Very rare basketball rules book, dated 1895-96. This terrific offering comes from just a few short years after James Naismith penned the original rules of basketball, making it one of the earliest known specimens of its kind. The front cover shows some general handling wear and light discoloration. There is a small half-inch tear to the right border and the original owner's name "Mabel Welton" written at the top right. The back cover contains remnants from the page in the album where the book was once archived. Welton was the coach of the 1895-96 Vassar College inaugural women's basketball team, which was also one of the very first women's hoops teams in the country. Basic rules include fouls for "striking ball with fist," among others, and some of the pages inside have been neatly scored by Coach Welton. An extremely scare and important artifact from the earliest days of the game.