BADMINTON LIBRARY

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The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes:

The Badminton Library was the creation of his grace the eighth Duke of Beaufort [Henry Charles Fitzroy Somerset Beaufort], as it stands it is the most comprehensive work of the Victorian era to cover all sports and pastimes.   The Duke wanted to produce this library of volumes because, in his own words “there is no modern encyclopaedia to which the inexperienced man, who seeks guidance in the practice of various British sports and pastimes, can turn for information”.    The idea of the library was conceived by the Duke and the volumes written by a selection of authors who were, in their fields, an authority; the duke was the overseeing editor of the volumes.   The name of the series was taken from the family estate of the Duke of Beaufort, Badminton House [Gloucestershire], although the name may imply and encyclopaedia of the sport of Badminton, there is actually no volume on Badminton.   History would suggest that badminton was played in various countries around the world, it was in 1873 that the sport made its way to England where, apparently on a rainy day it was played in the hall at Badminton House, and it was at this time that it acquired its current name of Badminton.

The Badminton Library was originally published in 28 volumes, to this was added Motors & Motor-Driving in 1902 making the library up to 29 volumes.    There were also 4 other editions published: Rowing & Punting [1898] to replace the edition of Boating; the two volumes Athletics [1898] and Football [1899] to supersede the earlier one volume edition of Athletics and Football [1887]; and the new edition of Cricket [1920].

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Listed in order of First Editions

EDITIONS  -  The Badminton Library was published in 3 formats:

Standard Trade Edition: Bound in the well known brown illustrated cloth.   Octavo in size [8vo].

Deluxe Edition: Bound in Half blue morocco, gilt titles to the spines and bright orange boards with a gilt crest to the upper board, top page edges gilt [teg].   Octavo in size [8vo].

The Large Paper Deluxe Edition: This was a Limited Edition of 250 copies.   Bound in the same Half blue morocco as the Deluxe edition, with gilt titles to the spines and bright orange boards with a gilt crest to the upper board, top page edges gilt [teg].   Large Octavo [8vo] or Quarto in size [4to].

Other editions of these volumes, deluxe or standard trade, have subsequently been rebound in various forms, some as complete matching sets and others as individual volumes, usually due to the decline of the original publishers binding, this is especially the case with the Deluxe editions, due to the materials used the spines are often found in a poor state.