Casey at the Bat (Dover Children's Classics)

A blend of the absurd and the tragic lies at the heart of this immortal baseball ballad, an authentic masterpiece of American humor. This grand edition steps up to the plate with more than fifty bold pen-and-ink drawings that perfectly capture the poem's ironic tone and comic spirit. From its 1888 debut in the San Francisco Examiner, "Casey at the Bat" quickly caught on with a public that was embracing baseball as the national pastime. By the turn of the twentieth century, everyone was familiar with the Mudville Nine and its vainglorious slugger. An Introduction by Martin Gardner traces the remarkable history of a poem that has inspired songs, movies, and cartoons. This new edition of a folkloric favorite will delight baseball fans, nostalgia buffs, and lovers of Americana. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.