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For booksellers as sedentary as we are, it might seem surprising
that books on sports and games would appeal to us. Many of you will
already know about our golf and tennis lists, but what you probably
didn't know is that we harbour a secret passion for such relatively
unusual sports as croquet, lacrosse and polo.
Many of the items have been illustrated. These images are linked through
the descriptions below, or browse through them by checking the
Sports and Games Image
Gallery.
So check the index below for your particular
favorite!
|
General or Mixed Sports and
Games
M-173
Durant, John and Bettmann, Otto. Pictorial History of American Sports:
From Colonial Times To The Present. [New York]: A.S. Barnes and Company,
1952. [First edition]. A remarkable survey of American sports, covering
both individual and team events, amateur and professional, competitions
and championships, male and female; extensively illustrated with period
drawings, engravings and photograps, as well as pictorial endpapers; includes
such unusual sports as gander pulling, female boxing, long-distance swimming
and walking. No. 34 of 160 copies signed by both authors.
Original black buckram with gilt-lettered red leather spine, now just barely
sunned; top edge gilt. Internally, tight and clean. Grey paper covered
slipcase with large four color pictorial label; a touch rubbed and chipped
at opening; lightly age-toned. A fine book in near fine slipcase.
$175
M-174
Hughes, C.E., with Buchanan, Fred. Sport in a Nutshell. London:
Jarrolds, [n.d., 1921]. [First edition]. "By the late Colonel Bogey.
Edited by C.E. Hughes and his unrivalled staff of assistants, namely Fred
Buchanan." An odd little tongue-in-cheek look at sports and games, with
cartoons (by Buchanan) and brief alphabetical entries (by Hughes). A fine
copy in original four
colour cartoon pictorial (carnival huckster) boards
bright, but just a hint dusty; commercial ads inside covers, on flyleaf
and on rear; contents excellent.
Sample entry: "LAWN-TENNIS.- Lawn-tennis was invented by the Prince of
Wales, whose motto, Ich dien, is believed to be the German for
"I serve." The game was originally simple, but no one nowadays is
considered to be any good at it who cannot do the American back-hand
upper-cut half-nelson smash service with lift ..."
$40
M-176
Peek, Hedley. The Poetry of Sport. London and Bombay: Longmans,
Green, and Co., 1896. Large Paper edition, #240 of 250 copies.
"The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes." A compendium of
sports related poetry, mostly hunting, fishing and shooting, but not
exclusively; with occasional in-text illustrations. Original
3/4 dark blue leather,
with ocre cloth cover; gilt ruled, with decoration (Beaufort crest on
front), and lettering on spine; leather lightly rubbed along bottom edges,
joints and corners, and small scuff on spine; top edge gilt, others uncut.
Large bookplate; endpapers perfect; light foxing, pages otherwise clean;
bright blue ribbon marker. A fine, tight copy.
$185
Archery and
Related
M-179
Payne-Gallwey, Sir Ralph. The Crossbow: Mediaeval and Modern, Military and
Sporting. London: Holland Press, 1995. Tenth Impression (facsimile of
1903 edition). "Its Construction, History & Management, with a treatise
on the Balista and Catapult of the Ancients, and an appendix on the catapult,
balista & the turkish bow." Extensively illustrated throughout with
historical and modern drawings showing the structure, operation and technical
aspects of crossbows. Original gilt lettered black cloth; contents excellent.
Reddish-brown pictorial
(crossbow) dust jacket, lettered and decorated in white. A fine copy of
this exhaustive monograph - the sections on the catapault, balista and
trebuchet are particularly well illustrated!.
$95
Billiards
and Related Games
A Stunning Copy!
M-180
Bennett, Joseph. Billiards. London: Thos. de la Rue, 1894. Sixth
edition. "Edited by 'Cavendish'." "With upwards of 200 illustrations",
including detailed table diagrams and wonderful pictures of players
showing their stances and attitudes. A fine and spectacularly bright
copy,
in original green
cloth, elaboratedly gilt lettered and decorated (crossed cue and bridge
with balls on spine, score board as title border on front); just a
hint of creasing to spine ends, corners a touch frayed; fore and top
edges foxed. Neat ink name and faint remnants of red pencilled number on
front endpaper (number repeated on half title), hinges perfect; Pin-point
foxing to endpapers and first and last leaves; contents clean, tight
and bright; 8 pp. publisher's book and stationery equipment ads and 1 pp.
ad for "Billiards Thoroughly taught in Thirteen Private Lessons by Joseph
Bennett, Retired Champion ..." at rear.
