Today being the start of the World Series, we present excerpts from the first issue of Puck’s Library, published July, 1887, titled The National Game.

Puck’s Library was a monthly magazine, which each issue collected and reprinted cartoons from the weekly Puck, centered on a common theme. Whereas Puck was dominated by its political cartoons, Puck’s Library deliberately stayed away from political themes, culling its material from the black & white pages in-between Puck’s large color cover and centerspread political cartoons. (Plus, sometimes from Puck’s color back cover, which as often as not carried non-political multi-panel color cartoons, which Puck’s Library reprinted in black & white).

Left, the front cover of Puck’s Library #1, with art by cartoonist A.B. Schultz.

Below, by Frederick Burr Opper, showing how all the employees at an office suddenly take sick as the baseball season begins, Base-Ball as an Underminer of Veracity. This had originally appeared on Puck’s back cover, in color.

Click on any picture, to open an enlarged version.

Next, a follow-up stand alone cartoon by Opper, involving the same characters from the comic strip above.

Below left, Umpiring Made Easy, by artist James Wales.

Below right, in He Will Deliver Hot Balls, cartoonist Michael Woolf imagines a steam-driven robotic pitcher — and the extra protective padding required by human players — in a baseball game of the future.

Below, by Opper again, first, It Happened Just Outside the Ball-Grounds, showing kids attempting to see over a fence to watch a baseball game for free, followed by the adult version, Human Nature.

To see a prior posting involving Baseball Cartoons, click here.

Doug Wheeler

NYPuck