1888 "The Krank: His Language and What it Means" by Thomas Lawson

Sold For:

$4,560

Year:

1888

Auction:

2021 Spring

Lot #:

2512

Category:

Pre-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Exceedingly rare nineteenth-century baseball book, written by Thomas Lawson, titled The Krank: His Language and What it Means (Rand Avery Company, Boston, Massachusetts, 1888). This is just the second example of this book we have handled and one of approximately three in private hands (copies can be found in both the Library of Congress and the Baseball Hall of Fame). The book provides a satirical look at the typical baseball fan, or "Krank," (a term coined by Henry Chadwick), as well as an explanation and humorous insight into the many terms commonly used by "Kranks." Due to its content and extreme rarity, this book represents a true "holy grail" for both baseball collectors and bibliophiles. It is also extremely significant because it is the first book to reflect the importance of the fan to the success of the National Pastime. Thomas W. Lawson was an extremely successful stockbroker, investor, author, and connoisseur of popular culture, who was also very eccentric. (The leather covers of The Krank are alleged to have been constructed from horsehide baseball covers and probably were, because the covers of Lawson's most well known book, a yachting history titled The Lawson History of The America's Cup, published in 1902, utilizes actual ship sails in the construction of its covers.) Lawson was also a great baseball fan who rooted fiercely for Boston from the 1880s through the turn of the century. Card collectors may be familiar with the popular card game Lawson created in 1884, "Lawson's Patent Game of Base Ball with Cards," which he marketed at ballparks and train stations. The first half of The Krank makes use of both prose and poetry to tell the story of one typical Krank's day at the park. The "Krank" depicted here is not always portrayed in the most flattering of terms, and the author, quite derisively but in good humor, points out many of his unmistakable characteristics and habits. The second half of the book provides an elaborate and humorous glossary of all baseball terms and phrases used by the "Krank." Thirty-one of the pages feature both an illustration and an accompanying descriptive text. The world of early baseball literature is extremely well documented, and nearly every early baseball book has been offered multiple times at auction over the years. The Krank is one of the few exceptions, and an extraordinary and significant rarity. The sixty-four page book (2.5 x 3.5 inches) displays moderate wear to the covers and the pages display light foxing. Many of the pages also display red discoloration. There is a slight separation of the covers from the spine, but the pages are all firmly bound. This is an outstanding example of this seldom-seen book. Reserve $500. Estimate (open).