''The Baseball Cyclopedia'' was the first

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covering

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. It was compiled and published by

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

Ernest J. Lanigan, who served as the editor of the sports section of the ''

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''. The nephew of ''

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'' publisher Al Spink, Lanigan was known for being a baseball statistician, having served as an official scorer for multiple

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Recognition

Published by The Baseball Magazine Co. of New York City, which also published Lanigan's ''Baseball Magazine'', the title page of the ''Baseball Cyclopedia'' advertised it as the first compendium of baseball statistics and history ever published:

Comprises a review of Professional Baseball, the history of all Major League Clubs, playing records and unique events, the batting, pitching and base running champions, World’s Series’ statistics and a carefully arranged alphabetical list of the records of more than 3500 Major League ball players, a feature never before attempted in print.

In addition to the original publication of 1922, 12 annual supplements were published. The supplement claimed to contain "a complete up-to-date supplement of recent records" and retailed for $1.00.

References

External links

Guardian Baseball ReviewsWhat Is A Balk?
''Highpointbaseball'' 1922 non-fiction books Baseball books {{Sport-book-stub