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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
funny
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
History buffs and sports enthusiasts will enjoy this little book full of information about those games that are no longer played and/or lost to obscurity (usually for a very good reason). The vast majority feature cruelty to animals which I suppose one could expect from a book titled Fox Tossing and Other Forgotten and Dangerous Sports, Pastimes, and Games but boy was it brutal. Bears, rats, dogs, cats, and even tortoises weren't exempt from the savagery of man. Besides the sports that featured the capture, suffering, and eventual death of animals there were those that were just plain idiotically dangerous. For example, would you like to participate in a rousing game of Human Fishing whereby you are the fish attached to a fishing line with another person trying to reel you in? What about Waterfall-Riding over Niagara in a barrel? Of course, you could always play it safe and indulge in everyone's favorite past-time of Dwile Flonking where a person who is blindfolded tries to hit his friends with a mop soaked in beer. Yes, this was a real thing.
While I enjoyed learning about the different past-times enjoyed by people all over the world through the ages the sheer amount that relied on the maltreatment of animals made this not exactly a fun read. Information = 10/10 Fun reading experience = 5/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Blood
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
A fascinating collection about sports that have been practiced by humans across the ages. Some of it is funny, some of it is gruesome, and others yet just leave you scratching your head. This is definitely not for those who are faint at heart or do not want to read about animal cruelty, as unfortunately many sports used to involve the maltreatment of animals. It is interesting to read about all these sporting activities, and see how they emerged from training for combat, the channelling of human’s innate aggression or the search for entertainment and dare-devilry. But the book could have benefited from the author drawing out some general observations and connections about all the sports mentioned, or at the least it could have been thematically organised.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty