THE SUMMER TOUR: I took the bookshop to The Queen's Club for my 11th Stella Artois and thence to Eastbourne for the 16th consecutive year. These are for me two marvellous weeks of non-stop chat, book-dealing, and friendship in an entirely tennis environment; and then on to Wimbledon for my 28th Fortnight on Centre Court. The English weather caught everyone by surprise by being almost consistently hot, often hotter than the Med, and only half a day's play lost in all that time, and once again Henman was the sufferer. During Tim's match, I met a Belgian hotelier who showed me betting slips totalling £35,000 which he had laid at evens on Grosjean to beat Henman. He had already won £25,000 earlier in the week on another match. Here was a man enjoying his Wimbledon! As I say every year, many thanks to the many hundreds of friends and clients, old and new, who came over for a chat and some book business. It was as always a great pleasure to meet you.

CHRISTIE'S AUCTION on 24th June: Someone should have told Christie's that Wimbledon was on that week, so they could have put their tennis lots first instead of after 203 interminable Cricket lots. When they eventually got there, a feature was a Wimbledon Programme for 1908 which fetched £800, a good buy I thought. Other pre-1940 editions fetched healthy prices. There were too many unsolds, which in a narrow market, could be avoided if more consultation took place with the trade!

MULLOCK MADELEY AUCTION on 26th June: Mullock's had their usual wide range (c290 lots) of Racket Sports items, from which it was possible to glean some useful purchases. There was a huge number of old rackets, many routine books, Wimbledon Programmes in profusion, mostly far too widely lotted up, and a beautiful and very rare mid-19th century poster showing a scene of the game of Rackets being played on an open court.. Well done John for moving into a centre of habitation!

MAX ROBERTSON AUCTION AT SOTHEBY'S on 8th July: Max is well-known here in the UK as a leading BBC Radio commentator at Wimbledon over some 40 years. This sale contained most of his tennis collection of books, programmes, broadcast notes and other tennis ephemera. Not all sold, mostly because of optimistic estimates. I was able to make some purchases and most of these items can be found in this newsletter, all clearly marked as such. He was fortunate to be able to obtain many great tennis autographs on books etc. A feature in the sale was a copy of his book "Wimbledon 1877-1977" which had been signed by all the champions who returned for the Centenary Championships. Estimated at £700-£1000, I was knocked out early on and it fell to the Hall of Fame in Newport at £3200. I was however delighted with the many signed titles I bought.

BRITISH OPEN SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS: Nottingham's Albert Hall will be the venue for the final stages of the Open from Wednesday 1st to Sunday 5th October. John Beddington, promoter of the Honda Challenge tennis in London, joins with fellow promoter John Nimmick to breathe new life into the oldest professional squash championships in the world. It is likely that The Tennis Bookshop will be present with a large range of old books on squash accumulated over many years but never previously exhibited. The ticket office is at the Nottingham Playhouse, which can be contacted on 0115-941-9419

THE HONDA CHALLENGE 2003 will be played at London's Royal Albert Hall from Wednesday 3rd to Sunday 7th December. Now in its 7th year, this event is a real treat for all tennis fans in the build-up to Christmas. Already confirmed are all the past winners who are John McEnroe, Pat Cash, Petr Korda and Guy Forget. The doubles will feature the marvellous Mansour Bahrami and Ilie Nastase. UK clients will receive a ticket application form with this Newsletter 52. I lost count of the number of people at Queen's Club and Eastbourne who picked up a leaflet and said how often they had meant to buy tickets in past years. The Tennis Bookshop will be in its usual position in the main entrance lobby. Ticket hot-line is 0207-589-8212

THREE NEW TENNIS BIOGRAPHIES FOR 2004:
"Boris Becker": I understand that Robert Lubenoff is scheduled to write an upto date autobiography of Boris Becker. Advance publicity suggests that the new book (I suppose the title will be "Cupboard Love") will be available in the middle of 2004, hopefully just before Wimbledon. Transworld is rumoured to have paid Becker a modest advance of some £200,000.
"Ilie Nastase" also has an up-to-date life story in the course of being written. I don't yet know the timetable, but I do know that many will fondly recall his skill and touch; and who will forget that thrilling Sunday 5-sets final against Stan Smith in 1972?
"Alan Mills", the Wimbledon Referee, is also believed to be writing frantically so that his tennis life-story can be ready for next year's Championships. He will join a long line of distinguished Wimbledon Referees who have written about their lives.

