The eighteen intaglio plates by Hachette & Co. were actually made for L’escrime Et Le Duel which was published in 1891, which, oddly, was after this volume went to press. The plates show significant hand-work and many appear to be composites, resulting in an oddly beautiful ink-on-paper photographic illustrative aesthetic.

The Badminton Library, called in full The Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes, was a sporting and publishing project conceived by Longmans Green & Co. and edited by Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort (1824–1899). Between 1885 and 1902 it developed into a series of sporting books which aimed to cover comprehensively all major sports and pastimes. The books were published in London by Longmans, Green & Co. and in Boston by Little, Brown & Co. The series was dedicated to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, "one of the best and keenest sportsmen of our time". [1]