In July 1836, a stage coach at Walham Green suffered an accident: runaway horses overturned the coach and several passengers suffered broken limbs. One of the passengers was forcibly thrown from the coach, but escaped with only a strained back. That passenger was named James Pollard, a painter of coaches and carriages who was also a great traveler across the English countryside in pursuit of his occupation.
“Omnibuses Leaving the Nag’s Head, Holloway,” Cat. No. 140, from James Pollard 1792-1867 by N. C. Selway, 1965. National Sporting Library & Museum.
James Pollard (1792-1867) was the son of engraver Robert Pollard (1755-1838). The elder Pollard strove to encourage his son in an artist’s career, and young James worked alongside his father producing drawings and designs for engravings while honing his skills as a painter.
“‘Fly Fishing,’ from a painting by James Pollard, engraved on wood by F. Babbage,” from Animal Painters of England From the Year 1650, Volume II by Sir Walter Gilbey. National Sporting Library & Museum.
In 1820, James was commissioned by Edward Orme to produce a painting of a mail coach for a signboard of an inn. The painting caught the eye of the Austrian ambassador, who requested another by the same artist. Three more orders came in, and James was on the road to an established career painting coaches, horses, and passengers. He would go on to exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1821 and again in 1824.
“The Bath & Bristol Mail Coach By Moonlight,” Cat. No. 19, from James Pollard 1792-1867 by N. C. Selway, 1965. National Sporting Library & Museum.
Pollard was a sportsman, and although he enjoyed most success as a painter of coaches, he also painted other sporting scenes. He was an avid fisherman and painted angling scenes multiple times. He also painted scenes from the Epsom races and occasionally foxhunting scenes.
(after) James Pollard (English, 1792-1867) Aylesbury Grand Steeplechase, The Light Weight Stakes: Starting Field, Plate 1, 1836 aquatint on paper, 15 ¼ x 20 ½ inches National Sporting Library & Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman R. Bobins, 2012
In 1825, James married and went into business for himself as an independent artist. He enjoyed great success in the 1830s, but in 1840 his wife and youngest daughter both died. It was reported that James never truly recovered his old form. His career suffered, though he continued to produce paintings into the late 1850s. In his later years, he retired to live with his son and family, and he died in 1867 at 75 years old.
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) since early 2014. He is responsible for the care of the Library collections, including books, magazines, photographs, diaries, letters, and much more. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
Most of us have probably seen a wooden duck decoy in an antiques store, at an auction, or in a friend’s home, but the decoy was a utilitarian tool long before it became a collectible sculpture. Hunters of waterfowl have used decoys from earliest times to lure their quarry into striking range. Rather than attempting to stalk skittish birds which would fly off at the slightest sound, hunters could lay a trap that would get the birds to come to them. By putting out a spread of decoys the hunters might trick the target birds into thinking the area safe and welcoming. As the birds fly in for a landing, the hunters are able to bag a few and put some food on the table. The use of decoys made waterfowl hunting a reliable source of food.
Decoys have been made out of handy materials such as reeds, carved from a variety of woods, made of cork or injection molded plastic, and even been tethered live birds.
Duck decoys ca. 400 BC–AD 100 Lovelock Cave, Humboldt County, Nevada Tule rush, feathers, cordage, paint, 31 x 12 cm Collected by Mark R. Harrington 13/4512, 13/4513. Image from The National Museum of the American Indian.
Excavations in 1924 at Lovelock Cave, Nevada revealed a cache of duck decoys made by Native Americans approximately 2000 years ago. The bodies are made of tule and some of them have duck feathers attached to make them seem more life-like. Today they can be seen at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
In the United States, following the Civil War, subsistence hunting of waterfowl was rapidly replaced by market hunting. The booming cities of the country required staggering amounts of food, and fowl of all sorts was on the menu. To meet this need hunters began to harvest waterfowl in huge numbers. To do this, they needed equally large numbers of decoys. With a wide spread of decoys, several flocks of waterfowl could be lured into a small area. Hunters would then use extremely large shotguns called punt guns, to harvest as many as 100 birds with a single shot.
