We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2021 Lord Aberdare Literary Prize is Robert Colls for This Sporting Life Sport and Liberty in England 1760-1960. Oxford University Press.
The Lord Aberdare Literary Prize is awarded each year by the British Society of Sports History for the best book on any aspect of the history of sport in Britain or for the best book on any aspect of sports history written by a British author.
19 books were considered by the panel for the 2021 Prize. A wide range of topics were covered within these books and this diversity is encouraging.
The panel agreed upon a shortlist of 6 books which was due to both the quality and quantity of submissions this year. Many eminent sports historians were represented in an outstanding shortlist:
- Colls, R. [2020) This Sporting Life Sport and Liberty in England 1760-1960. Oxford University Press.
- Winch, J. Parry, R. (2020) Too Black To Wear Whites Krom Hendricks The Remarkable Story of a Cricket Hero Rejected by the Empire. Pitch Publishing.
- Tate, S. (2020) A History of the British Sporting Journalist, c. 1850-1939 James Catton , Sports Reporter. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Tomlinson, A. (2020) Sir Stanley Rous and the Growth of World Football: An Englishman Abroad. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Donaldson, P. (2020) Sport, War and the British 1850 to the Present. Routledge.
- Taylor, M. (2020) Sport And The Home Front Wartime Britain At Play, 1939-45. Routledge.
The winner was Robert Colls for This Sporting Life Sport and Liberty in England 1760-1960. Oxford University Press.
The judges labelled it: “A compelling, evocative and unique explication of what sport has meant to the English and how these meanings have been generated by and translated into how people live their lives. The outstanding bibliography is indicative of the meticulous research and a lifetime involvement in historical study. Breadth and depth of the sports and recreations covered explores all corners of sport and liberty. An excellent addition to an impressive list of Lord Aberdare Literary Prize Winners.”