Cricket in America achieved its greatest acclaim, most extensive organization and highest level of competition in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. The city took upon itself the burden of representing the entire U.S. during the sport's emerging international popularity.

It was a story of amazing successes, abysmal failures and engaging personalities--like John B. King, revered to this day as one of the all-time greatest players--and eventual decline and demise. This meticulously researched history examines the origin and rise of a sport's legacy that, even in its demise, would endure as a lost vision of America's sporting destiny.

“Melville is meticulous in his use of primary sources, especially the very rare periodical American Cricketer. ...libraries collecting 19th-century sports and baseball history will find this book a valuable addition because it documents a distinctive path taken by a less well-known bat-and-ball game in a major American city. ...recommended”—Choice

Freelance writer and researcher Tom Melville lives in Wisconsin.