Moir, Gunner – The Complete Boxer

Description

Moir, Gunner ‘The Complete Boxer’ New and revised edition. 87-pages. c1920. Illustrated. Good + condition. This one has the name and address of a former owner named H. Woodhouse in Vancouver, B.C. handwritten on the blank frontispiece, and crossed out on the next page: $45.00. Another in Good minus condition with faded covers $30.00

The “New and Revised Edition” of The Complete Boxer by former British Heavyweight Champion James “Gunner” Moir was published in circa 1920. While Moir originally published his foundational instructional guide in 1909, this specific revised hardcover edition was expanded and circulated following his retirement from the ring.

Book Description:
Published by the prominent physical culture house Health & Strength Ltd out of their historic 12 Burleigh Street, Strand, London, W.C. offices, this volume is highly valued by pugilistic historians for its era-specific technical insight.
• Format & Content: A slim octavo hardcover spanning 87 pages. The text acts as a straightforward “how-to” manual covering the fundamental blows, defensive blocks, and clever evasions of early 20th-century prize fighting. It uniquely details physical conditioning, nutrition, and a niche segment on street-level personal self-defense.
• Illustrations: The book is heavily backed by detailed, sequential action photography and illustrations. These set pieces demonstrate Moir’s techniques by directly breaking down how they were deployed in historical matchups against iconic boxing greats like Tommy Burns and “Bombardier” Billy Wells.
• The Covers: Rather than a drab cloth binding common to text-heavy books of the period, this Health & Strength release features brightly colored, vibrant pictorial boards typically showcasing a vintage graphic or portrait of a boxer in a traditional fighting stance.