Valuable Book Group has published a collector's guide for the Badminton Library of Sporting and Pastimes. For the first time, collectors will have a guide to the editions, printing details and additional information regarding the Badminton Library series.

Are you a collector of the Badminton Library books? Are you a book seller of these volumes? The newly published Collectors Guide to the Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes is probably for you.

Find out which volumes are most collectable. Which are most sought after by collectors? What is the value of each particular title? Which book is the rarest? Which is the most common? Which volumes were issued with dust jackets? Which volume was issued with a special box? How much are the large paper editions worth? The deluxe editions? The standard trade editions?

The Valuable Book Group guide contains a brief history of the series as well as detailed bibliographical information regarding the books. Based on extensive research at the archives of the publisher we reveal the total volume of each title printed, the number of editions and the dust jacket information. The guide also contains a pricing guide based on retail sales data, auction data and marketplace data. In total, there were over 300 different versions of the books produced.

If you are interested in this series, this guide is for you.

107 pages, soft cover with many black and white and color illustrations.

$14.99 plus shipping to the U.S. or 9.50 Pounds airmail to the U.K.

The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes

The un-initiated are often confused by the name "Badminton." Yes, it is a sport played with a racket and a birdie (although to be technically correct the birdie is actually called a shuttlecock). The Badminton Library actually takes its name from the estate of the Duke of Beaufort, which is named Badminton and is located in Gloucestershire in England. The lawn sport actually takes its name from the Estate and not vice-versa.

In any event, the series was written during the Victorian Era in Britain and represents an intriguing look at various sports and pastimes. If the series were to be issued today it might more appropriately be called "Sports and Pastimes for the British Aristocrat" to more accurately reflect its content.

The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes was published by Longmans, Green, London between 1885 and 1920. The original series was made up of 28 titles, published through 1896. A 29^th volume was added in 1902 when the publisher deemed Motors and Motor-Driving to be worthy of inclusion. This makes up the original series. In later years, one of the original titles was split up from one volume into two: Athletics and Football. Lastly, the title originally published as Boating was completely rewritten and reissued as Rowing after 1898.

Please check our inventory as we always have a large selection of quality Badminton titles, including some very rare volumes that were issued by the publisher with dust jackets. Dust jackets are a rarity for any books published prior to the First World War. We are also interested in acquiring unique and hard to find volumes of the Badminton series so please inquire.

Browse our books at the Abebooks.com

The Gallery Below is a sampling of Illustrations taken from the Badminton Series