"Years ago, the Editor of this work felt the want of a systematic treatise
on Billiards. Books there were, giving instructions on various points, but
none, so far as he could discover, harmonising the whole into a system. ...
Knowing, however that Mr. Bennett was a very succefull teacher of Billiards,
the Editor propounded his scheme to him ..." (cf. Editor's Preface to the
first edition, 1872)
$250
M-183
Inman, Melbourne. Billiards: How to Play and Win. London: W. Foulsham,
[n.d., ca.1922]. "Introduction by S.A. Mussabini." "With
45 specially drawn diagrams" depicting stances, strokes or shots. Original
green buckram, lettered in black; corners a touch frayed, spine ends a bit
rubbed; narrow 3/4" shallow scrape to front cover. A near fine copy of this
instructional work by the reigning English champion of the 1910s.
$35
M-187
Roberts, John [Jr.]. Billiards for Beginners. London: Ward, Lock & Co.,
[n.d., ca.1914]. Well illustrated with over forty shot diagrams; 2 pp.
blank scoresheet at rear.
Dark green cloth
elaborately decorated (crossed cues with balls) in black, red and white,
and lettered in white, all now
a bit rubbed; rear cover lightly creased down centre; front at upper corner;
faint and minor spotting; corners and spine ends a bit worn. Contents
a bit thumbed, yet still clean and tight; advertising endpapers lightly
age-toned, hinges perfect. A very good copy of this reprint of the classic
work, collecting the author's articles for The Billiards Review.
$35
Boxing
Cricket
M-190
Bolton, Geoffrey. History of the O.U.C.C. Oxford: [Privately printed] at
the Holywell Press, 1962. [First edition]. Illustrated with images of Oxford
cricket greats, past and present. Original dark blue boards, lettered in silver
on spine, with a few barely visible faint smudges on front; top of spine creased
near rear joint; minor foxing to edges. Contents excellent. Publisher's glassine
chipped at corners and spine ends; edges creased, especially top rear. A
fine copy of the first history of the Oxford University Cricket Club (cf.
foreword).
$55
M-024
Caple, S. Canynge. England v New Zealand, 1902-1949: A Brief
History of Cricket Between the Two Countries. Falmouth [UK]:
Barcliff Advertising and Publishing Co., [n.d., ca. 1950]. [First
edition]. Original
dull green
pictorial wrappers, a little browned at
margins. Pages browned, owing to poor quality of paper; a few
nice full-page photographic plates. A near fine copy of a fragile
item.
$35
M-193
The Marlboro' [Cricket] Club (Crisp & Co.). Programme of
Annual Smoking Concert ... April 4th, 1891. 51/8"
x 8"; 3pp.
cream coloured paper
printed in brown on outside with decorative border and
pictorial (cricket and sailing vignettes); pale pink on inside; very
light foxing and edge soiling; single horizontal crease. Fine.
$25
M-194
Putney Early Closing Cricket Club. Smoking Concert ... November
21st, 1889. 51/8" x 8"; 4 pp.
light blue paper
printed in black, with
scalloped border; cross creasing, with pinhole at top. Ink note
("8:45 - 11:15") at bottom of front and extensive notes concerning
the programme inside. Near fine.
$25
Croquet
M-195
Herrick, George G. (comp.). The Match Game: A Croquet Anthology.
Washington, DC: The Author, 1999. [First edition]. Edition limited to
100 copies; this one signed by the compiler. The first anthology of the
literature of croquet. Original
bright green "leatherette"
boards, richly lettered and decorated (equipment vignette) in gilt. As
new.
$50
M-196
Herrick, George G. The Origins of Croquet in America, 1859-1873.
Washington, DC: The Author, 2001. [First edition]. "A Presentation before
The Certain Conditions Club, 13 March 2001 ..." One of 125
copies; this one signed by the author. Illustrated with early engravings
and photographs, some of the latter never before published. Original
dark teal "leatherette" boards,
richly lettered and decorated (equipment vignette) in gilt. As new.
