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The Sport of Kings: Kinship, Class and Thoroughbred Breeding in Newmarket
 
 
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The Sport of Kings: Kinship, Class and Thoroughbred Breeding in Newmarket (Paperback)

by Rebecca Cassidy (Author) "This book does not concern itself with identifying the first ever English horse-race or with tracing the ancient history of racing generally ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £16.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press (29 Aug 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 052100487X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521004879
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 322,755 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #86 in  Books > Study Books > Undergraduate & Postgraduate > Social Sciences > Sports Studies

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Product Description

Review

‘This is an exhilarating book. You feel affection and empathy for Newmarket people … Above all, the reader feels affection towards the author … we watch over her, sleeping in the back of a smelly horse box, returning from a race … [The book] is both academic and animal, with the author putting herself on the line.’ Times Higher Education Supplement

‘… a finely nuanced analytical and interpretative account of the society and culture that centers on producing and interacting with the most expensive animals in the world. Anthrozoology needs many more such studies.‘ Anthrozoös

‘This entertaining book deals with kinship, class, and breeding through an ethnographic study of the racing industry, and, specifically, of the Newmarket stud farm and racing stables … Her background is comfortable enough for her to move between different social groups, her authorial expertise deriving from her roles as owner, trainer, trainer‘s assistant, stable lass, and stud hand. … This enjoyable book is recommended as a case study to those who wish to have some idea of the interaction of British class, capital, and kinship in the racing industry, without the financial outlay that hands-on experience requires.‘ Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute


Product Description

The Sport of Kings is an ethnography of the British racing industry based upon two years of participant observation in Newmarket, the international headquarters of flat racing. Racing in Britain provides a lens through which ideas of class, status, tradition and hierarchy can be examined in an environment which is both superficially familiar and richly exotic. This book explores concepts about ‘nature’ specific to thoroughbred racehorse breeding, and pursues the idea that in making statements about animals, we reveal something of ourselves. It explains the action that takes place on racecourses, in training yards, on studs and at bloodstock auctions. It analyses the consumption of racing through betting on the racecourse and in betting shops, and it proffers an insightful description of a unique class system: that of the humans and animals involved in the production of British flat racing.
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First Sentence
This book does not concern itself with identifying the first ever English horse-race or with tracing the ancient history of racing generally. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars I never knew there was so much in it...., 20 Oct 2002
I bought this book following a first trip to the horse races: not being a "man of the turf" I was interested to know more. While I started reading the book out of curiosity, I finished "Sport of Kings" quickly because it was a fascinating - and sometimes humorous - read.

Watching the Grand National on the box was my only brush with racing, but the book has provided a good introduction to the sport as a whole, even if it does focus on a relatively small part of the racing fraternity, namely the town of Newmarket and its unique relationship with racing.

The pretensions & pomposities; the pseudo-science of blood-stock & breeding; the nuances in dress and behaviour between the different participants; the word-of-mouth legends passed down from generation to generation; the values and the unspoken rules all create this society apart. Often the quirks of this world raised a smile....before I wondered how an anthropologist would objectively see my "tribe"!

In terms of style and structure, it clearly is an academic tome. Sometimes I hankered after more of a informal read, but I always felt it was warmly written (good grief, boy does this author enjoy her research!), with a nice turn of phrase often used to start off chapters and to grab attention for a particularly important point.

In short, if you're interested in what goes on behind the scenes before the starter's flag is raised, this book is for you. I can't wait to go to the races again!

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