A scarce complete run of the short-lived Wisden Rugby Football Almanack, comprising all three volumes published, uniformly bound in contemporary cloth and documenting rugby during one of the sport's most important inter-war periods.

Bibliographic Details

Publisher: John Wisden & Co.
Title: John Wisden's Rugby Football Almanack for 1923–24, 1924–25 and 1925–26.
Place: London.
Dates: 1923–1925.
Editions: All first editions (described contemporaneously as the First, Second and Third Editions).
Volumes: Three volumes — the complete published series.
Pagination: Vol. I: 11–510 pages; Vol. II: 11–619 pages; Vol. III: [3], 11–714 pages.
Illustrations: One full-page plate in each volume.
Binding: Contemporary uniform purple cloth, gilt lettering to spines. The original printed wrappers and five preliminary advertising leaves have been discarded during the contemporary binding process in each volume. The final three advertising leaves have also been discarded from the third volume.
Format: Small octavo.
Size: Approximately 16.2 × 10.7 cm.

Condition

Good. Uniformly bound in contemporary purple cloth. The original printed wrappers and preliminary advertising leaves were removed when the volumes were professionally bound, together with the final three advertising leaves in the third volume. The bindings show some sunning to the spines, with one volume also displaying sunning along the upper edge of the front board. Internally clean and highly presentable.

Please ask if you require a more detailed condition report, or examine the gallery images closely.

Description

A desirable complete run of all three volumes ever published of the elusive Wisden Rugby Football Almanack, one of the rarest and most sought-after publications issued under the famous Wisden imprint. Unlike the cricket almanack, which has appeared annually since 1864, the rugby equivalent proved remarkably short-lived, surviving for only three editions before publication ceased.

Issued between 1923 and 1925, these volumes sought to provide rugby with the same authoritative statistical and historical treatment that had made Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack the standard reference work of its sport. They contain an extraordinary wealth of information, including season reviews, club and county records, international fixtures, player statistics, administrative developments, laws of the game and contemporary commentary on both Rugby Union and the wider sporting world.

The period covered was one of considerable importance in the development of rugby. The game was recovering from the profound disruption of the First World War, while international competition among the Home Nations resumed its place at the centre of the sporting calendar. These almanacks therefore preserve an invaluable contemporary record of inter-war rugby, documenting players, clubs and competitions during a formative period in the sport's modern history.

The brevity of the series accounts for its enduring appeal. Because only three editions were ever produced, collectors naturally seek complete sets, yet many surviving copies have become separated over the last century. Opportunities to acquire the entire published run remain decidedly uncommon, particularly when the volumes are preserved in matching contemporary bindings.

Although the original wrappers and advertising leaves were removed during the contemporary binding process—a common practice intended to create a more durable reference library—the resulting uniform cloth bindings have themselves become part of the books' history. They provide an attractive and practical presentation while protecting texts that were originally issued in comparatively fragile paper wrappers.

Each volume contains a full-page plate together with hundreds of pages of fixtures, statistics, reports and reference material that continue to be consulted by sports historians, genealogists and rugby researchers. Few sporting annuals rival the depth of information assembled by Wisden's editors, making the series indispensable for serious students of the game.

Complete sets of the Wisden Rugby Football Almanack are considerably scarcer than almost any comparable twentieth-century sporting annual and occupy a distinctive place within Wisden collecting. They represent one of the publisher's most ambitious but ultimately short-lived ventures outside cricket.

An outstanding acquisition for collectors of rugby history, Wisden publications, sporting reference books, inter-war sport and rare twentieth-century sporting literature.

Notes

This set comprises all three volumes published, making it a complete run of the entire Wisden Rugby Football Almanack series.

Uniform contemporary bindings such as these are increasingly appreciated for their durability and attractive shelf appearance, while the scarcity of complete sets continues to make the title one of the more elusive branches of Wisden collecting.