The Night Casey Was Born: The True Story Behind the Great American Ballad "casey at the Bat"

by John Evangelist Walsh

Book Overview

For the first time, John Evangelist Walsh gives the story behind the poem and its young journalist author, as well as its inaugural performance in 1888 in New York's Wallack's Theater. The Night Casey... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585678937
• ISBN13: 9781585678938
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.8" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A chronicle of one of the greatest moments in baseball, the creation of "Casey at the Bat"

Two great moments in baseball are chronicled in this book, the creation of the poem "Casey at the Bat" and the subsequent events that popularized it. No bit of verse better captures the essence of a sport than "Casey." It was written by Ernest L. Thayer and was first published in the "San Francisco Examiner." However, it remained unknown until a recitation of it was added to a performance at Wallack's Theatre in New York. Renowned actor DeWolf Hopper read the epic and that event is the origin of the title. Even though "Casey" was written over a century ago and when professional baseball was still a relative infant, the moods and experiences expressed in those few lines will always describe the role that baseball plays in the American existence. It is a timeless tale of an event that has been repeated thousands of times since it was written and will be repeated thousands of times in the future. Walsh not only describes the creation of the poem, he has also captured the context of the moment, as America began to recognize a national treasure about the national pastime.