The National Sporting Library will host a lecture and booksigning on Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m., celebrating the release of A Centennial View: Foxhunting in North America Today (2009), a publication of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America by Derrydale Press celebrating 100 years of foxhunting history.

Mason Lampton, MFH of the Midland Fox Hounds, in Columbus, Ga., who was head of the MFHA Centennial Committee, will be speaking about the book. Books will be available for purchase during the event from a representative of the MFHA. For more information about A Centennial View, or the MFHA, contact Lt. Col. Dennis Foster, executive director of the MFHA, at 540-955-5680, email office@mfha.com, or visit http://mfha.com/centennialbookorder.aspx.

A Centennial View was edited by John Strassburger who served as editor of The Chronicle of the Horse from 1986-2006. The volume includes essays by Norman Fine, Dr. Rita Mae Brown, Lt. Colonel Dennis Foster, Benjamin H. Hardaway, III, and many other MFH's who write about the experience of foxhunting with hunts throughout North America. The essays also cover the history of the MFHA and individual hunts, field hunter championships, and foxhound trials. The chapters follow the hunting season throughout the year from the beginning of the season in spring to the formal hunting season in late fall/winter. Beautiful color photographs and art work adorn this 434-page hardcover volume. An archival DVD is also available with information on the 166 recognized hunts in North America.

The MFHA was founded on February 14, 1907, when six masters convened a meeting at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The organization was modeled upon England's Masters of Foxhounds Association, and W. Austin Wadsworth served as its first president, with Harry Worcester Smith chairing the Hunt Committee and Henry Vaughan serving as the first secretary/treasurer.

The National Sporting Library is a fitting venue for the release of this important book, since the Library has extensive book, archival, and periodical collections on foxhunting in North America, including the Harry Worcester Smith Archive and the Alexander Henry Higginson scrapbooks which record the "Great Hound Match" of 1905 between the Grafton and Middlesex Hounds, one of the most celebrated events in American foxhunting history. The Library seeks rare books and archival materials related to the history of hunts, and is interested in hearing from hunts or individuals who may wish to donate historical materials. For more information, contact Librarian Lisa Campbell at 540-687-6542 x 13 or lcampbell@nsl.org.