Ball, Bat and Bishop: The Origin of Ball Games

by Robert W. Henderson

Book Overview

Step aside, Abner Doubleday! In this impeccably researched history, Robert W. Henderson uncovers the true origins not only of baseball but of a score of related sports involving hitting, catching, throwing, or kicking a ball.

Henderson traces the origins of ball sports to religious rites in ancient Egypt, where the ball (perhaps a shrunken head) represented a fertility symbol and opposing teams engaged in mock combat signifying the struggle...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252069927
• ISBN13: 9780252069925
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"