Sports and Games

A Fox-Hunting Anthology: Selections from the Writers of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries - by E. D. Cuming Purchase through Amazon Edward William Dirom Cuming was born in 1862, the son of the late Colonel Edward William Cuming. He studied at private schools and then began working in business overseas, primarily in Lower Burma. Soon, having enough wealth, he was able to pursue his passion of writing. He served… Continue reading

A Practical Guide to Whist: By the Latest Scientific Methods with the Laws of the Game - Whist is a unique, trick-taking card game that was developed in England during the 17th century. It requires four players, takes about 30 minutes to play a game, and uses a simple deck of cards to play. It is descended from a card game called trump or ruff.

Chess Endings From Modern Master-Play - by Jacques Mieses Purchase through Amazon Jakob Mieses was born in 1865 in Leipzig, Germany. He enjoyed a long lasting professional chess career of 64 years. Mieses played in numerous tournaments throughout his life, and was known and studied as having a very aggressive, and at the same time, rather traditional playing style. He lived… Continue reading

Chess Masterpieces: A Collection of Selected Games by World’s Masters - by W. H. Watts Purchase through Amazon Chess is seemingly a universal game, played by people around the world, but is believed to have originated in India sometime during the 600s, then appearing in its more known incantation with the differently powered pieces over 800 years later in Spain. It wasn’t until the 1800s when chess… Continue reading

Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards - by William Andrew Chatto Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace William Andrew Chatto (1799-1864) initially was employed in the wholesale tea business. However, his real passion was antiquarian scholarship, so in 1834, he gave up the family firm and devoted himself to writing full-time. His first work was entitled, Recollections of Fly-Fishing in Northumberland, under the… Continue reading

Gilded Play: Mary J. Jacques’s Pranks and Pastimes - Purchase through Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Edited and Introduced by Devin Proctor During America’s late nineteenth-century, parlor games were a dominant leisure activity of the upper classes. The ‘Gilded Age,’ as Mark Twain termed it, was characterized by the separation between leisurely wealth and the harsh existence of the underclasses, cleft even wider with… Continue reading

How to Teach Paper-Folding and Cutting: A Practical Manual-Training Aid - Papercutting, also known as paper cutting or paper art, is a form of art where intricate designs are created by cutting paper with scissors or a knife. It is a traditional art form that has been practiced in various cultures for centuries. The techniques and styles of papercutting can vary widely across different regions and artistic traditions.

Jiu-Jitsu Combat Tricks: Japanese Feats of Attack and Defence in Personal Encounter - by H. Irving Hancock Purchase through Amazon Jiu-Jitsu is a style of combat that emerges from feudal Japan and has developed into various forms of other popular styles, such as Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In its original form, which developed in Japan during the 1500s, it was developed as a way to combat fighting techniques… Continue reading

Miscellaneous Conjuring Tricks, From ‘Modern Magic’ - by Professor Hoffman Purchase through Amazon Magic is, by nature, a rather secretive field. One of the first people to write in detail about various tricks, methods and devices used to perform magic was Professor Hoffmann. His articles were considered pioneering in the field, particularly among English speakers. He became known as an expert, although… Continue reading

Outlining Magic Circles: Jessie Bancroft’s Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium - Purchase through Amazon | Download FREE Kindle version | Purchase through CreateSpace Edited and Introduced by Devin Proctor Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium, first published in 1909, has been called “the most comprehensive and scholarly book on games.” It contains rules and variations of hundreds of games for schools, summer camps, parties, etc.,… Continue reading

Practical Falconry: To Which is Added, How I Became a Falconer - by Gage Earle Freeman Purchase through Amazon Gage Earle Freeman (1820-1903) wrote a number of articles on falconry. He was introduced to the sport in England and retained a life-long interest in it, often working with kestrel-hawks, peregrine falcons, and sparrow hawks. He was also an esteemed poet, winning four Seatonian Prizes; a father to… Continue reading

Salt Water Game Fishing - by Charles Frederick Holder Purchase through Amazon The ocean holds an untold amount of creatures; the depths are so great that all is not known about the ocean. Salt-water fishing offers participants an interesting challenge. Some participate for sport, in a quest to find unique specimens. Others are looking for rare fish to feast on.… Continue reading

Sturmey’s Indispensable Handbook to the Safety Bicycle: Treating of Safety Bicycles, Their Varieties, Construction & Use - by Henry Sturmey Purchase through Amazon Penny-farthings were part of the cycling craze from the Victorian era, also known as the high wheel bicycle. They were notoriously unstable due to their design, which featured a giant front wheel followed by a very small back wheel, leaving the rider perilously far above ground. By the late… Continue reading

The Grand International Masters’ Chess Tournament at St. Petersburg, 1914 - by David McKay Purchase through Amazon For over a month, from April 21 to May 22, 1914 the top chess players from around the world converged in St. Petersburg. Play for the tournament took place at the St. Petersburg Chess Club, beginning in the afternoon and lasting through the evening. Players were treated to large… Continue reading

The Handbook of Conundrums - by Edith B. Ordway Purchase through Amazon Edith Bertha Ordway had a witty way with words. In this work, The Handbook of Conundrums, she offers hundreds of perplexing problems, puns, jokes and head-scratchers. Fans of bad jokes and surprising twists will enjoy this work. Ordway composed The Etiquette of Today (1913), The Opera Book (1915),… Continue reading

The History of Playing Cards: Anecdotes for Their Use in Conjuring, Fortune Telling & Card Sharping - by Rev. Ed. S. Taylor Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace The History of Playing Cards offers a comprehensive look at the history and usage of cards, tracing their movements through India, China, the Middle East, and through Europe, with a heavy emphasis on cards in France and England. Taylor included a great deal of… Continue reading

The Laws of Ecarte: The Laws of Écarté, Adopted by The Turf and Portland Clubs with a Treatise on the Game - by Cavendish Purchase through Amazon In the 19th century, Écarté was all the rage. The name is French for ‘discarded’ as the two player game focuses on each playing working to get rid of undesirable cards, and negotiating with the dealer for a set of potentially better cards. The game requires a lot of quick… Continue reading

Trout-Fishing for the Beginner - by Richard Clapham Purchase As Richard Clapham introduced his work on trout fishing, “Although anglers are well supplied with books pertaining to their favourite sport, the majority of such volumes appeals more to the practised fisherman than the novice. Many a beginner, however, is dependent on books for information regarding trout-fishing and the tools of… Continue reading