First edition of Baden-Powell’s Article: "Sport in War" 1898. R2,500
This bound period collection is Volume VII of The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes (covering July to December 1898), edited by Alfred E. T. Watson. Published during the heyday of late-Victorian British imperial sporting literature, it features articles by high-profile colonial administrators, military commanders, and popular authors of the era.
Key Hunting & Sporting Articles and Authors
Beyond Baden-Powell’s contribution, Volume VII features several notable sporting pieces:
"Sport with South African Game Birds" by H. A. Bryden
Who he was: Henry Anderson Bryden (1854–1937) was one of the foremost British naturalists, hunters, and travel writers on Southern Africa.
Why it’s of interest: Illustrated by the premier avian artist J. G. Keulemans, Bryden’s accounts provide a detailed historical record of South African avifauna and hunting practices in the late 19th century, making it a staple of historical Africana hunting literature.
"Some Experiences of an Irish R.M." by E. Œ. Somerville and Martin Ross
Who they were: The writing team of cousins Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin (writing as Martin Ross).
Why it’s of interest: Volume VII serialised these famous comedic stories detailing the misadventures of a British Resident Magistrate navigating rural Irish fox-hunting society. These original magazine appearances predated the classic 1899 book publication that cemented their literary fame.
"Sport in New South Wales" by Lord Hampden
Who he was: Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden, who was serving as the Governor of New South Wales (1895–1899) at the time of writing.
Why it’s of interest: It offers a rare first-hand perspective on Australian field sports and colonial life from a sitting Governor-General figure.
"Tent Life in India" by Colonel T. S. St. Clair
Why it’s of interest: Focuses on big-game hunting and expeditionary encampments during the British Raj, capturing the Anglo-Indian sporting ethos of the period.
Baden-Powell’s Article: "Sport in War"
Context & Content: Written while he was Colonel R.S.S. Baden-Powell (just before his fame at the Siege of Mafeking in 1899–1900), the article draws directly from his experiences during the 1896 Second Matabele War in Rhodesia. He argues that military scouting and tracking ("spoor-ing") against an enemy in the bush require the exact same instincts, observation skills, and fieldcraft as tracking dangerous game. This philosophy directly laid the groundwork for his seminal 1908 work, Scouting for Boys.
This 1898 magazine appearance is the true first printing.
Following Baden-Powell’s rise to international stardom as the "Hero of Mafeking," publisher William Heinemann capitalized on his fame by collecting this article alongside several other pieces he wrote for The Badminton Magazine and publishing them in book form in 1900 under the title Sport in War (illustrated with 19 plates by Baden-Powell himself).
Therefore, while the text was republished in book form in 1900, Volume VII of The Badminton Magazine (1898) represents the original periodical first appearance of the title essay.
160mm x 240mm x 50mm
700 pages; profusely illustrated; boards worn; minor stains; binding tight; some offsetting to the prelims.
R2,500
