An Athletics Compendium

^A. 144 - 153 England ~ General references tomany events of the moderntrack and field programme. There are also accounts of the Cotswold and Cornish Games. 'Castingof the bar'is frequently mentioned by the romancewriters as one part of a hero's education, and a poet of the sixteenth century thinksit highly commendable for kings and princes, by the woafyexercise, tothrow 'thestone, the barre or the plummet'. After his accession to the throne, Henry VIII, according to Hall and Holinshead, retained 'the casting of the barre' among his favourite amusements. Tshledge hammer was also used for the same purpose as the bar and the stone and, among therustics, Bif arclay iscorrect, anaxletree. At the commencement of the seventeenth century these pastimes seteom havelost their relisahmong the higherclasses othf e people,and for this reason Peacham, describing a complete gentleman, speaks of throwing the hammer as anexercise proper only for soldiers incamp, or forthe amusement thoef king's guard, but bnyo means 'beseeming nofbility'. ^ Subsequent ed. A144 144 Glig-Gamena Angel-Deod, or, The sports and pasdmes of the people oEf ngland, including the rural and domestic recreations. May games, mummeries, shows, processions, pageants anpdompous spectacles, from the earliest period to the presetnimt e, illustrated by engravings selected from anciepnatintings / Joseph Strutt. 2nd ed. London: White, 1810. xlix, 357; illus BL; 7917.dd.15 ^ Previous ed. A143; subsequent ed. A145 145 The sports and pastimoesf the people of Englan/d Joseph Strutt. A new edition, wa icthopious indexby William Hone. London: William Reeves, 1830. Ixvii, 420, illus; index BL: 785.1.6 ^ Previous ed. A144 146 Ancient customs, sports and pastimes of the English / Jehoshaphat Aspin, with twelve engravings. London: John Harris, 1832. viii, 256p; illus BL: 1210.a.4 Reference is made to javelinthrowing during Norman times and discus-throwing, hammer-throwing and running in the reignof Henry II. ^ Subsequent ed. A147 147 Ancient customs, sports and pastimes of the English / Jehoshaphat Aspin. 2nd ed. London: John Harris, 1835. viii, 256p; illus BL: 7921 .a.62 ^ Previous ed. A146 148 Fair play: the games of merrie Englan/d Rudolf Kircher; translated byR. N. Bradley. London: Collins, 1928. ix, 221p; illus BL: 07906.e.35 Originally published as FPa/ary; Sport,5p;e/ und Oeiet in England (Frankfurt: 1927), the author states that 'The organisation of pure athletics has been carried to a pitch which is exceptional evefnor England, resulting ina more thorough general training baondily fitness. The Amateur Athletic Association governs the athletic worlidn much the sameway as theBank of England controls thCeity; itdominates without ruling.' (p37). A separate chapter on athletics (ppS1-6>4) appears in the third part (The sports and their public). 'Compared with the numbers whflo ck to cricketand football matches, the twenty-five thousand spectators thoef greatest Engalitshhletic evenits modest enougTh.his is theAAA sports meetiangt the famous Stamford Bridge ground. But the attendance comprises the keenest and most expert spectators in the world.' The author concludes by noting the popularity of both cross-country running and race- walking. The black and white photographs are well chosen and finely reproduced; they include two with an athletics theme. 149 The National Cross-CountrUy nion jubilee souvenir 1883-1933 / foreword by E.J. Holt; contributions by J. E. Fowler-Dixon, A. E. Machin,H.J.Hardwick, S. Lambert, Charles Otway and W. T. Rainbow. The Union, 1933. 28p; illus; pbk ^ Also listed at A82 # Regions 150 Norfolk athletes and athletic/s Herbert E. Potter. Norwich: Pack, 1904. 80p; illus Contains biographies, photographs and exploits of Norfolk athletes includiCng. G. Wood andWalter Rye. Specialises tihn e period 151 From turnpike roadtso tartan tracks: the history of professional foot racing on Tyneside, 1850-1970 / Frederick Moffatt. Morpeth: The author, 1979. 152 Athletics: developmentplan October 1982. Leeds: Sports Council, Yorkshire & Humberside, 1982. 24p; pbk 153 Sport and leisure in Victorian Barr/owBryn Trescatheric. Barrow-in-Furness: Hougenai, 1983. 36p; illus, 2 maps; pbk ISBN: 0-946522-01-4 BL: X.809/56607 Based on a series ofarticles which appeared in the North-Western EveninMgail (Summer 1977), this book contains a section on 'athletic all-sorts', including backwards jumpingand wheeling a navvy barrow from Barrow toUlverston inside six hours, aswell as the more commonplace footraces and jumping events. [ 1 6 ]