#8: ‘Boxiana’ by Pierce Egan

Now, I need to say upfront that I haven’t yet finished this book, but I wanted to include it now as I have no idea when I will get around to finishing it.

‘Boxiana, volume 1’ is a collection of journalistic articles written in the early 1800s by Pierce Egan. This book is probably the most referenced publication in the boxing books I’ve read, due to its unique observations of bareknuckle boxing in Georgian-era England. The book is a major influence on AJ Liebling’s book ‘The Sweet Science’, which itself is a major influence on subsequent publications throughout the 20th Century.