Croquet and its influences on Victorian society : the first game that men and women could play together socially / William H. Scheuerle.

CROQUET AND ITS INFLUENCE ON VICTORIAN SOCIETY: The First Game that Men and Women Could Play Together Socially; Copyright Page; Dedication; List of Plates; Table of Contents; Foreword; Acknowledgments; Chapter One -- Introduction; Chapter Two -- The Origin of Croquet; Chapter Three -- The Growth of the Game's Popularity; Chapter Four -- Women and Croquet; Chapter Five -- The Declining Popularity of Croquet; Illustration 1; Illustration 2; Bibliography; Index.

CROQUET AND ITS INFLUENCE ON VICTORIAN SOCIETY: The First Game that Men and Women Could Play Together Socially; Copyright Page; Dedication; List of Plates; Table of Contents; Foreword; Acknowledgments; Chapter One -- Introduction; Chapter Two -- The Origin of Croquet; Chapter Three -- The Growth of the Game's Popularity; Chapter Four -- Women and Croquet; Chapter Five -- The Declining Popularity of Croquet; Illustration 1; Illustration 2; Bibliography; Index

The work argues that the ascendency of croquet as a popular sport in England during the middle to late nineteenth century was a direct result of class. He traces the history of the sport and finds that it was one of if not the first sport that men and women could enjoy together. The game initially had an elite social status attached to it: it was first seen as a game suitable for the British gentry, especially for those families whose estates had extensive lawns, or for families wealthy enough to join croquet clubs. It attracted many people because it had a certain 'snob' appeal and formed as.