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.
Henry Chadwick, through the Spalding Athletic Library collection, added the "Technical Terms of Base Ball" in 1897.
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. In 1917
Billy Evans "noted American League Umpire" teamed up with the Spalding Athletic Library for the book, "How to umpire". 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. In 1906 the book alone sold for ten cents
Ty Cobb wrote "Strategy in the Outfield." 1919 American Sports Publishing printed a thirty-two-page magazine on baseball that included the "choosin' up" illustration by
Leslie Thrasher.
Basketball Spalding worked with Dr.
James Naismith to develop the official basketball and rule book in the 1893–1894. Spalding published guides on Basketball from the 1893–1894 to 1940–1941. The guides were also used by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
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. 1913 and 1917 Spalding issued, "Boxing: a guide to the Manly Art of Self Defense. “ Includes the Science of Boxing, sparing partners, rules, hints, and many illustrations. 1914 "How to Punch a Bag" by Young Corbett was issued. Includes sample workouts, instructions, and illustrations. 1932 "A.A.U. Boxing: Official Rules, Amateur Athletic Union of the United States: Olympic Rules (international Amateur Boxing Federation Rules)” was issued.
American football The
Official Foot Ball Guide, containing official rules of the game, predated the Spalding Athletic Library, first being issued by Spalding in 1887. This annual publication actually carried forward a series of earlier football guides edited by Hall of Fame coach
Walter Camp from 1884 to 1886, published by Wright and Ditson. The guides included an
All-American football team list, football highlights, scores, and records for major universities; as well as rules with diagrams. Beginning in 1920, Spalding began to issue regional editions of the annual
Foot Ball Guide which included coverage somewhat skewed either to Eastern or Western colleges. The NCAA took over the publisher's role itself in 1950. The
National Football League (NFL) made the college rule book its own until 1932, when the league altered a few rules for its own use and appointed its own standing Rules Committee. This shortly created a need for a parallel
The National Football League: Professional Football Rules guide, which Spalding issued annually from 1935 to 1940. In these editions content specific to the NFL was appended to the basic NCAA rule book, reprinted "with permission of the NCAA Publication Committee," and fronted by a very short preface detailing "Important Rules Used Exclusively in Professional Football." This publication was rendered obsolete in 1941 by the NFL itself with the launch of its
Official National Football League Roster and Record Manual, to which a rules section was added in 1942. This publication has continued without interruption to the present day under a number of different titles, most recently the
Official National Football League Record and Fact Book, with a parallel annual publication targeted to officials, players, and team executives called
Official Rules for Professional Football. Soccer (football) Thomas Cahill (soccer) and others assisted on creating Spalding Official Soccer (Football) Guides. The 1912 Spalding Official Soccer (Football) Guide include information on the 1912 Olympics, associations (AAFA,
FIFA, American Amateur Foot Ball Association, and others), clubs, scores, records, standings, articles, and photographs. The New York Footballer's Protective Association was founded August 1912 for assisting injured athletes. In 1911 Canadian
George Orton teamed up with
Thomas Cahill (soccer) for the Spalding Athletic Library Official Association Soccer (Foot Ball) Guide. In 1920 J A McWeeney (from London) was editor for How to Play Soccer. The Spalding Soccer (Football) guides were available from 1904–1905 to 1923–1924.
Croquet Spalding issued several rules and laws books on Croquet in between 1911 and 1931, editor
Charles Jacobus for the 1910 issue.
Golf May 1895 Spalding issued Official Golf Guide, revised by L B Stoddard, which included rules, regulations, history and illustrations. Golf champions
Harry Vardon and
James Braid (golfer) collaborated on several editions of "How to Play Golf".
Tom Bendelow was editor on many Spalding Athletic Library's official golf guides in the early years. The guides included information on championships, illustrations, and "how to". June 1901, Spalding issued the official golf guide by Charles S Cox which includes article and pictures of Harry Vardon.
Grantland Rice and
Bobby Jones (golfer) teamed up for Spalding's Golf Guide 1932.
Ice hockey Spalding created guides for
ice hockey starting 1897–1898 to 1941. The 1897–1898 guide was edited by JA Tuthill of the
Montclair Athletic Club (ice hockey). These guides were also for the
National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Arthur Farrell worked with Spalding on creating Ice Hockey Books 1901, 1905, 1906, and 1910. Frederick Toombs' Ice Hockey books were issued 1907, 1909, 1911–1914, and 1915–1918.
Rowing May 1894 Spalding issued "Rowing" by E J Giannini. It provided a complete manual, with illustrations and valuable advice. The first section was titled, How to Use and Oar and Sculls. A similar book was issued in 1901. In 1910 Spalding advertised book, Group XIII, No 128 "How to Row" by E J Giannini (gold medal-winning Olympian in freestyle swimming).
Tennis Champion
Bill Tilden was editor for "The Kid: A Tennis Lesson" 1921 and "Tennis: Junior, Club, Expert".
Olympics Spalding Athletic Library sold books on the Olympics. Book, "The Olympic Games at Athens, 1906" by
James Edward Sullivan, copyright 1906, and is focus on Athletics (Track and Field). The book includes information on the Games site, countries competing, dignitaries responsible for the Games (such as
Theodore Roosevelt), pictures of dignitaries and athletes, dates and results of the sporting events, and Olympic Origins. The book also includes a short descriptions of "Throwing the Discus" (pages 156 through 165). The series also included "The Olympic Games Stockholm 1912" edited by James E Sullivan.
Athletics (track and field) The 1891 Spalding's Official Athletic Guide and Handbook was published by A. G. Spalding & Bros. Spalding Athletic Library's 1893 Athletes Guide was published by American Sports Publishing Company. This guide was available until 1941. In 1896 book No. 46 was issued, "Athletic Almanac" by J.E. Sullivan. 1909 Spalding issued "Schoolyard Athletics: for youth. The book offers organization, rules, order of events, and illustrations. Editor was James E. Sullivan. 1913
George Orton teamed up with Spalding for "Athletic Training for School Boys." Book includes instructions on training, sprints, distance, hurdles and field events. Book also includes illustrations to assist the athlete. In 1922 Spalding issued "Official Athletic Almanac" and "National Collegiate Athletic Association Track and Field Rules & Official Track and Field Guide". These books included rules, records, meet results, photographs, and past Olympic results. Spalding issued several "how to" books, one being "How to become a weight thrower" by Olympian
James Mitchel. In 1929 Olympian
Archie Hahn "How to Sprint" was issued. Spalding published the 1913 IAAF Handbook which included international athletics rules and events eligible for world records. James E. Sullivan was listed as the Chairman World's Record Committee. The organization is currently known as
World Athletics ==References==