Austin, Sam – Boxing and How To Train

Description

Austin, Sam ‘Boxing and How To Train’ 1904 1st ed. 131-pages plus ads. Original softcovers rebound in leather hardcovers. The leather hardcover show quite a bit of wear and have three small pieces of scotch tape on the spine. The softcover book itself is in good shape and very clean, other than the stamps found on the inside frontispiece, top of the original front softcover, and title page. Published by R.K. Fox, New York, 1904 1st edition.

The 1904 131-page softcover edition of Boxing and How to Train by Sam C. Austin is a rare, historically significant artifact from the golden age of American pugilistic literature. Published in New York City by the legendary Richard K. Fox Publishing Company, this pulp manual served as a definitive instructional guide for fighters, physical culture enthusiasts, and athletes at the turn of the 20th century.

Publication Details:
• Title: Boxing and How to Train
• Author: Sam C. Austin (the prominent sporting editor of the famous National Police Gazette)
• Publisher: Richard K. Fox, New York
• Year: 1904 (First Edition; later reprinted in 1913)
• Format: Small pocket-sized softcover (12mo format, approx. 19 cm tall)
• Page Count: 131 pages (excluding several unnumbered pages of vintage publisher advertisements at the rear)

Content and Key Focus Areas:
Austin bypasses basic introductory theory to deliver an advanced, highly practical “how-to” manual tailored around the early Marquess of Queensberry rules:
• Scientific Boxing Fundamentals: Meticulous breakdowns of footwork mechanics (“slow legs are as much to the detriment of success as slow hands”), precise weight distribution, blocking, slipping, and maximizing the power of basic punch combinations.
• Advanced Ring Strategy: Navigating the psychological element of a match, out-positioning an opponent, and counter-punching effectively.
• The Definitive Guide to Bag Punching: A massive, highly celebrated feature of this book is its dedicated section on the mechanics of the “speed bag” or “striking bag”. It outlines routines to build accuracy, power, and rebound rhythm.
• The Belle Gordon Feature: The bag-punching section features Belle Gordon, widely celebrated as the “Champion Lady Bag Puncher of the World” and holder of the Police Gazette Championship Medal, demonstrating advanced striking drills.

Physical Characteristics & Collectability:
• Binding: The book was issued in pictorial paper wrappers (softcover) typical of Richard K. Fox’s cheap, widely distributed sports libraries. The front cover typically displays bold typography accompanied by striking graphic or photographic illustration of notable boxers of the era.
• Paper Stock: Because it was printed on inexpensive, highly acidic wood-pulp paper standard for turn-of-the-century manuals, surviving original 1904 copies are exceedingly fragile, often prone to severe yellowing, chipping, and spine splitting.
• Illustrations: The book is dense with crisp, rare black-and-white photographic plates and line diagrams. These showcase athletes in period-accurate, high-waisted trunks performing specific defenses, stances, and bag-striking patterns.
• Market Status: Original 1904 softcovers are incredibly scarce items highly sought after by antiquarian boxing historians and collectors of vintage sports ephemera. Because paper manuals were frequently discarded or worn to pieces in training gyms, finding a complete copy with all 131 pages intact is a rare find.