A for effort. I’ve never seen such meticulous research on any other book, including the complete works of Shakespeare. But, unfortunately, this book, with all its many footnotes, does not translate into an enjoyable read.

To break it down into percentages, Jackson Haines: The Skating King is 75% travel itineraries, including cities, venues, and stages or ponds, including show reviews from local newspapers; 20% footnotes; and the last 5% is the meager story of Haines’s life. The things that struck me about his life were the abandonment of his family for a successful life in the frozen countries of Europe: Sweden, Finland, Russia, etc. He left behind a destitute wife and three children with no financial support. There’s no evidence that he cared about the accidental deaths of his two sons. Haines insisted on being buried in Sweden, a country that none of his blood relatives could ever afford to visit.

As a sports figure, Jackson Haines was a phenomenon. His early personal life was certainly less successful. Although this biography is the story of one of the founding fathers of professional figure skating, I doubt if today’s Olympian would find it interesting or entertaining. ( )

This was a detailed account of the life history and legacy of Jackson Haines. It was interesting to learn about both his life and his influence on figure skating. I appreciated the photographs that were included. Also, the book seemed well researched and appeared to rely as much as possible on primary sources rather than on biographies that had previously been written. Also, at times the author used evidence to disprove some of the previously accepted 'facts' about Jackson Haines. An interesting read for anyone interested in the history of figure skating. ( )

Jackson Haines: the Skating King is a biography about the so-called “father of figure skating.” Apparently not much is known about Haines’ life, and what has been told about him is often untrue. Stevens sets out in this book to rectify that situation. He has done a tremendous amount of research on Haines’ life, which is reflected in the almost 500 footnotes that accompany the text.

The book tells the story of Haines’ life, as much as can be found from primary sources. It covers his early life and his attraction to skating. His skill at skating was acclaimed at an early age, and he began to give performances, in both roller skating and ice skating, eventually accompanied by music. He toured in the U.S. and Canada before leaving for Europe in 1864, never to return to North America. Stevens recounts Haines’ life in Europe and the many places he traveled to while performing. The book also tells of Haines’ relatives, whose lives trended toward the tragic, with the early deaths of some of his siblings and his children. This book debunks some of the myths surrounding Haines’ life and summarizes the legacy that he left to figure skating. Unfortunately, some of the story is rather dry, as it consists of a recounting of the places he travelled to and the performances he gave. There is not enough information in the existing primary sources to give more meat to the story. I also noted several places where there were some grammatical errors in the writing, which could use an editor, but those are relatively minor.

Overall, I appreciate the meticulous research that went into the writing of this book, and Stevens performs a service to fans of figure skating by debunking myths surrounding Jackson Haines and giving us a factual book about his life. Recommended for anyone interested in the history of figure skating.

I received a free copy of Jackson Haines: the Skating King through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. ( )

This nice biography is a quick and easy read. It is chock full of references, so it is easy for the reader to see where the information is from and follow up. Chapters are by years so it is easy to keep track of the time line. There are lots of photos too. It was interesting to learn of the development of figure skating in conjunction with what was happening in the US and Europe. Also exciting to hear references of other foundational skaters although they made only the briefest of appearances in the book. ( )

I like to read autobiographies, even if they aren't about people or events I find particularly interesting - usually, by the time I'm done with one, the main character has become interesting just through the revelation of all the little components that combine to make the subject who she/he is/was! I learn about all the little chances of fate and interactions in the protagonist's life that made them who they are, and generally at the very least pick up some good trivia or some other tidbit that's new and interesting to me, and at best, get insight into the human condition. I wish I could say that "Jackson Haines, The Skating King," did the same, but alas, I cannot. I think a large part of what I found lacking in this book is due simply to the lack of information available about Haines, as this book seems well researched and was fully annotated with research sources clearly stated, etc. I'm not really faulting the author - the book was well-written in the sense that I only spotted a few grammatical errors/typos, etc., and events unfolded in a clear and chronological order - it was a quick and easy read. I have no doubt as to its accuracy - there just isn't that much to say about the subject, is all. The book is mainly a series of "Haines performed here to this sort of reception, then he went there and performed at that location and had this kind of reception," etc. And I get that that may be all that survives regarding the man who developed some basic techniques and originated the style of is now known as figure skating, but approximately 75% of the book was this type of list: where he traveled, who with, where he performed, what the local news had to say, any accolades he received. Rinse and repeat. One thing that would have been helpful to a casual figure skating fan like myself is if the author would have explained what certain figure skating tricks and terms actually were/looked like, rather than assuming that the reader would automatically understand what a "cantilever" or "double back cross over" was. The other 25% and the part where this book is thin is the stuff I really wanted to know about: how did Haines invent the tricks and techniques he invented and what inspired him to do it; how did he feel about marrying so young and why did he do it and then leave his wife and children; how did he feel about his wife and children when he was away so much; and without spoiling too much, to what extent did his sexuality impact all of these things, and more. These are the kinds of things that let the reader know what kind of PERSON Jackson Haines was - not just what he DID. Again, the author prefaces his book with the fact that there is not that much information available regarding Haines, so that's why more wasn't included, but it's still...disappointing, I guess. If you are a disciple of figure skating, then this book consolidating all that is known about Jackson Haines into a single volume may be of interest to you. However, if you are interested in the human interest angle of the man, you are most likely unfortunately - through no fault of the author's - going to be disappointed. If you are researching something about figure skating, then you probably want to read this book, but otherwise...it's just not the type of book that's going to give you a window into the human condition. I did learn that roller skates used to be called parlour skates, though, so there's that. I give this book 3 stars out of 5. ( )