Games obsessed the Victorian and Edwardian public schools. The obsession has become widely known as athleticism. When it appeared in 1981, this book was the first major study of the games ethos which dominated the lives of many Victorian and Edwardian public schoolboys. Written with Professor Mangan's customary panache, it has become a classic, the seminal work on the social and cultural history of modern sport.

'One of the four most important books published in the last twenty years on sports history.' - Allen Guttmann, Amherst College

'Original, exhaustively-researched and stimulating.' - Francis Wheen, The New Statesman

Table of Contents:

History of Education Reviewone of the vital works for those engaged in both the history of education and the cultural history of sport

Sports, physical education in general

Sports, games

History in general, methods

History of Europe

Further readings in pedagogy

Sports, physical education in general (charity campaign)

Sports, games (charity campaign)

History in general, methods (charity campaign)

History of Europe (charity campaign)

Further readings in pedagogy (charity campaign)

Athleticism in the Victorian and Edwardian Public School

Games obsessed the Victorian and Edwardian public schoools. The obsession has become known as athleticism. This is a study of the games ethos which dominate the lives of many Victorian and Edwardian public schoolboys.