Baseball Annuals - Guide Format - Joyce Sports Research Collection - Library Guides at University of Notre Dame

Baseball Annuals - Guide Format Overview

The Joyce Sports Research Collection, Department of Special Collections, University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries holds many of the annual guidebooks covering professional baseball that have been published since the late nineteenth century. The dates that follow the guides listed on this page indicate the span of years a given title was published; available holdings are indicated in the linked catalog record or finding aid.

Of particular note are the Holdings of the Spalding (1876-1939), Reach (1883-1939), Spalding-Reach (1940-41) and Sporting News (1908- ) annual guides. Historically, guides have sought to provide a narrative and statistical chronicle of the previous year's events in professional baseball, though the Spalding and Reach books generally include some treatment of amateur and semi-pro ball as well. From 1883 to 1891 coverage of the two major leagues was largely divided between Reach (American Association) and Spalding (National League); a similar situation obtained nominally after 1900, with the Reach billing itself as the official guide of the new American League, but the emphasis in coverage is not that marked. Given the frequently excellent editorial content of the guides, they are a convenient source for obtaining a good contemporary overview of a given season.

Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide

Note: This section does not include copies of the so-called Horton reprints—reprints of the Spalding guides for 1876 to 1905 issued by Horton Publishing of St. Louis in 1989. A full set of these reprints is held in Special Collections (Rare Books Small GV 877 .S73a).

Title: Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide
Publisher: New York: American Sports Publishing
Publication History: Annually, 1876-1939
Notes: Continued by Spalding-Reach Official Base Ball Guide

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Catalog No: Rare Books Small GV 877 .S73

Reach's Official Baseball Guide

Note: This section does not include copies of the so-called Horton reprints--reprints of the Reach guides for 1883 to 1905 issued by Horton Publishing of St. Louis in 1989. A full set of these reprints is held in Special Collections (Rare Books Small GV 877 .R35a).

Title: Reach's Official American Association Base Ball Guide
Publisher: Philadelphia: A. S. Reach
Publication History: Annually, 1883-1891
Notes: Continued by Reach's Official Base Ball Guide

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Call No.: Rare Books Small GV 877 .R35

Title: Reach's Official Base Ball Guide
Publisher: Philadelphia: A. S. Reach
Publication History: Annually, 1892-1901
Notes: Continuation of Reach's Official American Association Base Ball Guide; continued by Reach's Official American League Base Ball Guide

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Call No.: Rare Books Small GV 877 .R35

Title: Reach's Official American League Base Ball Guide
Publisher: Philadelphia: A. S. Reach
Publication History: Annually, 1902-1905
Notes: Continuation of Reach's Official Base Ball Guide; continued by The Reach Official American League Base Ball Guide

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Call No.: Rare Books Small GV 877 .R35

Title: The Reach Official American League Base Ball Guide
Publisher: Philadelphia: A. S. Reach
Publication History: Annually, 1906-1939
Notes: Continuation of Reach's Official American League Base Ball Guide; continued by Spalding-Reach Official Base Ball Guide

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Call No.: Rare Books Small GV 877 .R35

Spalding-Reach Official Baseball Guide

Title: Spalding-Reach Official Base Ball Guide
Publisher: New York: American Sports Publishing
Publication History: Annually, 1940-1941
Notes: Continuation of Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Catalog No: Rare Books Small GV 877 .S73

Sporting News Baseball Guides

Note: Holdings of variously titled annual baseball guides published by The Sporting News held in the Joyce Sports Research Collection in the Department of Special Collections, Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame. Materials may be consulted in 102 Hesburgh Library.

Title: The Sporting News Record Book
Publisher: St Louis: Charles C. Spink and Son
Publication History: Annually, 1908-1941
Notes: Continued by Official Baseball Record Book

Location: Dept. of Special Collections, 102 Hesburgh Library
Catalog No: Rare Books Medium GV 877 .B32

Title: Official Baseball Record Book
Publisher: St. Louis: The Sporting News
Publication History: Annually, 1942
Notes: Continued by Baseball Guide and Record Book; continuation of The Sporting News Record Book