Cox, Richard William; (1991) Sources for the history of sport in Britain: A bibliographical compilation and analysis with particular reference to the problems of bibliographical control. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify, discuss the merits of, list and analyse the bibliographical control of secondary and selected primary sources for the history of sport in Britain. The Introduction sets sport in its social setting, traces the emergence of sports history as a field of study, identifies historiographical trends and barriers to progress. Following a review of the literature, it is concluded that a major barrier to research and improved scholarship is a perceived lack and awareness of source material. Part A identifies both primary and secondary sources for the sports historian, both in general terms and in relation to specific areas of research and topics of investigation. This includes detailed discussions of their merits, problems associated with their use, identification and location. The need is stressed for a comprehensive bibliography of secondary works and a listing of manuscript material. Part B attempts to document all secondary sources (monographs, periodical articles, conference papers, chapters in books, festschriften, theses, and typescripts, including reference works), on the history of sport and physical education in Britain published in the English language, in a classified order designed to meet the needs of the sports historian and all those otherwise interested in the development of sport in Britain and its literature. Part C attempts to index sporting manuscripts held in public record offices and by national governing bodies of sport. An overview describes problems experienced by the author during the course of the study and analyses the effectiveness of existing bibliographical control in efficient literature searching. This thesis concludes that whilst sporting records have been sadly neglected by the sporting bodies, by professional archivists and in librarians' divisions of human knowledge, considerable source material of value to the sports historian does exist but that this is scattered and fragmented. Existing bibliographical sources do not serve the interests of the researcher in sports history well. For sport, as perhaps for several other 'low status', multi-disciplinary subject areas, the most efficient strategy for comprehensive literature searching within the existing bibliographical network is to start with the most extensive 'form' bibliographies and to then eliminate unwanted items.

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