Author Description

This volume in the "Exploring the past" series is an illustrated introduction to the history of sport and recreation. The series aims to promote an investigative approach to history and readers are told how to gather information and use it in a positive and constructive manner. The narrative is interspersed with ideas for active study through projects and model making. The work begins with a discussion on the difference between active and passive recreation and the reasons for the increase in leisure activity. The author then illustrates the evolution of sport and recreation by looking at the Ancient World origins of many of today's activities. There are details on women's sport from the Greek Herae Games through the Middle Ages to the present, a history of football and the development of city parks. Included also is the evolution of children's games, details of animal sports and Victorian games. The book concludes with modern pursuits such as hand-gliding and the leisure use of computers and questions what will arise in the future. The text is complemented by a guide to places of interest, a reading list, glossary and index.