at Basketball : or The Great Gymnasium Mystery

Several among the seven titles in this series (1914-1921) broke new ground in promoting sports for girls. While boys’ sports books proliferated and were extremely popular, books advocating athletics for young girls were sparse in the early twentieth century. All but two of the books in this series focus on various sports; the first title, Rivals for All Honors, even stresses the formation of a Girls’ Athletic Association. Not surprisingly, the main character, Clara Hargrew, has a boy’s nickname, “Bobby.”

-Dr. William K. Finley

An Exhibit
Hodges Reading Room
February 15 – May 15, 2010