The Routledge series of guidebooks aims to offer “an overview of the fundamental principles of a subject area in a jargon free and undaunting format” (front matter). Sport History: The Basics is one of the latest in this series. Its author, Gerald Gems, is a respected and prolifically published scholar in the field of sport history.
The extensive bibliographic materials make a significant contribution to the field. Each chapter contains content-specific materials, and, at the conclusion, there is an exhaustive bibliography surveying the historical literature well beyond the scope of the book. The only limitation of these materials comes from the lag time between completion of the manuscript and the publication date.
In the opening chapter, Gems addresses the question “Why Study Sport History?” This may not be of concern to professional historians, but it is worth revisiting. Here Gems goes over familiar territory with precision and clarity. Similarly, he...