In Francis C. Richter’s (editor of Sporting Life) book, “Richter’s History and Records of Base Ball” written in 1914, is a comprehensive work among the early books on baseball.

From the preface: This volume is designed to supply the growing need of a concise, yet complete, record of our National Game, from its remote inception and humble beginning to the present period of magnificent development to real national stature. It is also designed to serve this purpose in such form as to make it valuable, possibly indispensable, as a book of special information, of ready reference, and of general interest to all lovers and students of the great game. This book is also designed to preserve in compact form the invaluable playing records of the sport, heretofore so scattered and so neglected that they were in danger of becoming obscured, reduced to mere tradition, or lost altogether.

Our interest in this book is a letter from John M.Ward to Albert Spalding on baseball’s origins. In it, Ward refers to several Knickerbocker’s (Doc Adams listed first but not alphabetically) and their role in standardizing the game. John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author.