I have a small amount of books on boxing, mostly biographical, and a large amount of magazines dating back to the 70's. However, what do you guys think is the best must have encyclopedia out there?
Gee, I don't know really. I only have two in my collection: The Illustrated History of Boxing. (Harry Mullan) My copy is pretty old, 1989 edition. I don't know if it was updated after that. it's a very useful quick reference guide on the sport as a broader whole, and a nice book to just dip into here and there. The other is The Pictorial History of Boxing by Sam Andre and Nat Fleischer. My copy is again pretty old, around 1988 or 1989 as well. What I like about this book is that is goes way back right to the very origins of the sport in England, and devotes a good deal of material to the bareknuckle era, whereas the Mullan book starts from 1891. Both cover the sport up to what was then the modern era. Obviously for deeper research neither book is going to cut it, but they're great for what they are.
The one encyclopedia I have is The Boxing Album by Peter Brooke-Ball. It is lacking in a lot of areas but I still fumble through it now and then. I am going to check out the two you mention and I really think this is an area we need more publications on. Maybe there should be a series done by decades starting in 1867 when Queensberry rules were published. That would be wonderful.
Got both of them, mate. My late Dad bought me the Pictorial History one(yellow cover?); I'll have to dig it out. Steve Bunce wrote a good one when Naseem Hamed was champion, too.
