The Rubber Ball Games of the Americas
by Stern, Theodore (1917-2005)
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
vii+121 pages with frontispiece, 7 maps and bibliography. Royal octavo (9 1/2" x 6 1/4") bound in original publisher's green cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Monographs of the American Ethnological Society volume XVII. First edition.
The Precolumbian ballgame was a sport with ritual associations played for over 3000 years by the peoples of America. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modern version of the game, ulama, is still played in a few places by the local indigenous population. Pre-Columbian ballcourts have been found throughout Mesoamerica, as far south as Nicaragua, and possibly as far north as the U.S. state of Arizona. These ballcourts vary considerably in size, but all have long narrow alleys with side-walls against which the balls could bounce. The rules of the ballgame are not known, but judging from its descendant, ulama, they were probably similar to racquetball or volleyball, where the aim is to keep the ball in play. The iconic stone ballcourt goals are a late addition to the game. In the most widespread version of the game, the players struck the ball with their hips, although some versions allowed the use of forearms, rackets, bats, or handstones. The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed up to 4 kg (9 lbs) or more, and sizes differed greatly over time or according to the version played. The game had important ritual aspects, and major formal ballgames were held as ritual events, often featuring human sacrifice. The sport was also played casually for recreation by children and perhaps even women.
Condition:
Points rubbed and bumped, spine sunned and gilt dulled. A very good copy issued without jacket.
The Precolumbian ballgame was a sport with ritual associations played for over 3000 years by the peoples of America. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modern version of the game, ulama, is still played in a few places by the local indigenous population. Pre-Columbian ballcourts have been found throughout Mesoamerica, as far south as Nicaragua, and possibly as far north as the U.S. state of Arizona. These ballcourts vary considerably in size, but all have long narrow alleys with side-walls against which the balls could bounce. The rules of the ballgame are not known, but judging from its descendant, ulama, they were probably similar to racquetball or volleyball, where the aim is to keep the ball in play. The iconic stone ballcourt goals are a late addition to the game. In the most widespread version of the game, the players struck the ball with their hips, although some versions allowed the use of forearms, rackets, bats, or handstones. The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed up to 4 kg (9 lbs) or more, and sizes differed greatly over time or according to the version played. The game had important ritual aspects, and major formal ballgames were held as ritual events, often featuring human sacrifice. The sport was also played casually for recreation by children and perhaps even women.
Condition:
Points rubbed and bumped, spine sunned and gilt dulled. A very good copy issued without jacket.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- BOOKS000745
- Title
- The Rubber Ball Games of the Americas
- Author
- Stern, Theodore (1917-2005)
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- J J Augustin Publisher
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1948
- Pages
- vii+121 pages with frontispiece, 7 maps and bibliography
- Size
- Royal octavo
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Mexico
- Bookseller catalogs
- Anthropology;
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About the Seller
The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA
Biblio member since 2005
Fort Worth, Texas
About The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA
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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Jacket
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- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
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