George Washington, Sportsman: From His Own Journals

By Dr. Colleen Yarger – George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator of Library Collections Did you know that many of our nation’s Presidents enthusiastically participated in sporting pastimes covered under the National Sporting Library & Museum’s (NSLM) mission? As our institution is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of equestrian, angling, […]

History’s Most Unusual Duels

By Nicole Stutt When we envision duels, we often think of knights in shining armor or 18th century gentlemen in a field taking aim with pistols and one man left standing at the end of it. That was often the case, but not always. Some gentlemen were able to settle their disputes before they had […]

A Day at the Circus

By Nicole Stutt, Visitor Services Associate Generally, when someone mentions Rome and sports, the first thing that comes to mind is gladiators. And indeed, the Romans loved gladiatorial games as much as they loved any public spectacle. The most popular of them all were the Ludi Circenses, the chariot races. In fact, the races became […]

“O, the gallant fishers life, it is the best of any”

For 368 years (and counting) The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton has been influential in the world of angling and conservation. Today there are dozens of organizations that bear his name, including the “Izaak Walton League of America” with 330 chapters across the country and hundreds of parks, nature preserves, and even inns named after […]

Some things never change…

In today’s world, it is easy to take for granted the comforts of modern technology. Horseback riding is a hobby now, not a necessity. We no longer rely upon the animal to commute, to work, or to make a living. Cars, tractors, and farm equipment have taken over those tasks. Even caring for horses has […]

Goddess Diana Cosplay and Italian Stag Hunting

Over the past few months I have been fortunate enough to spend more time in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room for tour research. One of my favorite pieces to show on tour is a commemorative hunting book called La Venaria Reale, Palazzo Di Piacere, e di Caccia, Ideato Dall’ Altezza Reale di Carlo […]

Scandal in the Jungle

A series of letters in the NSLM’s John H. Daniels Rare Book Collection detail a fascinating tale filled with mystery and intrigue about a series of suspiciously easy tiger hunts near Navapur in the state of Maharashtra, India, in early 1923. W. E. Copleston first wrote on March 4, 1923, to a man named Jacob, […]

The Oldest Book in the Collection

One of the most frequently asked questions on tours of the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Books Room is how old is our oldest book. We always ask guests to guess and they are rarely even close. Our oldest book was published in 1523, just shy of 500 years ago! Perhaps even more interesting than its […]

The Personalities of The Old Raby Hunt Club

George Algernon Fothergill (1868-1945) was trained as a physician but apparently found this practical career less enchanting than one as an artist. He would eventually give up medicine completely and make a living as an illustrator and artist. His work appeared in Vanity Fair magazine as well as other sporting periodicals. He also designed letterheads, […]

Portraits of Fishes and How to Make Them

After exploring the NSLM’s collection of sporting books for the last four and a half years I’ve learned that while many sporting volumes were produced with commercial success in mind, many more were simply passion projects authored by true lovers of sport for the sake of celebrating a given activity and perhaps sharing their enthusiasm […]