$50
M-036
Smith, Nicky. Queen of Games: A History of Croquet. London:
Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1991. First edition. A fine copy in
gilt-lettered green boards; with fine pictorial (turn-of-the-century
match) full-colour dust jacket. Author is "Arthur Mallet", a regular
contributor on croquet to The Financial Times and Country
Life.
$20
M-202
[Spalding's Athletic Library]. Croquet: Rules of the Game. New York:
American Sports Publishing Co., 1927. Spalding's Athletic Library, No.119R;
extracted from Spalding's Athletic Library, n.43R,
Lawn Sports. Illustrated with diagrams; 1 p.
illustrated croquet equipment ad at rear. Original
red and white wrappers
printed in green, a little rubbed at spine and edges; contents clean and
tight. A very good copy.
$55
Cycling
M-204
Brown's and St. George's Cycling Club. Smoking Concert ...
December 21, 1892. 51/4" x 8"; 3 pp.
rose coloured
paper printed in blue ink, with decorative pictorial border; cross
creased, with 1/2" closed tear at spine; a few pencil and ink notes
inside; half of rear panel lightly soiled. Near fine.
$25
M-205
Brown's and St. George's Cycling Club. Smoking Concert ...
February 10th, 1893.. 5" x 71/4"; 3pp.
light salmon paper
printed in black; with decorative and pictorial border; two horizontal
creases with very short tears at ends; a bit soiled on blank rear
panel. Very good.
$25
Fencing and
Swordsmanship
M-207
Dunn, H.A. Colmore. Fencing. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1927.
"The All-England Series." Well illustrated with 17 instructional in-text and
full-page figures by H.G. Willink, I.C.S.A. Original
dark teal flexible
cloth, lettered and decorated (swordsman) in black; light fraying at
corners and spine ends; faint marks to covers. Slight browning to lower
1" of fore-edge of first few leaves; contents otherwise bright, tight
and clean. A near fine copy.
$45
M-209
Regulations and Instructions for the Cavalry Sword Exercise. London:
Printed by William Clowes, [1819]. "Adjutant General's
Office, Horse-Guards, 10th June, 1819." With two instructional plates, including
large engraved folding frontispiece titled "Angelo's Sword Excercise". Later dark
blue cloth, lettered in now dulled gilt on spine; corners and spine ends worn,
with slight loss; bottom 2" of spine and joints coloured black; covers a bit rubbed;
3/4" split at top rear joint. Ex-library copy with label inside front cover, and
small round ownership stamps on front pastedown and p.49, and on verso of
frontispiece and title page; call numbers pencilled on verso of title page, neat
ink name and 1829 date on front flyleaf; contents age-toned, faintly foxed and a
touch soiled from use; offsetting to title page from frontispiece with a few short
closed tears at folds. Overall a very good copy of this British cavalry training
manual.
$225
The Fencing
Bibliography
M-046
Thimm, Carl A. A Complete Bibliography of Fencing and Duelling as
Practised by All European Nations from the Middle Ages to the Present
Day London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1896. First edition.
Large paper copy.
Original Decorated (red
sword hilt) oatmeal cloth a bit soiled, with gilt-lettered faded
red cloth spine; corners and spine ends creased. Hinges partly cracked
but strong; plate facing p.153 supplied in facsimile. A very good copy
of this essential bibliography, superbly illustrated with many plates.
The bibliogrpahy is followed by an extensive subject index, and 100 pages
on "Notes on Fencing and Dueling" reprinting various published reports of
duels from Shakespeare's time to the late 19th century.
$475
Fishing and Angling
M-213
Blake, W.H. In a Fishing Country. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of
Canada, 1922. First edition. With chapters on fishing at Old Murray Bay and
Lac Emmuraillé, and on the Brook Trout. Original mottled light brown
clot, lettered in brown, bright and clean; with just a hint of fading to spine.
Contents clean, tight and bright. A fine copy.
$50
Gymnastics
M-053
Cotteral, Bonnie and Donnie. Tumbling, Pyramid Building and Stunts
for Girls and Women. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1929. A fine copy in
original light
brown cloth, lettered and decorated in black. Plain (original?)
manila dust jacket with rubber stamped title on front panel, light
soiling and fingermarks overall and small pieces missing at spine ends.