Waterfowl hunter with mounted punt gun. By Sydney Harold Smith (or collaborators on his behalf) – This file has been provided by York Museums Trust as part of a GLAMwiki partnership., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31565244
At the same time the popularity of sport hunting was on the rise. The wealthy members of shooting clubs created an additional demand for decoys. Some market hunters began to supplement their income by carving and selling decoys to sport hunters. Regional carvers emerged specializing in the local varieties of waterfowl. This trend towards the commercialization of decoy carving was intensified when over-hunting led to the regulation of wildfowl shooting.
In 1913, the Federal Migratory Bird Law, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918, effectively ended market gunning in the United States and transformed waterfowl hunting into a highly regulated sport. Many of the men that had made a living through market hunting now turned to decoy carving. As specific carvers became highly sought after, wait lists for custom, hand-carved decoys became common. Seeing an opportunity, entrepreneurs such as George Petersen, Jasper N. Dodge, and William J. Mason opened factories to produce decoys on an industrial scale.
Early factory Mallard drake. George Petersen Factory. Image from RJB Antiques.
Fast forward to the present day and what began as hunting equipment has become valuable American folk art. Decoys carved by individuals, as well as those made in factories, are in high demand. In 2007 two decoys by A. Elmer Crowell, a carver from East Harwich, Massachusetts, were sold in a private sale for $1.1 million each! His preening Pintale drake duck, and sleeping Canada Goose, are both quite beautiful and have each set records in past sales. I expect they will again the next time they are for sale.
The Library holds numerous books on the history of the use and manufacture of decoys, as well as books dealing with the collection of them. If you have a decoy sitting on the mantle piece perhaps you can come to the Library to research it’s origins.
Erica Libhart has served as the Mars Technical Services Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) since early 2016. The focus of her position is collection services, working to increase accessibility to NSLM’s collection of books, periodicals, and archival materials. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports. Have a question? Contact Erica by e-mail
Now is the time when people set their resolutions for the new year. The Library’s main resolutions for 2019 are:
(1) Complete setup of the Library’s new Digital Repository
(2) Catalog the periodicals collection
Speaking of the periodicals project, we were going through some old copies of Thoroughbred Record to catalog them, and picked up the New Year’s issue for 1936 (January 4).
Thoroughbred Record, January 4, 1936
We came across an article on New Year’s Resolutions by “Salvator,” the pen-name of John Hervey. The article fell under the paper’s “Marginalia” heading.
Salvator has quite a few ideas for resolutions, all of them best practices for people associated with horse racing in some fashion. For example, he has insightful (and cynical) resolutions for bettors:
Remember that the average of winning favorites is about 38 per cent.
That playing hunches is playing dunces.
That inside info is outside bunco.
That book-makers are your natural enemies.
That the totalisator, only, cannot be bought.
That all players die broke, anyhow.
Or his resolutions for jockeys:
Less rough riding.
More judgment.
More respect for the judges.
Less anxiety to beat the starter.
More skill at the finish.
Drastic treatment for swelled-head.
He even suggests resolutions for the racing commissions, track managers, and breeders. For trainers:
More interest in good horsemanship.
More interest in good horses.
Less interest in bad horses.
A stern stand against “dope.”
More consideration for horses as horses.
Less consideration for them as gambling tools.
And iron hand on subordinates.
How many of Salvator’s resolutions still hold up today? For us, we’re confident our projects will move forward to completion in the coming year, and hope all the best for the resolutions of our NSLM members and blog readers. Happy New Year!
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) since early 2014. He is responsible for the care of the Library collections, including books, magazines, photographs, diaries, letters, and much more. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
The year before last, one of our books up for repair from our Book Adoption Program was written by John Henry Walsh (1810-1888), who wrote under the pseudonym “Stonehenge.” The book, called British Rural Sports, was adopted for restoration by John and Kelly Johnson.
John Henry Walsh, “Stonehenge,” from British Rural Sports, 1877, National Sporting Library & Museum.
British Rural Sports is an all-in-one volume on 19th Century country sport, showing off Walsh’s command of sporting topics with almost 1,000 pages of content on foxhunting, steeplechase, fly fishing, all variety of shooting and hunting, dog breeds, canine and equine anatomy, and more.
Toy Terrier and Italian Greyhound, from British Rural Sports, 1877, National Sporting Library & Museum.
