Description

First edition of this unique history and anthropological look at cockfighting in the early 20th century.

Courage: The Story of Modern Cockfighting by Tim Pridgen. Little, Brown & Company: Boston. 1938.

A scarce, out-of-print look into the lost world of banned American blood sports, this book is a remarkable account of cockfighting, its history, practice, and drama. Described in all of its often crude reality, many of the striking live-action black and white photographs capture roosters mid-fight, often to the death. Cockfighting is discussed in all of its important technical and commercial aspects such as how birds are raised, what they are fed, the different roles and jobs which surround the sport, and the cost of competition for owners, all drawn from the author’s own experiences. Pridgen’s narration at times breaks into the first person with his attention to details demonstrating his passionate addiction to the sport and intimate knowledge of the history of cockfighting.

8vo, black cloth boards with title, author, and publisher printed in red on spine. Decorative rooster printed in red on front board. Corners and spine bumped, spine is slightly shelfcocked. Pastedowns and endpapers tanned, first free endpaper scuffed from apparent removal of past sticker. Some ink splotches in margin of page 33. Good condition.

If you liked this book on the history and practice of cockfighting , you might also enjoy Dr. Brinkley’s Goat Gland Transplantation.