Description

Step into the bustling world of early‑19th‑century Britain, where the sport of pugilism rose from modest village pits to the grand rings of London. This volume follows the first decade of that golden era, tracing the rise of fighters such as the formidable Tom Spring, the gritty Ned Painter, and the daring Dan Donnelly. Drawing on vivid newspaper accounts, period portraits, and personal anecdotes, the narrative paints each bout with the immediacy of a live broadcast, letting listeners hear the crowd’s roar and feel the tension of every round.

Beyond the fights, the book explores the colorful cast of patrons, trainers, and local heroes who shaped the sport’s culture. Richly detailed sketches of the fighters’ lives—family ties, humble beginnings, and the fierce rivalries that defined them—bring the era to life without giving away later chapters. As the second installment of a three‑part chronicle, it offers both a thrilling recount of historic contests and a window into the social fabric that made British boxing a national obsession.

Details

Full title

Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 2 (of 3) Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-1740, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863 Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-1740, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863

Language

Duration

~33 hours (1907K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Richard Tonsing, deaurider, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Release date

2020-03-21

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

Source

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61649