Ink name on front endpaper; nicely illustrated with photos and line
drawings throughout. Including chapters on Tumbling, Rolling, Stunts
and Pyramids.
$35
Horsemanship,
Hunting andField Sports
M-056
Hayes, M. Horace. Stable Management and Exercise: A Book for
Horse-Owners and Students. London: Hurst and Blackett, [n.d.,
1909]. Second edition, revised and enlarged. Illustrated with 62
photographs. Rust-brown cloth, gilt lettered; corners and spine ends
rubbed and worn; 1" repair at top front hinge, 1/4" at bottom; covers
lightly soiled, 1" fading along fore-edge of rear cover. Ink name on
front endpaper; pages clean and tight. A very good copy.
$25
M-059
"Sabretache". A Gentleman and His Hounds. London: Eyre and
Spottiswoode, 1935. [First edition]. Nicely illustrated with b/w
photographs of M.F.H. A stunning copy in the original gilt lettered
scarlet cloth with minor fading to 2" of red-stained top edge near
hinge; spectacular
pictorial (fox
hunter surrounded by hounds) dust jacket.
$125
M-061
Suffolk and Berkshire, Earl of [et al.]. Racing and
Steeplechasing. Racing by the Earl of Suffolk and
Berkshire, and W.G. Craven ... Steeple-Chasing by Arthur
Coventry and Alfred E.T. Watson. London: Longmans, Green, 1893.
Fourth edition, thoroughly revised. "The Badminton Library of Sports
and Pastimes", with numerous illustrations by J. Sturgess. Original
decorated brown cloth (usual Badminton Library design), lettered in
black, white and gilt, now a bit dulled; corners lightly rubbed,
spine worn at base and a touch darkened. Ink name and address on
front endpaper; front hinge cracked and closed tear to last page of
index, text otherwise tight and clean. A very good copy.
$45
Mountaineering
M-067
Clark, Ronald. The Victorian Mountaineers. London: Batsford,
1953. First edition. 43 sepia-toned photographic images; chapter
titles include "The Scientists", "The Clergy" and "The Women". A fine
copy in original black-lettered red boards;
sea-green,
price-clipped, pictorial (party on mountainside) dust jacket a trifle
sunned. Discreet ink name on front endpaper; edges very lightly foxed.
$60
M-068
Dent, C.T. Mountaineering. London: Longmans, Greeen, 1892.
Second edition. "With contributions by W.M. Conway, D.W. Freshfield,
C.E.Matthews, C. Pilkington, Sir F. Pollock, H.G. Willink, and an
introduction by Mr. Justice Wills ... Illustrations by H.G. Willink
and others." Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes. Usual
pictorial Badminton Library cloth, with gilt mountaineer on spine; 1"
repaired tear at front joint; spine ends and corners a little rubbed.
Neat repair to partial split of front inner hinge; light foxing to
preliminaries and final pages; pencilled name on front pastedown;
contents largely unopened. A near fine copy.
$65
A Superb Copy!
M-221
Dent, C.T. Mountaineering. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1901.
Third edition, reissue. "With contributions by ... J. Bryce, M.P., Sir
Martin Conway, D.W. Freshfield, C.E. Mathews, C. Pilkington, Sir F. Pollock,
H.G. Willink, and Introduction by Mr. Justice Wills ... Illustrations by
H.G. Willink and Others." An unusually fine, bright copy, in the
decorated Badminton
Library brown cloth, with all lettering and gilt spine decoration
sharp and bright; light creasing to spine ends and tiny "ding" to lower
edge of front cover. Bookseller's label on rear pastedown; contents clean
and tight. As nice a copy as one could hope for!
$125
M-069
Illustrated London News. "Recent Ascent of Mont Blanc",
February 8, 1851.
Hand-coloured full
page engraving, matted and shrink-wrapped, with six vignettes
captioned:
- "The Party Crossing the Glacier des
Bossons."
- "Above the Grand Plateau - A Large
Crevasse."
- "Accident Near the Glacier de Tacounag."
- "The Summit of Mont Blanc, Seen from Below
the Rocher Rouge."
- "The Grand Mulets. - Evening View."
- "The Aiguilles Sans Nom, Seen from Below the
Rocher Rouge."
