Library Book Collections

Chapman Family Fly-Fishing Collection

In 2011, George Thomas Chapman Jr. donated his fly fishing library to the National Sporting Library & Museum. The Chapman Collection is comprised of 2,000 titles on fly fishing and fly tying, the majority printed in the 20th Century. The collection makes up the bulk of NSLM’s fly fishing holdings, and has been instrumental in facilitating research on fly fishing among scholars, guests, and John H. Daniels Fellows at NSLM.

The collection includes an impressive array of hand-framed flies tied by authors, instructors, and prominent fishers from across the United States. Many of the flies are signed by the fly tiers and dedicated to Mr. Chapman. Many of these flies are on view in the Library's Main Reading Room, where the Chapman Collection is housed. Also among the donated materials was a collection of Chapman's papers, organized into an archive collection.

John H. and Martha Daniels Collection

The John H. and Martha Daniels Collection comprises a lifetime of sporting book collecting; it is the National Sporting Library & Museum's largest and most prominent rare books collection. A portion of the Daniels Collection was donated to the Library from 1995 to 1997, with the rest of the titles coming to NSLM following the construction of a new Library building in 1999. Also included were papers belonging to Daniels, organized into an archive collection.

The John H. Daniels Collection contains a vast variety of sporting titles, the earliest of which dates to 1523. Highlights of the collection include a handwritten manuscript on foxhunting by Theodore Roosevelt, 90 different editions of Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler, signed books by cowboy author-artist Will James, color plate books by British sporting artist Henry Alken. The collection’s rare titles are housed in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room, and are available for research access by appointment. The many non-rare books in the collection are housed in the Library’s Main Reading Room, and are available to researchers during normal Library hours.

Huth-Lonsdale-Arundel Collection

The Huth-Lonsdale-Arundel Collection is stored in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room at the NSLM. The collection is about 300 volumes on horses and equestrian sports from 1553 to 1908. The collection was assembled by Frederick Henry Luth (1844-1918), and after his death it was acquired by Hugh Cecil Lowther, the Fifth Earl of Lonsdale (1857-1944). After Lord Lonsdale's death in 1944, the collection was acquired by the Arundel Foundation, founded by Russell Arundel (1902-1978). Mr. Arundel was a leader of the Northern Virginia equestrian community. The Arundel Foundation donated the collection to NSLM in 1975.

Vladimir S. Littauer Collection

The Littauer Collection at NSLM is comprised of books and pamphlets on equitation and horsemanship collected by the influential riding instructor Vladimir Littauer. Littauer (1892-1989) helped popularize forward riding in the United States, and wrote extensively on that theme in books and articles. The collection numbers over 200 volumes dating to the early 17th Century, stored in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room. It was donated by Andrew and Anya Littauer in 2006, along with papers and correspondence of Littauer, organized into an archival collection.

Harry T. Peters, Jr. Collection

The Harry T. Peters Collection is comprised of sporting books collected by Harry T. Peters (1910-1981), an enthusiastic breeder and judge of dogs and collector of sporting art. Peters resided in Orange, Virginia, and was a long-time patron of the National Sporting Library. In 1982, books from his personal collection on sporting subjects were donated by his estate to NSLM.

Ludwig von Hünersdorf Collection

The Von Hünersdorf Collection is comprised of books on riding, training, breeding, and early veterinary mediciene. The collection includes over 200 volumes dating to 1528 and is stored in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room. Ludwig von Hünersdorf (1748-1812) left behind a military career to devote himself to horsemanship. He became a renowned riding master, eventually serving as grand equerry and director of horse breeding to the King of Würtemberg. The collection was grown by multiple owners after von Hünersdorf's death, and was donated to NSLM through a donation from the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Foundation in 1993.

Margaret "Sissy" Woolums Collection

The Woolums Collection includes hundreds of stud books and blood stock research resources from across the globe, including stud books from Argentina, Japan, France, Paraguay, and much more. The collection was gifted to NSLM through the bequest of Margaret "Sissy" Woolums in 2004. Ms. Woolums started in racing at The Blood-Horse magazine, before opening her own cataloguing business. She traveled extensively and was passionate about promoting horse racing internationally. The Woolums Collection is stored with the NSLM's collection of periodicals and stud books in the Library's Lower Level Reading Room.