author
James Bicket
An early voice in Canadian curling, this 19th-century writer helped turn a growing winter pastime into something organized, documented, and shared. His small 1840 manual is remembered as the first book on curling published in Canada.
1 Audiobook
About the author
James Bicket is known for The Canadian Curler's Manual, published in Toronto in 1840 for the Toronto Curling Club. In the book's prefatory note, he describes his official connection with the club and explains that the manual was prepared to give members the club's constitution and laws, then expanded into a broader introduction to the game.
That modest project became an important piece of sports history. Later sources on curling in Canada identify Bicket's handbook as the country's first book on curling, and the work combines practical guidance with a short look at the sport's history.
Very little biographical information about Bicket himself could be confirmed from reliable sources consulted here. What clearly survives is his contribution to the early culture of curling in Toronto and Canada: a concise guide that helped record how the game was played in its formative years.