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Black and White: The Birth of Modern Boxing Hardcover – August 30, 2021

by Brian Dobbs (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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Black and White: The Birth of Modern Boxing is the definitive history of the early years of transatlantic pugilism. It reveals the poisonous racism disfiguring the sport and the black boxers fighting an uphill struggle for equality. It lays bare ugly attempts by authorities to stifle or ban a sport that millions flocked to see, and exposes the unethical actions of distinguished figures such as Lord Lonsdale and Sir Winston Churchill. Black and White brings to life some of the greatest fights in history as the narrative charts boxing's growth from underground sleaze to fashionable spectacle. Along the way we hear the stories of the great champions of the era including Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Jimmy Wilde and Ted 'Kid' Lewis. The book culminates in the 'Fight of the Century', where a gallant European and an unpopular American battled for supremacy as the world looked on with trepidation.
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  1. Print length
    480 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pitch Publishing Ltd
  4. Publication date
    August 30, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    9.45 x 1.1 x 11.02 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    178531890X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1785318900
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Through its richly illustrated 900 pages, Dobbs recreates the extraordinary years of the early twentieth century when boxing moved from obscurity to the world’s most popular sport. Meticulous research into long forgotten files, records and newspapers reveals a sport racked with controversies and disfigured by racial prejudice. . . . He does not duck important questions: Is boxing really legal? How is it that black boxers were officially banned from British title fights? What made major US cities erupt into riots? What did boxing mean to ethnic minorities and immigrant communities? . . .  Boxing has always attracted some of the best writing in sports, and Black and White is a worthy addition.” --World Boxing News



“If you are a boxing fan or a student of sport, this book is for you. Brian Dobbs poured a lifetime of research into his splendid new study." --Elliott J Gorn, author, The Manly Art

About the Author

Brian Dobbs is the author of numerous sporting books and a contributor to sporting anthologies. He has written articles and reports for various sports magazines and was art editor and books columnist for the greatly missed World Sports magazine. He has a particular passion for sports history. His acquaintance with boxing began when staying up with his father to hear radio commentaries on the fights of Joe Louis, Freddie Mills and Bruce Woodcock.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pitch Publishing Ltd (August 30, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 178531890X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1785318900
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.45 x 1.1 x 11.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

About the author

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Brian Dobbs

Brian Dobbs

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Brian Dobbs is the author of a number of books on sport and other subjects. He was Art Editor of World Sports and has written for a number of magazines and newspapers. His acquaintance with boxing began when staying up with his father to hear Freddie Mills, Bruce Woodcock and Joe Louis fights on the radio.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
6 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Captain Spalding
    5.0 out of 5 stars LONG overdue.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    A complex sport at a complex time finally has its story told with diligence, grace, and beauty.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Richard Vinter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hugely enjoyable and informative early history of boxing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book on many levels. The book begins and ends with two classic contests, those between Tommy Burns and Jack Jackson in 1878 and between Jack Dempsey and George Carpentier, the so-called Fight of the century of 1921 Here, in thrilling writing, Dobbs captures the anticipation and excitement of these fights. But, as the title conveys, the author is keen also to convey how both organisational structures of the game that emerged in the early 20th century, and interest in the sport, were influenced by prevailing social attitudes, particularly regarding race, and by the political climate of the day. The fact that this book is not simply a story of a sport, but, in a sense, an early twentieth century history of Great Britain and the United States, reflected through a sport, is the most satisfying aspect of the book for me. It made me aware of the extent to which I had bought into some of the myths of boxing. Jack Dempsey was not the cuddly figure he projected in his retirement, but a killing machine whose early fights were marked by smashed teeth, broken jaws and blows to the kidneys. Also, the Marquis of Queensbury, far from being an exemplar of good behaviour and fairness, was a ‘piece of work’, who also had at most a minor part in formulating his famous ‘rules’. Finally, I would mention the satisfying part that multiple, and well chosen, illustrations play in the book. The import of those legendary contests is vividly conveyed by black and white, grainy photographs of closely packed crowds extending far beyond the arena; and the aspirations of young boxers from the Welsh valleys or London East End, seeking to make their mark, can be felt in their promotional photographs.
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  • Peter
    3.0 out of 5 stars This was ok
    Reviewed in Australia on August 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is a big, heavy coffee table sized book on the early history of boxing with an emphasis between the early 1900's and the mid 1920's.

    The author goes into great detail about the evolution of the sport in the UK and gives a lot of space to some of their greats and not so greats (Jimmy Wilde, Ted Kid Lewis and Bombardier Billy Wells). The US is represented with Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey primarily.

    I must admit that I found some of the detail that the author went into to be a bit dull and I skimmed a lot of pages but there is some good information in the book and the photos are great.
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  • box23
    3.0 out of 5 stars Ok but
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I collect boxing books regarding the early history of the sport , this book is well produced, a lovely hardback , with beautiful photos , the author has really researched the early history of 20th century boxing, it also includes a lot of detail of some of the legal problems staging boxing bouts ,when boxing was a sort of legal / illegal sport ,in no man's land , the book go's into great lengths about the rascim of the early days sport , while this certainly, disgracefully happened and should be reported, its a theme that the author has obsessively running through the book, with multiple references on practically every page , which becomes quite tedious after a while , I want to be reading about the boxing more not an early history of rascim in the sport
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  • A
    5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive social history of the birth of modern boxing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is a magnificent and compendious book. Supported by meticulous research, Brian Dobbs takes the story of boxing in the first part of the 20th century and uses it to illustrate wider social history in the UK and the USA. I cannot believe anybody could write a better or more complete history of boxing in these years.
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