CASEY AT THE BAT
Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1912. Dan Sayre Groesbeck. First Illustrated Edition. Hardcover. Small octavo (5-1/4" x 6-7/8") in original decorated green rough paper boards with gilt lettering and a yellow bat with a thick black ribbon tied around it; [31] pages. First Illustrated and First Separate Hardcover Edition of this classic piece of Americana, the most famous poem about baseball. Illustrated in orange and black by Dan Sayre Groesbeck with full-page cartoons in orange and black facing a stanza of the poem with a black-and-white cartoon figure below. “Casey” first appeared in a San Francisco newspaper in 1888 as a featured piece of humorous doggerel. Its ascension to immortal status was due primarily to actor and toastmaster DeWolf Hopper, who began reciting it at dinners and other functions, as well as on the vaudeville stage. Previous owner's name on half-title page in a child's hand; faint ink marks on endpapers; front hinge partly split but covers tight. Boards quite nice with a 2-1/2" split along front spine edge and the bottom inch of the spine chipped with loss. Still Very Good for this fragile piece. Item #021293
Price: $850.00