Walsh got his start as a surgeon but gravitated to sporting life. He had an interest in every imaginable field sport: angling, riding to hounds, wing shooting, yachting, and more. He was particularly attached to the breeding of dogs and to the development of sporting firearms. He quickly established himself as an expert sporting author, publishing a book on greyhound breeding in 1853 and becoming a regular contributor of articles to periodicals that covered field sports.
Hunting, from British Rural Sports, 1877, National Sporting Library & Museum.
In 1857, Walsh became editor of The Field, a prominent sporting magazine. He continued his career as a noteworthy sporting author, penning volumes on stabling horses, caring for the health of dogs, and on sporting shotguns and rifles.
Truffle Dog, from British Rural Sports, 1877, National Sporting Library & Museum.
Walsh instigated a series of field trials for sporting firearms, testing the abilities of various gun designs and varieties of gunpowder. Walsh was also associated with the Kennel Club, working to organize and promote early dog shows. He rode to hounds, trained pointers and setters, and is also reported to have trained hawks. He died in 1888 at 77 years old.
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) since early 2014. He is responsible for the care of the Library collections, including books, magazines, photographs, diaries, letters, and much more. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
Occasionally the drama of horse racing spills over from the racetrack. In 1977 it splashed onto a mare called Fanfreluche, who was stolen from Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky, and was missing without a trace for several months. This tale of intrigue was covered by many news outlets but for all things Thoroughbred, The Blood-Horse Weekly magazine is the ideal resource. Fortunately the Library holds nearly a complete run of this essential Thoroughbred horse periodical and I was able to get all the details of this odd incident.
Born in 1967, and owned by Jean-Louis Levesque, Fanfreluche had an excellent record on the track, earning $238,688 and being named 1970 Canadian Horse of the Year. An injury during her fourth year ended her racing career and she embarked on a new career as a broodmare in which she would prove equally successful. In 1977 she journeyed south to Claiborne Farm in Kentucky to be bred to Secretariat and was soon confirmed as in foal to the famous Triple Crown winner.
Fanfreluche. Blood-Horse Weekly, July 11, 1977 (2924). NSLM periodicals collection.
On June 26th Fanfreluche vanished from a grazing field she shared with several other broodmares. She was last seen late in the afternoon by farm staff. Later in the evening when the head count came up one short it was assumed that the missing mare was simply out of view. The next morning the stunning truth was revealed, Fanfreluche was missing.
The State police and the FBI were called in. Investigation of the area turned up two cut fences…
A cut fence. Blood-Horse Weekly, July 4, 1977 (2844-5). NSLM periodicals collection.
and a trail that led along a stone wall to a wooded area near the road, where the hoof prints stopped. Presumably the thief had a van waiting, loaded Fanfreluche into it, and made his get away.
The escape route. Blood-Horse Weekly, July 4, 1977 (2844-5). NSLM periodicals collection.
The authorities, indeed everyone, expected a ransom call. Although she was valuable, due to strict registration rules Fanfreluche wouldn’t be worth much to the thief. In much the same way that a stolen artwork is difficult if not impossible to sell, a famous horse with registration lip tattoo would be impossible to pass off as another horse. Inexplicably no phone call came.
After a week or two the State Police released these photos to the public hoping that someone had seen the missing mare.
Blood-Horse Weekly, July 11, 1977 (2924). NSLM periodicals collection.
In an attempt to drum up leads, a false story was circulated that Fanfreluche required medication. Also a $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to a conviction. In July an arrest warrant was issued for William Michael McCandless. He voluntarily turned himself in and denied any connection with the crime. He was arraigned on July 29th, but there was still no sign of the missing horse.
It wasn’t until December 8th that a tip led investigators to the rural town of Tompkinsville, Kentucky. At the home of Larry McPherson a mare matching the description of Fanfreluche is discovered and her identity is confirmed from her lip tattoo. McPherson had been in possession of the horse since shortly after her kidnapping. One morning his neighbor had spotted a stray horse and assumed that it belonged to McPherson. They called to alert him and he went out expecting to find one of his horses.
The road where Fanfreluche was found (top) and the McPherson home (bottom). Blood-Horse Weekly, Dec 19, 1977 (6199-6202). NSLM periodicals collection.
