Flat Racing and British Society, 1790-1914: A Social and Economic History

by Mike Huggins

Overview

2001 North American Society for Sports History Book of the Year

This volume studies the formative period of racing between 1790 and 1914. This was a time when, despite the opposition of a respectable minority, attendance at horse races, betting on horses, or reading about racing increasingly became central leisure activities of much of British society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135264253
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/03/2014
Series:	Sport in the Global Society
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	302
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Mike Huggins

Table of Contents

Introduction, Mike Huggins; Chapter 1 Racing: An Overview, 1800–1914, Mike Huggins; Chapter 2 Racing and the Upper-class Fast Set, Mike Huggins; Chapter 3 The Middle-class Supporters of Racing, Mike Huggins; Chapter 4 Racing and Betting: A Key Part of Urban Popular Culture, Mike Huggins; Chapter 5 ‘The Greatest Carnival of the Year’: The Racecourse and Racecourse Life, Mike Huggins; Chapter 6 Mingled Pleasure and Speculation: The Commercialization of Racing, Mike Huggins; Chapter 7 The Jockey Club: Power and Control over the Sport, Mike Huggins; Chapter 8 ‘Last and Greatest of Social Evils’: The Opposition to Racing and Betting, Mike Huggins; Chapter 9 Conclusion, Mike Huggins;

Editorial Reviews

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the author argues that horse racing was commercialized very early on, and that the Jockey Club held only limited power before the 1860s. Huggins, who has worked in teacher education for years and has published books in the fields of both education and history, explores the popularity of racing and betting among the middle classes, working classes, and the gentry, and traces the sport's development through the Industrial Revolution. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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