$50
M-070
King, Clarence. Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911. Original dark green cloth lettered in
gilt on spine; corners bumped; paper label on lower spine, and ink
call numbers on front pastedown. A fine copy.
$20
M-071
Le Blond, Mrs. Aubrey. True Tales of Mountain Adventure for
Non-climbers Young and Old. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1903.
Mountaineering scene
in green, grey and white on original blue cloth,
lettered in white; lightly rubbed; small holes and snags to lower
half of spine (not affecting lettering); engraved Geographical
Society of Philadelphia bookplate with paper spine label;
[apparently] new endpapers. Well illustrated with photographs of
mountain scenes, climbers and parties. A very good copy.
$85
M-072
Lunn, Arnold. The Mountains of Youth. London: Oxford
University Press, 1925. [First edition]. A near fine copy in lightly
soiled moss-green cloth, lettered in gilt on spine; Geographical
Society of Philadelphia library bookplate, pocket and spine label;
publisher's review slip tipped in; neat 1" repair to front hinge.
Illustrated with 20 photographic plates, printed in blue; contents
bright, tight and clean.
$45
M-073
Mathews, Charles Edward. The Annals of Mont Blanc: A
Monograph. L.C. Page: Boston, 1900. A near fine, ex-library copy
in original gilt decorated (mountain) grey cloth, with slight rubbing
on bottom edge of boards; corners a touch worn; all edges gilt.
Library spine label and bookplate; page 30 roughly opened.
$375
M-077
Schäfer, Raimund. Hochtouren in den Alpen, Spanien,
Nordafrika, Kalifornien und Mexico. Leipzig: J.J. Weber, 1903.
With 59 photographs and 7 aquarelle illustrations. Grey boards (now
somewhat soiled) lettered and ruled in gilt; spine ends a touch worn;
institutional library bookplate, spine label removed. Three coloured
photographs laid in. A very good copy.
$45
M-078
Schuster, Claud. Peaks and Pleasant Pastures. Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1911. [First edition] Most chapters reprinted from
various periodical serializations. Slightly bubbled dark blue cloth
ruled and lettered in gilt; corners and spine ends bumped;
institutional library bookplate and spine label; ink name over
bookplate. Illustrated with several elaborate maps (most two-page
spreads). Near fine.
$45
M-081
Tissot, Roger. Mont Blanc. London: Medici Society, 1924. First
edition. The Picture Guides series. Original green cloth
blind-stamped on front cover and gilt on spine, with ends a bit worn;
corners rubbed. Ink name on front endpaper; embossed seal on pages 9
and 17, library pocket at rear and white call numbers at base of
spine; bookplate neatly removed. Printed on cream-coloured paper with
brown ink and extensively illustrated on almost every page with
sepia-like in-text photographs; fold-out map of Mont Blanc at front.
A very good copy of this attractive guide book.
$15
M-082
Viollet-Le-Duc, Eugène. Mont Blanc: A Treatise on its
Geodesical and Geological Constitution ... London: Sampson Low,
1877. With 112 illustrations.
Bright royal-blue
cloth; black and gilt lettering and front cover decoration (mountain
vignette) still sharp
and bright; extremities very lightly worn. Private institutional
library copy with small spine label, bookplate and rear pocket;
internally tight and clean. Despite having been a library copy, a
fine, bright, tight, copy, without the usual wear one might
expect.
$225
Polo
Roller Skating
Soccer or Association
Football
Swimming and
Diving
M-223
Clarence Swimming Club. Annual Dinner & Smoking Concert ...
February 2nd, 1895. 4.25" x 5.5"; 4 pp.
printed in red
on off-white paper; decorative pale-peach embossed border with scalloped
edge; very lightly soiled. Near fine.
$20
M-090
Hedges, Sid G. The Book of Swimming and Diving. London:
Hutchinson, [n.d., ca. 1910s?]. Illustrated with 51 line drawings, as
plates or in text. A fine, bright copy in original black lettered red
cloth, bumped at spine ends; fine
blue pictorial (photo
of Hedges) dust wrapper. Small ink name and date on front endpaper.
About as fine a copy as one could hope for.
$45
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Phone: (514) 935-9581
Wilfrid M. de Freitas - Bookseller
P.O. Box 883, Stock Exchange Tower
Montreal, Canada H4Z 1K2
Last updated: 1/28/08
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