author

Henry Downes Miles

1806–1889

A Victorian journalist and storyteller with a strong taste for sporting life, he is best remembered for vivid books on boxing, field sports, and popular adventure. His work captures the energy of 19th-century Britain, mixing reporting, anecdote, and entertainment.

3 Audiobooks

Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 1 (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, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863

Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 1 (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, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863

by Henry Downes Miles

Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 3 (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, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863

Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 3 (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, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863

by Henry Downes Miles

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

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

by Henry Downes Miles

About the author

Born in 1806 and active through the Victorian period, Henry Downes Miles was a British journalist and author. Reference sources describe him as a journalist, and surviving bibliographic records link him to a wide range of writing, from fiction to sporting history.

He is best known today for Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, a substantial account of prizefighting and the people around it. Other works associated with him include British Field Sports, and records of later editions identify him as the editor of The Sportsman's Magazine, which fits his strong connection to sporting subjects.

Miles also wrote popular narrative works, including titles on figures such as Dick Turpin and Claude Du Val, showing that he moved comfortably between journalism, history, and lively Victorian storytelling. He died in 1889, leaving behind books that remain useful to readers interested in boxing history, sport, and 19th-century popular writing.