Out-Door Games: Cricket & Golf by The Hon. R.H. Lyttelton
Arthur Rackham Fields Dreams of Glory in Out-Door Games
Though Arthur Rackham provided peripheral illustrations, Out-Door Games primary content comes from Eton College headmaster and first-class cricketer Robert Henry “Bobby” Lyttelton analyzing two pastimes with deep ties to British identity – cricket and golf. As a passionate athlete himself, Lyttelton aims not merely to instruct on rules and methods, but explore the games’ characters in molding good sportsmanship and virtue.
Don’t let this unique sports cross-sectionbetween material and ethereal worlds fade away!
Buy Out-Door Games: Cricket & Golf
1901 guide to cricket & golf by Eton headmaster Bobby Lyttelton with Rackham flights of sporting fancy.
- Insights on controversies & reforms to keep traditions aligned with evolving play
- Rackham’s landscapes inspire deeper connections through outdoor competition
- A prime collectible converging Rackham’s fantasy art with a pillar of British athletic analysis
- Compelling visions harnessing dreamer spirits beyond tangible trophies
While admitting containing little new advice compared to other contemporary manuals, Lyttelton contributes thoughtful perspective on controversies around issues like the legality of different bowling techniques that had polarized cricket. Though aware reform faces challenges, he endorses moderate modern positions adaptively aligning traditions with evolving play. Regarding golf, Rackham’s mystical landscapes prove fitting as Lyttelton describes honing the mental discipline required for the sport through experiencing courses as personalities embedding unique tests.
Overall Lyttelton focuses on the deeper connections these outdoor games foster, including with one’s internal strengths and with fellow players, viewing such links as paths toward grace under pressure and leadership. As an illustrator injecting more resonance into playful worlds, Rackham proves an ideal match for harvesting insights from fields of dreams beyond tangible trophies and titles.
Limited Edition:
- Cream vellum binding with gilt decorative stamping (252 pages). Limited to 150 numbered sets
- Trade Editions: Available in green or blue cloth versions (see: Wild Life in Hampshire Highlands)
Size (Limited Edition): 5 3⁄4 x 9 inches
Series: Volume in 9 volume Haddon Hall Library set
Text: Out-Door Games: Cricket & Golf by The Hon. R.H. Lyttelton
Illustrations: Chapter heads, tailpieces, endpapers by Arthur Rackham; full page illustrations by unnamed artists
Publisher: J.M. Dent & Co. (London)
Publication Date: 1901
Summary: As part of publisher J.M. Dent’s decorated 9 volume Haddon Hall Library set on leisure hobbies, Arthur Rackham supplied dreamy endpapers and whimsical chapter heading ornaments for The Hon. R.H Lyttelton’s 1901 instructional book Out-Door Games covering the aristocratic British pastimes of cricket and golf. Simultaneously released in a cream vellum limited edition of 150 copies alongside simpler cloth versions, Rackham’s atmospheric vignettes conjure the pressures and pleasures of competitive sport.
Though containing no leading Rackham images, his embellishments offer charming perspective from active observers like a butterfly or bird awaiting the next great championship feat. For Lyttelton, mastery of these games connected to ideals of leadership and virtue. Rackham translates such lofty aspirations into winsome figures ever rallying young athletes toward transcending life’s daily obstacles.
