{"product_id":"sport-and-the-making-of-britain-9780719037597","title":"Sport and the Making of Britain","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Derek Birley\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Manchester University Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Manchester University Press\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Popular Culture - General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British love of sport is legendary. In this lively and stimulating book Derek Birley looks at the part it played in shaping British society. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe book traces the development of sporting conventions from medieval chivalry to modern notions of sportsmanship and fair play. Particular sports from hunting and the tournament to ball-games and athletics are shown against the social background of the emerging nation. The first laws of favourite pastimes such as horse-racing, cricket and boxing were devised by the privileged for gambling purposes, but were enthusiastically followed by the lower orders for pleasure and profit. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmongst the topics explored are the changing fortunes and fashions in field sports, 'gentlemen and players' in cricket, the public school games cult, purity in amateur rowing, the urban middle-class discovery of lawn tennis and golf, and the 'north-south divide' in football. These social issues are cross-threads in the theme of sport's influence on national identity, patriotism and imperialism in the making of Britain. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRemarkable in its scope and in its linking of sport to the changing social political scene, this is a splendidly readable history.","brand":"Manchester University Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47892484980887,"sku":"9780719037597","price":2843.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780719037597.webp?v=1781187189","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/sport-and-the-making-of-britain-9780719037597","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}