Pierce Egan

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Pierce Egan (1772-1849), early journalist, sportswriter, and writer on popular culture. He wrote first about boxing in his serial publication, Boxiana, or Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism (1813-1828), in which he originated the description of boxing as "the sweet science".

In 1820, he began publication of a monthly journal, Life in London. His articles for that paper were collected in his best-known work, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom the following year. These tales of the rough street life of the rich young Regency bucks were among the first instances of journalism covering common life and not simply royal courts and politics. This book is also the source of the expression Tom and Jerry, meaning fighting, drinking, and causing trouble.

Pierce Egan was one of the narrators of George MacDonald Fraser's book Black Ajax, about Tom Molineaux and his quest for the heavyweight championship of England.

[edit] Publications

Journals:

Boxiana
Life in London

Books:

Life in London (1821)
Sporting Anecdotes (1823)
Pierce Egan's Book of Sports And Mirror of Life: Embracing the turf, the chase, the ring, and the stage (1836)

Adaptations:

Life in London was adapted for the stage as Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (1821) and for radio BBC (2006).

[edit] Pierce Egan the Younger

His son, also Pierce Egan (1814-80) and usually referred to as 'the younger', began his professional career as an illustrator of his father's books and himself wrote around fifty romances. He was also the sports editor of Bell's newspapers for some years.

[edit] Reference

John Sutherland (1989) The Longman Companion to Victorian Literature, Longman/Stanford University Press (US) as The Stanford Companion to Victorian Literature