In Volume 9 of “Base Ball – A Journal of the Early Game” [2016], Theodore A Frank, Jr. (a pseudonym) performed an analysis of the “Laws of Base Ball.” Doc Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball” were written in 1857, auctioned first in 1999, and re-discovered and auctioned again in 2016. This article evaluates the document’s content and historical significance. The following are excerpts from the article. The full analysis can be found on Internet Archive.

Conclusion

While not every provision proposed by Doc Adams’ “The Laws of Base Ball” was adopted (as written) by the Convention, it is very clear from the following analysis that all of Doc Adams’ foundational proposals were adopted largely unchanged by the Convention. This supports the importance of Doc Adams and the Knickerbockers in the founding of our modern game.

“Analysis of the “Laws of Base Ball”, Base Ball – A Journal of the Early Game Volume 9