Instead it was an unknown horse. He retrieved the horse and told the neighbor it wasn’t his and to pass the word around that there was a stray horse at his place. He expected the owner to turn up shortly to claim their animal. When no one did he reported it to the local police. No one made the connection to the race horse that had been stolen about 150 miles away. Eventually McPherson named the stray Brandy and occasionally used her for pleasure riding. He reported that she was very gentle but was difficult to catch, and that she never seemed to like the name he had given her and had never responded when he used it.
The McPhersons and “Brandy.” Blood-Horse Weekly, Dec 19, 1977 (6199-6202). NSLM periodicals collection.
The McPhersons were cleared of any connection to the theft. Although Fanfreluche was in need of a brushing and having her hooves trimmed, she was none the worse for wear from her time as an ordinary horse. She returned to the luxury of Claiborne Farm and in February gave birth to a healthy colt named Sain Et Sauf, or Safe and Sound.
Fanfreluche had a long and productive life before passing away in 1999 at the age of 32. She is a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and also won the Sovereign Award for outstanding broodmare. She had 18 foals. 14 of them were winners, five were stakes winners, and three were champions.
William Michael McCandless was convicted of the theft and sentenced to four years in prison. It wasn’t his first run in the with law and it wouldn’t be his last.
The Library has a large collection of periodicals dating from the late 1700’s to the present day. Only our active subscriptions are available without an appointment in the Main Reading Room. The bulk of the collection is in the Lower Level Reading Room which requires an appointment to visit. I am currently working on cataloging the periodicals collection so in the near future it will be easy to see what we have available by using our online catalog.
Erica Libhart has served as the Mars Technical Services Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) since early 2016. The focus of her position is collection services, working to increase accessibility to NSLM’s collection of books, periodicals, and archival materials. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports. Have a question? Contact Erica by e-mail.
For those of us who have never attempted to ride in a sidesaddle, the idea might conjure images of a subdued and dainty rider unchallenged by her environment. For those knowledgeable about the physical ability needed to pursue hunting, however, sidesaddle riding evokes admiration and even awe for the skilled athlete who makes it appear effortless. Sporting artworks beginning with early depictions of women’s forays into the hunting field riding aside (as opposed to astride) on horseback reveal them to be highly trained equestrians fully capable of jumping and galloping alongside men, and sometimes besting them. The artwork spanning over three-hundred years in Sidesaddle, 1690-1935, on view through March 24, 2019, highlights these indomitable women.
The earliest painting in the exhibition is Jan Wyck’s Hare Hunting, c. 1690. Wyck, a Dutch painter, moved to England in the 1660s and became one of the first generation of sporting artists working in the emerging genre. In the painting, the hounds are in full cry on the line of a hare; two gentlemen and a lady follow at a gallop. She is shown relaxed and confident and in full control of her mount.
Jan Wyck (Dutch, c. 1645 – 1700) Hare Hunting, c. 1690, oil on canvas, 56 x 48 inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
How to Twist Your Neck, 1809, by Thomas Rowlandson is another great example. The caricature painted in watercolors is a humorous scene showing a lady at a full gallop following a hound. She is bent at the waist having just cleared a low branch. Behind her, her “pursuer” has not ducked and in shocked surprise is about to be dramatically unseated, having run neck-first into the limb.
Thomas Rowlandson (British, 1756 – 1827), How to Twist Your Neck, 1809, watercolor on paper, 3 13/16 x 5 13/16 inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
The painting aptly titled, A Confident Approach, by Henry Thomas Alken, shows an elegant lady foxhunter in a black riding habit and top hat about to take a fence, while the rest of the hunt field goes around, avoiding the jump. She is the only female in the scene, and her muddy skirt is a silent testimony to where she has already been.
Henry Thomas Alken (British, 1785 – 1851) A Confident Approach, c. 1850, oil on canvas, 14 x 14 inches, Collection of Lorian Peralta-Ramos
The theme continues with Thomas Derville Rowlandon’s set of twelve Foxhunting Scenes. Going to the Meet, The Meet, A Good Start, Going Strong, A Momentary Check, Well Over, A Loose Horse, Hark Away, A Friendly Gate, From Scent to View, With the Leaders, and The Kill follows a lady’s successful day foxhunting on a gray. In Well Over, she jumps a stream with ease while a male hunter has barely cleared the jump and the horse of another has refused. In the next work in the sequence, the second male rider emerges from the stream while another having been unseated, runs after his horse. Each successive composition emphasizes the lady’s skill, often exceeding that of some of her male counterparts, over the course of the day.
