indoor Base Ball Guide 16 Skating 17 Basket Ball 18 Fencing 19 Spalding Official Baseball Guide for 1894 digifind-it.com, Spalding Official Golf Guide. Retrieved Jan 9, 2021 20 Cricket Guide 21 Rowing 22 Croquet 23 Canoeing 24 Official Football Guide for 1894 25 Swimming 26 How to Play Football 27 College Athletics 28 Athletic Almanac 29 Exercising with Pulley Weights 30 How to Play Lacrosse 31 Spalding Official Baseball Guide for 1895 32A Practical Ball Playing 33 Lawn Tennis Guide for 1895 34 Official Rowing Guide for 1895 35 Intercollegiate AAAA Guide(IC4A) 36 Official Golf Guide for 1895 37 All Around athletics Hopkinsville Kentuckian newspaper, Apr 7, 1896. Retrieved Feb 25, 2023
Numerous books were published until 1941.
Sports and exercise
Spalding Athletic Library covered a variety of sports and exercises. Advertisement inside Spalding includes lists of available books which include Archery, Athletics (Track and Field; All Around; Cross country running and Marathon), Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bicycling, Bowling, Boxing, Canoeing, Cricket, Croquet, Curling, Fencing, (American) Football, Golf, Gymnast, Handball, Hockey, Jujutsu, Lacrosse, Lawn Sports, Polo, Pushball, Quoits, Racquetball, Rowing (sport), Rugby, Skating, Soccer (Football), Squash (sport), Swimming, Tennis, Tumbling (gymnastics), Volleyball, and Wrestling. Bodybuilding books included Dumb Bell, Indian club, Medicine Ball, and Pulley Weights.Chicago Public Library 1911–1915. Retrieved Nov 22, 2020Bulletin of the New York Public Library. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020
In the self defense series, Jiu Jitsui with poses by A Minami and K Koyama.Babel Hathitrust, Jiu Jitsui, Red Cover Series, 1916. Retrieved Dec 11, 2020
Sports Baseball
Spalding (Official) Baseball Guide was available 1870s to 1941. The Baseball Guide was published by A. G. Spalding & Bros. 1870s to 1893, and Spalding Athletic Library from 1894 until 1941.Bulletin Board. Track and Field News. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020Index of Online Baseball Guides. Sean Lahman website. Retrieved Dec 29, 2020
Henry Chadwick, through the Spalding Athletic Library collection, added the "Technical Terms of Base Ball" in 1897.SABR, Martin Hoerchner, May 1996. Retrieved Feb 11, 2021The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary: A Cyclopedic Reference. Retrieved Feb 11, 2021Norfolk Landmark, Norfolk, VA, May 16, 1897. Retrieved Feb 11, 2021
Johnny Evers baseball hall of fame athlete added "How to Play Second Base" to the collection of the Spalding Athletic Library. Published by American Sports Publishing Company in New York, and the price on the cover was 10 cents. Copyright 1917. Topics include "Thinking Out Plays in Advance", "Advise Against Blocking", and "Important Foot-Work." The book also includes pictures and diagrams to assist with learning baseball.Open Library. How to Play Second Base. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020
In 1917 Billy Evans "noted American League Umpire" teamed up with the Spalding Athletic Library for the book, "How to umpire".The Bookseller, Newsdealer and Stationer, Volume 47, page 387, Oct 1, 1917. Retrieved Feb 11, 2021
In 1922 a Spalding baseball uniform (cap, shirt, belt, pants, stockings, mitt and ball) and a Spalding book "How to Pitch" was available for $6.75 from Spalding in Newark.New York Times, December 7, 1922. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020 In 1906 the book alone sold for ten centsBuffalo Times, Buffalo, NY, April 19, 1906. Retrieved Oct. 23, 2020
Ty Cobb wrote "Strategy in the Outfield."The Spalding Baseball Collection, The New York Public Library 1922. Retrieved Dec 11, 2020
1919 American Sports Publishing printed a thirty-two-page magazine on baseball that included the "choosin' up" illustration by Leslie Thrasher.New York Herald, NY, NY, July 5, 1919. Retrieved Jan 24, 2021
Basketball Spalding worked with Dr. James Naismith to develop the official basketball and rule book in the 1893–1894.Spalding Basketball. Retrieved Dec 16, 2020 Spalding published guides on Basketball from the 1893–1894 to 1940–1941.Vintage Basketball. Retrieved Dec 16, 2020 The guides were also used by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Hathitrust. Retrieved Dec 16, 2020 and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 30, 1930. Retrieved Dec 16, 2020
Boxing 1902 William Elmer and Spalding issued "Boxing". The New York Times, stated that the work provided a comprehensive look at pugilist, and prize ring history.New York Times, Nov 17, 1902. Retrieved Jan 24, 2021GoogleBooks, American Sports Publishing, 1902. Retrieved Jan 24, 2021