The longest running periodical chronicling the national pastime, Baseball was must-reading for fans, players and front office personnel from 1908 to 1957 and then again briefly in the mid-1960s. This classy, vital publication not only flourished during the 20th century, but helped the game it covered to equally blossom. The illustrations and covers from the 1910s-30s represent a high-water mark in baseball art. The issues of the 1930s-1950s set the gold standard for photography. Most importantly, however, this represents one of the greatest tools for baseball research. It also establishes a feel for the game in its time, serving as something of a time machine, providing unique insights to the times and mindsets of bygone eras. There are approximately 550 issues. A handful of the 1960s issues are not here, but nearly the volumes are intact and accounted for. The finest entities of this collection are two original bound volumes that contain the earliest issues including the very rare #1 (only a few exist). These issues are a run from May, 1908 to June, 1909. The first volume in original “Base Ball Magazine” binding is inscribed to John Morrill, The Captain of the 1880s Boston teams, from Baseball Magazine President Jacob Morse. This is quite possibly the finest Baseball Magazine run extant. Only three or four exist and very rarely come to auction. Many of the early format issues still have their spines & many of these issues represent the finest known copies. Many of the later issues are “blazers” and are not the typical brittle versions one normally encounters. Noteworthy is that the first two issues have the rare Honus Wagner & Christy Mathewson color inserts, which we have not seen before. This one's a grand slam!