George Derville Rowlandson, (British, 1861 – 1928) Well Over and A Loose Horse; two of a set of twelve Foxhunting Scenes, before 1920, oil on canvas, 10 x 14 inches, Collection of Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Penkhus
In The Meynell – Away from Sutton Cross Roads, after 1920, by Frank Elgernon Stewart, the lady rider is a focal point of the composition in which the huntsman blows his horn and the hounds are in full cry. She is among the leaders of the hunt field following the esteemed hound pack, and she is shown keeping pace with ease, having just cleared a fence.
Frank Algernon Stewart (British, 1877 – 1945) The Meynell – Away from Sutton Cross, Roads, after 1920, watercolor on paper, 9 x 28 inches, Collection of Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Penkhus
Each exhilarating work elevates sidesaddle equestrians as they overcame obstacles with skill and panache, riding aside over open country while in skirts. These ladies’ tenacity and grit continue to be celebrated in art to this day.
Gail Guirreri-Maslyk (American, b. 1968), Meath Hunting Sidesaddle, I, 2013, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches, Collection of Ms. Karen Waldron and Mr. Shawn Ricci
Sidesaddle, 1690-1930 was co-curated by Claudia Pfeiffer and Dr. Ulrike Elisabeth Weiss, Lecturer at University of St. Andrews in Scotland and NSLM John H. Daniels Fellow. Pfeiffer has been the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator of Art at the National Sporting Library & Museum since the position was underwritten by the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Foundation in 2012. Her primary focus is the research, design, interpretation, writing, and installation of exhibitions. E-mail Claudia at cpfeiffer@nationalsporting.org
With winter weather closing in and the holiday season nearly upon us, one might find oneself stuck inside with visiting family and searching for an activity to fill the time. If the allure of the television has waned, and you’d like to do something that gets everyone actively involved, I suggest going old school. How about a card or dicing game? If you’re rusty on the rules or want to try a new game, reaching for a copy of one Edmond Hoyle’s books would be a good place to start.
Beginning in 1742, Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769) wrote several treatises on a variety of card games and backgammon. In 1748 his publisher, Thomas Osborne, began to sell a compilation of Hoyle’s earlier works. As a result of these publications Hoyle eventually became the acknowledged expert on the rules for many games, especially Whist. The phrase, “according to Hoyle” has become idiomatic in English, meaning according to the rules, or according to the highest authority.
Although today Hoyle is the most well known name in table game rule books, he was not the first to publish such works. The Library holds two volumes of an earlier title, The Compleat Gamester. The first edition of this book was published anonymously in 1674. It covered numerous card games, games from the backgammon genre, and several outdoor sports. Its full title was, The Compleat Gamester: Or, Instructions How to Play at Billiards, Trucks, Bowls, and Chess. Together with all manner of usual and most Gentile Games either on Cards or Dice. To which is added, The Arts and Mysteries of Riding, Racing, Archery, and Cock-Fighting.”
Frontispiece from the 1710 edition of The Compleat Gamester. National Sporting Library & Museum, the gift of John H. and Martha Daniels.
Over the next 50 years the popular book was reissued and reprinted frequently. Several new editions with additional material and various subtitles appeared. NSLM holds an edition from 1710 called, The Compleat Gamester: or instructions how to play at all manner of usual, and most gentile games, either on cards, dice, billiards, trucks, bowls, or chess; also the arts and misteries of riding, racing, archery and cock-fighting. To which is added, the game Basset; with a discourse of gaming in general. The description of a gaming ordinary, and the character of a gamester. With a song on the game at Piquet. Despite this title, much of the material in the book does not concern how to play games but rather how to spot a cheater. In this excerpt from the Epistle to the Reader that precedes the text, the author’s opinion of “gamesters” is made quite clear,
Mistake me not, it is not my intention to make Gamesters by this collection, but to inform all in part how to avoid being cheated by them: If I am imperfect in my discoveries, impute it to my being no profest Gamester, and the hatred I bear that hellish society; by whom I know I shall be laught at, and with whom if I should converse, I might sooner by my study come to be Nature’s Secretary, and unriddle all her Arcanas than collect from them any new unpractised secret by which they bubble ignorant credulity, and purchase money and good apparel with everlasting shame and infamy.
