Jackson Haines

The Skating King

Ryan Stevens

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Hardback

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English

Ryan Stevens
21 July 2025

Individual artists, art monographs; Individual photographers; Individual architects & architectural firms; Biography: general; Ice-skating

Jackson Haines left America during the height of the Civil War and embarked on a remarkable journey across Europe. With his ingenious translation of ballet onto the ice, he revolutionized the world of figure skating. Mesmerizing Czars and Emperors with his breathtaking performances, he became a catalyst for the creation of several of the world's oldest skating clubs. He left such an indelible impact that he is remembered today as The Father of Figure Skating.

In this captivating biography, figure skating historian Ryan Stevens masterfully recounts Jackson Haines' incredible story, from his modest origins in New York to his tragic death in Finland in 1875 - both on and off the ice.

If you are curious about the history of figure skating, this book will both surprise and fascinate you.

By: Ryan Stevens
Imprint: Ryan Stevens
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 381g
ISBN: 9781738768226
ISBN 10: 1738768228
Pages: 184
Publication Date: 21 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Award-winning author Ryan Stevens lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has been an authority on the history of figure skating for over a decade. His blog Skate Guard has thousands of readers around the world. Midwest Book Review calls his work ""informative, lively, and scholarly.""Ryan has written for Skating magazine and U.S. Figure Skating and has been consulted on figure skating history by museums and television programs on CBC, NBC and ITV.

Reviews for Jackson Haines: The Skating King

""Jackson Haines in my opinion is one of the most important ice skaters in the history of figure skating. His influence on the art and sport of figure skating should not be underestimated. When you follow the historical journey of ice skating you can see his footprint (or should I say blade print) in today's competitive and artistic skating. He was the father of spins, he populated music with skating and the use of the most elaborate costumes. This book by Ryan Stevens is a wonderful read and insightful account of the man that would be called The Skating King."" - Christopher Dean OBE, Olympic Gold Medallist (1984), World Champion (1981-1984) ""I've known the name for many years and I thought I knew his place in history. This book has given me a whole new level of insight to a man who created his own path and helped pioneer the sport I love."" - Robin Cousins MBE, Olympic Gold Medallist, figure skating (1980) ""Ryan's journalistic ability to unearth historical details and mix them into a compelling story is first-class! While balancing accuracy and fairness, he reveals a man whose life demonstrated enormous talent and creativity, celebrity and human frailty. You may not like every part of Jackson Haines, but you will definitely marvel at his genius and at the sacrifices he made as an artist and inventor of modern skating."" - Debbi Wilkes, Olympic Silver Medallist, television analyst and author of ""Ice Time: A Portrait of Figure Skating"" ""Informative, lively, and scholarly without being dry, packing in a wealth of figure skating history information that uses the life of Jackson Haines to bring together the influences and innovations that make figure skating a notable sport and attraction today. Libraries and readers interested in a biography which also serves as a sports history, holding the ability to reach out into a general-interest audience, must obtain Jackson Haines: The Skating King. Its blend of scholarly history and engaging information is impeccable."" - Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review ""Jackson Haines, The Skating King, tells the real story of the man considered to be the father of figure skating. Stevens has meticulously researched Haines' life from his upbringing in the United States, to his successful entertainment career in North America and Europe, to his untimely death at 36. Extensive footnotes attest to the accuracy of Stevens' information. Look no further for the truth about Jackson Haines."" - Yvonne Butorac