In the early 1920s Babe Ruth rose to national prominence as baseball's greatest slugger. At the same time the comic strip "Smitty" also gained nationwide notoriety through the pages of newspaper syndication by the Chicago Tribune. By the end of the decade reality met fantasy, when these two popular characters came together in the 1929 hardcover book "Smitty at the Ball Game". Published by Cupples & Leon, this amusing book compiled reprinted 1920s comic strips featuring Smitty, a newspaper office boy.

Of particular interest to baseball fans, this crossover publication is made important by the presence of Babe Ruth in comic art form on the front cover. Ruth is also featured prominently throughout, along with fellow diamond legends Grover Cleveland Alexander, Rogers Hornsby and Frankie Frisch. This attractive original copy shows moderate age-appropriate wear in the form of corner rounding on the cover boards, light soiling, a light cover crease and small scattered abrasions. The cloth binding remains tight, the pages are off-white and supple and the front cover is appealing with bold colors and strong graphic detail.