THE RECENT JOHN McENROE AUTOBIOGRAPHY, a very large seller!
001: "Serious" by John McEnroe with James Kaplan; 1st edition of 2002; 346 pp 8vo. This is the hardback edition of McEnroe's fascinating life, both public and personal. He talks like he used to play, that is to say blunt and to the point! £10
002: "Serious" by John McEnroe with James Kaplan; 1st PB edition of 2003; 346 pp. The paperback edition of 001 above. £7
003: "You Cannot Be Serious" by John McEnroe with James Kaplan; 1st USA edition of 2002; 342 pp 8vo. This is the USA hardboards edition of 001 above. I believe the text is identical though of 4 fewer pages. I have just one copy of this edition. £20

004: "Tennis Shoes" by Noel Streatfield; 1st UK edition of 1937; 227 pp; small 8vo. This is the second time I have had a 1st edition of this wonderful tennis story. Streatfield had already written the even more famous "Ballet Shoes", but this charming book is all about a typical middle-class family in a south London suburb in the middle 1930's, when life was calm and peaceful. The children join the local tennis club and then spend a glorious summer holiday by the seaside. They go on to excel at junior tennis. This book, with beautiful illustrations by D.L. Mays, has a previous owner's inscription dated "Christmas" 1937". £150

BELOW ARE MANY INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL TENNIS EVENT PROGRAMMES:

005: "British Empire vs United States of America" (30th June 1945) and "British Forces vs Allied Forces" (28th July 1945), both played at the All England Club.; slender programmes for two 2nd World War charity tennis events. The two at £20

006: "British Hard Court Championships at Bournemouth": This event used to be one of the premier events in the British tennis calendar, and looking through the programmes, it is immediately obvious that some great names are on the record as winners. Most of these editions came from the Max Robertson collection and are generally in very good condition..
These are the editions available: 1939, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974. Each at £5; or the whole collection of 24 editions at £85

007: "Championnats de France Internationaux": These are programmes that I have not seen previously and they come from the Max Robertson collection. The event was played at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris. Some editions have contemporary press cuttings mounted on advertisement pages. Editions available (including some duplicates) are: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973. Each at £5; or the whole collection of 14 editions at £60

008: "Championship of London on Grass played at The Queen's Club": This is quite a good (interrupted) run of programmes from 1949 onwards. Editions available are: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972. Each at £10; or the whole collection of 22 editions at £175

009: "Davis Cup Programmes for GB Matches at £5 Each". This selection of Davis Cup programmes is from the Max Robertson collection. All these programmes are for Great Britain matches. As with his Wimbledon programmes, Max has fixed into many of these Davis Cup programmes contemporary press cuttings describing the tie. Available are: 1954 vs Brazil at Eastbourne; vs Belgium at Scarborough; 1955 vs India at Manchester; 1956 vs Chile at Bristol; 1957 vs New Zealand at Eastbourne; vs France at Roland-Garros; 1958 vs Brazil at Eastbourne; vs Germany at Scarborough; vs Brazil at Eastbourne; vs France at Manchester; 1959 vs Chile at Eastbourne; 1960 vs Italy at Wimbledon; 1961 vs South Africa at Edgbaston Priory; 1962 vs Brazil at Eastbourne; vs Italy at Milan; 1963 vs USSR at Eastbourne; vs Spain at Bristol; vs Sweden at Wimbledon; vs the USA at Bournemouth; 1964 vs Austria at Tally Ho! Birmingham; vs Ireland at Eastbourne; vs Yugoslavia at Manchester; vs France at Bristol; 1965 vs South Africa at Eastbourne; 1966 vs Germany at Hanover; 1967 vs New Zealand at The Queen's Club; vs Canada at Bournemouth; vs Spain at Eastbourne; 1968 vs France at Bournemouth; 1973 vs Germany at Munich; 1980 vs Rumania at Bristol; 2000 vs Ecuador at Wimbledon. Each at £5, or all 32 editions at £135

010: "The Wightman Cup"; 1958 at Wimbledon; 1960 at Wimbledon; 1972 at Wimbledon; 1978 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This was the famous match, and quite a rare occasion, when GB beat the USA. The four together at £25

