Darts in England, 1900–1939

Darts in England 1900-1939: A social history is a unique study of darts and society. By 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, concentrating principally upon key developments between 1918 and 1939.

From its base in the working-class, male-dominated public bar of the English public house, Chaplin 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.

Chaplin’s research reveals that the drink interest (in the form of brewers and licensees) utilised darts as part of its strategy to improve pubs and combat threats to the drinks trade, that the National Darts Association standardised and codified the game and that the mass media, especially the Sunday newspapers, supported darts through reportage and the sponsoring of major competitions. 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.

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Contents:
List of Illustrations
General editor's foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 The origin of Darts
2 The game of darts in England 1900-1918
3 Darts, brewery leagues and the improved public house 1900-1939
4 The organisation and standardisation of darts in the interwar years
5 The darts industry from the late nineteenth century to 1939
6 The darts craze of the 1930s
Conclusion
Appendices
A. Declared aims of the National Darts Association
B. Official National Darts Association rules
Bibliography
Index