To conclude, let me advise you, if you play (when your business will permit) let not a covetous desire of winning another’s money engage you to the losing your own, which will not only disturb your mind, but by the disreputation of being a Gamester, if you lose not your estate, you will certainly lose your credit and good name, than which there is nothing more valuable (Compleat Gamester, 1710).
The author’s anonymity and the vehemence of his opinion of “gamesters” makes me wonder if he wasn’t expertly fleeced himself. Perhaps this book is his revenge on the culprit.
Individual games are given basic descriptions but generally there is not much information on actual game play or strategy. Instead the author offers clear descriptions of some techniques used by “gamesters” to cheat other players. For example, he describes Piping, where the gamester’s accomplice, on the pretense of leisurely smoking a pipe, adopts a position in which he is able to view the cards of the gamester’s opponent. The accomplice is then able to signal the contents of the dupe’s hand to the gamester. The signals consist of various finger placements on the pipe, which the gamester can see and decipher. Ironically given the author’s clear disapproval of cheating, the detailed descriptions he provides of it serve not only as a warning to would-be marks, but also as instructions for would be gamesters.
In addition to practical gaming advice, the author also offers commentary that is sometimes comical or clever. I love this line about bowling, “A Bowling-Green, or Bowling-Ally is a place where three things are thrown away besides the Bowls, viz. Time, Money and Curses, at the last ten for one” (Compleat Gamester (1710), p. 35).
In 1719 in a bid to capitalize on the popularity of The Compleat Gamester, notorious bookseller Edmund Curll hired Richard Seymour to write The Court Gamester. The volume dealt with Ombre, Piquet, and Chess. Apparently Curll’s gambit of offering a book on a similar topic with a similar name to the popular Compleat Gamester paid off as there were four more editions published by 1732. In 1734 the two titles were published together as, The Compleat Gamester in Three Parts. The Library holds a 1739 edition of this combined title.
Frontispiece of the 1739 edition of The Compleat Gamester: in Three Parts by Richard Seymour. National Sporting Library & Museum, the gift of Russell Arundel.
The work includes instructions and rules for card games (ombre, quadrille, quintile, piquet, basset, faro, whist, all-fours, cribbage, put, lue, brag, &c.), chess, English and French billiards, riding, horse racing, archery, cock fighting and bowling.
In addition to updating the rules of game playing, the preface of this book identifies the author of the original 1674 Compleat Gamester: “The second and third parts of this treatise were originally written by Charles Cotton Esq; some years since, but are now rectified according to the present standard of play” (page viii). Charles Cotton is best known today as the author of portions of Isaac Walton’s The Compleat Angler. He died insolvent in 1687, 13 years after the publication of The Compleat Gamester, but I could not find anything indicating that he had gambled away his money or been swindled by a nefarious gamester. His motivation for penning the book remains a mystery.
Although The Compleat Gamester retained its popularity for three quarters of a century, eventually Edmond Hoyle’s publications eclipsed it.* The final edition of Gamester appeared in 1754.
Rule books featuring the name Hoyle are still in production today. Over time new editions featured rules for new games and eliminated those for games that fell out of favor. If you plan ahead a bit and lay in a couple decks of cards and some dice, along with a copy of Hoyle’s or even one of the editions of The Compleat Gamester, you’ll have an activity for snowbound evenings. Maybe you’ll learn how to play Whist and can show off that knowledge the next time Jane Austen’s stories come up.
* David Levy’s blog, Edmond Hoyle, Gent. provided a great deal of the publication history contained in this post. It is also chock full of interesting information on gaming, recreation, and book selling and publication in the 18th Century. I encourage our readers to visit his blog and do a little exploring.
Erica Libhart has served as the Mars Technical Services Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) since early 2016. The focus of her position is collection services, working to increase accessibility to NSLM’s collection of books, periodicals, and archival materials. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports. Have a question? Contact Erica by e-mail
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Drawing Covert
“Drawing Covert,” refers to the practice in foxhunting of putting hounds in a covert (pronounced like “cover”), a thicket or wooded brush area, to find the fox.
This blog is about the exhibitions, tours, research, programs, and events, at NSLM on its unique collection of books, archives, paintings, sculpture and much more.
