British Sports and Sportsmen, Past and Present -

Circa 1913 - British Sports and Sportsmen, London - First Edition. Royal Edition, limited to 250 copies, of which this set is number 105.
Two large finely bound folios containing the biographies of 303 of leading British sportsmen from the eighteenth and (primarily) nineteenth centuries, practitioners of the hunt, polo, steeplechase, cricket, rugby, boxing, and other gentlemanly pursuits accompanied by approximately 300 full page photogravure portrait plates. With a fascinating introduction by Horace G. Hutchinson. Volume I covers Hugo Meynell 1735-1808 to The Hon. Egremont Lascelles 1825-1892; Volume II covers George Parr 1826-1891 to Henry Arthur, Viscount Chelsea 1868-1908.

Compiled and Edited by ‘
The Sportsman’. Two large folio volumes [39x29cm] . Profusely illustrated.  
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Price HK$ 8,000



Players and Slayers. With some Remarks and Reminiscences of Bernard Fanning - Inscribed and Annotated - Leo Fanning

1910 - Gordon &, Wellington - First Edition
A rare copy of this idiosyncratic collection of articles on New Zealand rugby, inscribed and annotated by the author.

Leo Fanning has not only inscribed this copy to the artist Maurice Poulton ‘
with good wishes 27 Aug 58’ but he also adds hand-written comments to ‘A Barmaid’s Monologue’ (page 135) to which he adds ‘a “fake” interview. Those were the days of young barmaids.’ and also his article ‘A Handy Man’s Lament’ (page 140) - ‘Another “fake” - The “local colour” for this splurge was got from a tramp across the South Island with Sid Jenkinson on February, 1899’’.

Bernard Fanning, who supplies the additional ‘
remarks and reminiscences’, was a Canterbury Lock, and All Black (1903 22-3 vs Australia, in Sydney). 
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Price HK$ 2,500