Sport and Pastimes

Rare Books on Sport at Forum Auctions

Rare books on Sport have engaged and fascinated book collectors and sports fans alike over the centuries. From rare antiquarian books competing to include the first mention of cricket and football, through to signed modern first editions by the leading sportsmen & sportswomen of today, Rare Books on Sport represents an exciting and oft near obsessive arena of rare book collecting. The Sport and Pastimes department at Forum Auctions have regularly overseen the sale of important rare books and other works on paper relating to all the popular sports, including football, rugby, tennis, cricket (for example Wisden's Almanacks), golf, boxing and athletics.

Books relating to Field Sports also fall under the Sport and Pastimes rare books umbrella. Works on hunting, shooting and fishing remain popular, with a pedigree in print that stretches back to 1486 and the first printing of Dame Juliana Berners' The Boke of Saint Albans. Rare books on angling can also be found throughout the centuries, and our specialists have managed the sale of several private collections of such books over the years.

Rare Books on Pastimes at Forum Auctions

Pastimes encompassed by these auctions include books on the history and development of popular board games, such as rare chess books, and card games. We do also sometimes sell antique sets of original playing cards, often thematic, and nearly always highly collectable. Household management and the domestic sciences is another key aspect of Rare Books on Pastimes at Forum Auctions. Rare books relating to cooking, viniculture, preservation and cultivation have become increasingly sought after in recent years, among both private collectors and institutional buyers. Our Sport and Pastimes rare books team have exceptional experience from cataloguing and selling some of the most important private collections of such works to come to market.