The elemental baseball book, this is the original by Father of Baseball Henry Chadwick, his extraordinary 1868 FIRST EDITION, The Game of Baseball. Sumptuous 180-page hardcover volume published by George Munroe & Co. is universally acknowledged to be one of the most important if not THE most important baseball books ever to be written. "The Chadwick Book," as it is often referred to by advanced collectors, is considered the cornerstone of all important baseball libraries. This is the finest version we know of with gold leaf embellishment on cover. Several illustrations throughout including a magnificent full page of Henry Chadwick on the frontispiece. On the flyleaf is the name of the original owner in pencil, "John W. Cole...West Gardiner, Maine." Furthermore, there are diagrams of the original baseball field by the man who first mapped it out as well. The address of the former owner is written lightly in pencil on the flyleaf. Some scuffing on the front and back boards, and slight restoration to the binding. The printing on the front cover is light, but visible. The interior pages are especially nice with little to no foxing, missing pages or tears. With only a handful of specimens known, this lot presents a rare opportunity to own the Holy Grail of baseball books. This is only the second copy we have handled in 25 years making us the only firm to have handled more than one, attesting to its rarity.