10 August 2006
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The Willoughby Captains by Talbot Baines Reed (London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1935). |
Big-game hunting, pig sticking and rat catching, as well as cricket, Australian Rules football, horse racing and royal tennis are among the many sports featured in a new exhibition at the Sir Louis Matheson Library at Monash University's Clayton campus.
Sport, on show until 29 September, features 140 rare sporting books, magazines and materials from the early 19th to late 20th centuries. The materials are sourced from the Monash University Library Rare Books Collection.
The exhibition, curated by Monash Rare Books librarian Mr Richard Overell, includes Australian, English, US and European material.
The sports covered range from swimming, rowing, golf, boxing and billiards to big-game hunting, coursing (a precursor to greyhound racing) and rat-catching -- a popular sport in Australia and England during the 19th century.
Among the highlights are rare books from the 1932-33 'Bodyline' cricket series, a selection of AFL ephemera, a 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games display, and memories of wrestling's golden era of the late 1960s and early 1970s when 'World Championship Wrestling' was televised weekly and wrestlers such as Mario Milano and Killer Kowalski were the heroes of the day.
"Sport is such a massively important part of people's lives and a burgeoning area of research in social history," Mr Overall said. "It is an important way of looking back into the past and seeing what was important in particular eras.
"The sports that were prominent in the 19th century included big-game hunting in the colonies such as India and Africa, hog hunting, pig sticking, horse racing and trout fishing. It wasn't until the second half of late-19th century that organised sports such as football and cricket became popular."
Sport can be viewed during library opening hours. For a virtual tour, visit the exhibition website the Monash Library website.
Exhibition notes:
What: Sport exhibition, Monash University Library Rare Books Collection
When: Until 29 September. Viewing hours: Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Saturday/Sunday 1 -- 5 pm
Where: Exhibition Room, Sir Louis Matheson Library, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton.
Images available. For further information contact: Mr Richard Overell, Rare Books Librarian on +61 3 9905 2689, or Ms Karen Stichtenoth, Media Communications on +61 3 9905 1253.
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