Darts in England, 1900–39

A social history

Patrick Chaplin

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9780719089046
  9780719078033
• eBook ISBN:
  9781526129765
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

Drawing on an eclectic range of primary and secondary sources Chaplin examines the development of darts in the context of English society in the early twentieth century.

He reveals how darts was transformed during the interwar years to become one of the most popular recreations in England, not just amongst working class men and, to a lesser extent, working class women but even (to some extent) among the middle and upper classes. This book assesses the social, economic and cultural forces behind this transformation. This work also considers the growth of the darts manufacturing industry and assesses the overall effect the growing popularity of darts had on interwar society and popular culture, with particular reference to the changing culture and form of the English public house.

This original study will be of interest to sports historians, social historians, business historians, sociologists and sports scientists.

Table of contents

• Darts in England, 1900–39: A social history
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of illustrations
• General editor’s foreword
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The origins of darts
• 3. The game of darts in England, 1900–18
• 4. Darts, brewery leagues and the improved public house, 1900-39
• 5. The organisation and standardisation of darts in the inter-war years
• 6. The darts industry from the late nineteenth century to 1939
• 7. The darts craze of the 1930s
• 8. Conclusion
• Appendix A: The declared aims of the National Darts Association as agreed at the meeting held on 21 February 1925
• Appendix B: The official rules of darts as published in the Morning Advertiser
• Bibliography
• Index