Deghy, Guy – Noble and Manly. The History of the National Sporting Club

Description

Deghy, Guy ‘Noble and Manly. The History of the National Sporting Club’ 1956 1st ed. 240 pages. VG/Fair

The 1956 first edition hardcover of Noble and Manly: The History of the National Sporting Club by Guy Deghy is a 240-page social and athletic history published in London by Hutchinson & Co.. Incorporating the posthumous papers of the notoriously rowdy Pelican Club, this well-written volume explores the colorful Victorian and Edwardian origins of modern, gentlemanly boxing.

Book Details:
• Author: Guy Deghy
• Publisher: Hutchinson & Co., London
• Publication Year: 1956 (First Edition, First Printing)
• Format: Hardcover octavo (6″ x 9″), typically bound in red or burgundy cloth boards with bright gold gilt lettering on the spine, issued with a pictorial dust jacket.
• Length: 240-pages

Content & Overview:
• The Evolution of Gentlemanly Boxing: The text serves as an elegant historical chronicle of the National Sporting Club (NSC), which was founded in London in 1891. Deghy outlines how the club became the epicenter of British boxing governance, taking the sport out of its back-alley, illegal past and transforming it into a high-society pastime.
• The Marquess of Queensberry: A major focus of the book is the social history surrounding the 9th Marquess of Queensberry. It tracks his influence both inside the boxing ring—where his famous rules requiring padded gloves and timed rounds were strictly enforced by the NSC to sanitize prize fighting—and outside the ring during his contemporary legal feuds with Oscar Wilde.
• The Pelican Club Papers: The book famously incorporates a wealth of primary material from the NSC’s direct predecessor, the eccentric and short-lived Pelican Club. This inclusion provides an amusing, atmospheric look into late-19th-century London nightlife, boisterous sporting wagers, aristocrats, and the colorful underworld characters who frequented the early fight scene.
• Illustrations: The book is beautifully appointed, containing a full-color frontispiece alongside numerous black-and-white plates, archival drawings, and period photographs of early boxing icons, club dining halls, and fight night layouts