Boxing.- Early Manual

The Art of Manual Defence, or, System of Boxing: perspicuously explained in a series of lessons, a Pupil both of Humphreys and Mendoza, second edition, engraved frontispiece and 9 plates, blank leaf, half-title and index, binder leaf, a few pages misnumbered, wormtrailing to frontispiece and title, staining to lower half of title and subsequent leaves, some leaves trimmed at foot, light age yellowing and some light dust soiling, joints split, leaves loose, unbound, marbled paper wrapper, & The Art of Manual Defence, or, System of Boxing: perspicuously explained in a series of lessons, third edition, edition statement from head of titlepage, half title & index, engraved frontispiece and 9 plates, light age yellowing, some light browning, dust soiling, joints weak, marbled paper wrapper, 12mo, G. Kearsley, London, 1789 & 1799 (2)

***First item. Very rare. ESTC locates a single copy of the first edition at Yale which is tentatively dated 1784, and two copies of this second edition (British Library and Yale). The plates show two boxers fighting (perhaps Dan Mendoza & Richard Humphries), demonstrating the various boxing techniques taught in the text. Written by a self-professed student of the legendary 18th century boxers Richard Humphreys and Daniel Mendoza, a Jewish Portuguese boxer and the English Boxing Champion of the 1790s, regarded as one of the greatest boxers in history. This work instructs the reader on the necessary skills, techniques and attributes required to be a successful boxer in the late 18th century.