Great book for anyone interested in "the manly art" of fisticuffs.

　　Composed in 1892 by Billy Edwards, who won the Lightweight Championship belt in 1874.

　　The complete title:.

　　"Legendary Fighters of the Golden age of England, America, Australia, with Biographical Sketches and Authentic Records of their Victories and Defeats,.

　　Embracing the men of Note of All Nations Connected with the Pugilistic Arena.".

　　Pretty snappy title, eh?

　　Superb portrait shots of John L Sullivan, the Boston Strong Boy, "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, Jake Kilrain, Patsy Cardiff, the Peoria Giant, and other vibrant characters. References Jack Dempsey as a second to a few of the competitors and Bat Masterson (yup, that Bat Masterson) as timekeeper in several of the fights. The descriptions of the battles are vibrant and make a difference in between "glove contests" and regular battles (bare-knuckle).

　　It informs of a time when a 50-round battle was not unusual (the Kilrain-Smith fight went 106 rounds and was called because of darkness. They met the next day to continue), and informs of when one boxer was knocked down-- and stood up-- 68 times in one battle. Tells of the Sullivan-Kilrain fight when Sullivan broke the radius bone of his left arm in the 3rd round, and combated three even more rounds to win the decision. JEEZ! A lot of the fights were broken up by the authorities, as they were illegal in a lot of locations. Fish stories, giving the taste of a time when combating with gloves was looked upon as a grudging concession to tender level of sensitivities.

　　It's a big book, 14' x 11", with full-page photos (tintypes, I think) of these muay thai fighters. It's in good shape, with a "to Dad" inscription inside the front cover, but no other marks. The cover, the dust coat and the pages are in outstanding shape.

　　Inquire by email or call (406) 7 5 five 2236.