The National Archives has published a free eBook called Baseball: The National Pastime in the National Archives, which tells the story of baseball in America through documents, photographs, audio, video, and other records preserved at the National Archives.
The eBook covers the two world wars, contract disputes, civil rights, equal access and opportunity on and off the playing field, the steroids era, the universal appeal of the game, Presidential involvement, improvements to the sport, Little League, Spring Training, Opening Day, and celebrations along the way.
The eBook features notable players including Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Casey Stengel, Andrew Rube Foster, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Joe DiMaggio, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Joe Tinker, and Hank Aaron.
Major League teams covered include the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, and New York Giants.
Baseball: The National Pastime in the National Archives is one of three eBooks currently available from the National Archives. The Meaning and Making of Emancipation illustrates the efforts of the enslaved, free, white and black Americans by whom slavery was abolished, and Exploring the United States Constitution, connects records in the holdings of the National Archives to the principles found in the Constitution. All eBooks are formatted for multiple devices and are available through www.archives.gov/publications/ebooks/.