Lacrosse: A History of the Game

Provides great detail on the history of lacrosse. The quality of the book is of quality material as well.

A very scholarly history of Lacrosse in America

Got this for my son; he chose this as the source material for a Social Studies/history term paper. The history is all there. This book is full of detail; it's good in that respect. But the writing style is ponderous and makes for a slow read. Recommended for serious students of the game's history, perhaps those who are die-hard fans undertaking a master's degree in history.

My grandson loved it.

A published PhD dissertation, Fisher write the history of lacrosse, looking at how it went from a sport primarily played by the Iroquois into a sport that is heavily associated with Northeast elites in the US. He examines the ways it was originally co-opted by Canadians looking to develop a sport of their own, exported into the US, and how it grew into the sport it is today. Though primarily focused on field lacrosse, Fisher also looks at how box lacrosse came to be, and why it remains a niche sport based in Canada. It serves an important job in tracing the history of lacrosse, and does a commendable job of doing so.

I played lacrosse for 5 years, including 1 at the varsity level. It is the fastest game on two feet, a combination of power, speed, agility, and skill unmatched by any modern sport. And it's American, North American that is, through and through. I don't read much for pleasure but when I do, I like to read books like Fisher's. I've read it several times; my only regret is not having reviewed it earlier. There is some serious intellectual meat in here but the book is engagingly written, the research is impeccable, and the balance is perfect. (I noticed an earlier reviewer had some odd things to say about Fisher's leftward bias. Fisher does use terms like class but a close reading shows that he is not using the term in a Marxist sense at all. In fact, I'd wager Fisher is slightly right-of-center if anything but I wouldn't put too much money down because, again, the balance is beautiful.) The best aspect of the book, imho, is that it is an example of the history of sport, a subfield of history that places sports into a wide cultural context. The context that Fisher provides improved my understanding of, and love for, the game. I think every lacrosse player, certainly at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, should read this book carefully and thoughtfully. Were I coaching, I'd get at least one copy for my players to read and then give them an age-appropriate quiz to make sure they got the main points. I bet most would as this is one of the best histories of sport, any sport, I've ever seen or heard about.

There are a few good books out there on lacrosse, but this one should be regarded as the Bible of the sport. If you have a serious passion for lax, you have to read this book from cover to cover. It's thoroughly researched, well-written, thought-provoking and enlightening. The book talks about both field lacrosse in the US and the indoor box game in Canada. It covers lacrosse on Indian reservations and even in the Olympics!! It's a very rich and complex history that really makes you think. It's hard to summarize 150+ years of lacrosse history in this review, so you have to read it for yourself. The book also includes a bunch of neat photos.

Don Fisher has provided Lacross enthusiasts with somevaluable,and refreshing facts.His book is packed with lotsof interesting insight into the game and its history.Hisknowledge on the subject comes from his experiences ofplaying Lacross in college in Upstate New York. I highly recommend Don's book for anyone with an interestabout the subject of Lacross.You will definitely find hisknowledge intriguing and helpful. Thanks for the book,Don!

Good book, it is for my son for christmas but I'm sure he will love it

An older book that goes through the history of lacrosse