"Wimbledon Programmes from the 1930's": I have acquired a further, good range of 1930's Wimbledon Programmes, usually so hard to find and always much sought after by a few keen collectors. I believe these slightly lower than usual prices represent excellent value. I have listed the two Singles winners for each year.
011: 1932 Monday June 20th; complete condition; some written results; the 1st Monday. (Vines/Moody) £75
012: 1932 Wednesday June 29th; covers detached but present; with Centre Court ticket; 2nd Wednesday. (Vines/Moody) £75
013: 1933 Monday June 26th; covers detached but present; stained internally. 1st Monday. (Perry/Moody) £75
014: 1933 Monday July 3rd; good complete condition for the 2nd Monday. (Perry/Moody) £75
015: 1933 Thursday July 6th; good complete condition for the 2nd Thursday. (Perry/Moody) £95
016: 1934 Monday June 25th; complete but stained internally; some results written in; the 1st Monday. (Perry/Round) £75
017: 1934 Thursday June 28th; complete but front cover stained; the 1st Thursday. (Perry/Round) £75
018: 1935 Saturday June 29th; complete condition; stained slightly inside; the 1st Saturday. (Perry/Moody) £75
019: 1935 Tuesday July 2nd; good complete condition for the 2nd Tuesday. (Perry/Moody) £85
020: 1936 Monday June 22nd; good complete condition; some results written in; the 1st Monday. (Perry/Jacobs) £75
021: 1936 Friday July 3rd; good complete condition for the 2nd Friday. (Perry/Jacobs) £95
022: 1938 Tuesday June 28th; good complete condition; many results written in; the 2nd Tuesday. (Budge/Moody) £80
023: 1938 Thursday June 30th; good complete condition for the 2nd Thursday. (Budge/Moody) £85
024: 1939 Thursday June 29th; front cover stained; the 1st Thursday. (Riggs/Marble) £75
025: 1939 Thursday July 6th; good complete condition; some results written in; the 2nd Thursday. (Riggs/Marble) £85

026: "Wimbledon Programmes from 1946 to 1960": These have now become very hard to find, fetching much higher prices at auction than in previous years. They are mostly in good, complete condition.
1st day 1957. 2nd day 1950. 3rd day 1951. 4th day 1950. 5th day 1957. 6th day 1952. 8th day 1957. 11th day 1957. Each at £10
12th (Finals) day: 1946 at £30. 1947 at £25. 1948 at £25 (incl. press cuttings). 1950, 1951, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960. Each at £20

027: "Wimbledon Programmes from Men's Final Day": These are all for the 13th day, and full of results. Editions for: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001. Each at £5

028: "Wimbledon Programmes Final Editions": These much collected final editions, published after the Championships are over, contain every result for every event. These are the editions available: 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988. Each at £15. 1993, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002. Each at £10. 2003 is now available at £6

029: "Wimbledon Programmes Final Editions" from the Max Robertson collection. All have varying quantities of contemporary press cuttings mounted on the pages containing advertisements, so the actual draw pages are unmarked. Whereas some purists might say this spoils the editions, I found reading the cuttings had the effect of being a predecessor of the Wimbledon Annuals, as most of the cuttings are from The Daily Telegraph by top journalists such as Lance Tingay.
(** indicates that the front and rear covers are detached but present). These are the editions available:
1952 (**), 1953 (**), 1954 (**), 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980. Each at £20

030: "Slazenger Professional Lawn Tennis Tournament" programmes for 1950, 1955, 1956, all at Scarborough; 1958, 1959 both at Eastbourne. Players playing include Gonzales, Segura, Rosewall, Molloy, Hoad, & Perry. The 5 items for £30

031: "Wimbledon Annuals": 1983 at £195; 1984/93/97 each at £75; 1985 at £125; 1986/87/88/89/92/95/96/98/99/2000 each at £10; 1990/91/94/2001 each at £40; 2002 at £20.
032: 2003 is due out in mid-September and the cost will be £22
033: "Wimbledon Annuals: A Complete set of all 21 editions from 1983 to 2003". It is a long time since I have been able to offer a complete set of these annuals. Each edition is in very good condition, complete with its original dustwrapper. (see items 031/2). Against a total value of about £850, I am able to offer this very nice complete set at a discount price of £700

NEW AND RECENT TENNIS PUBLICATIONS:

034: "ATP Player Guide 2003" at £10; 035: "WTA Media Guide 2003" at £10
036: "Davis Cup Media Guide 2003" at £10. 037: "Fed Cup Media Guide 2003" at £10. I have only one of each
038: "The Book of Tennis 2003" by Chris Bowers; 192 pp small 4to. This is a very useful source of a wide range of tennis information. It was intended that this book became a replacement for the now defunct World of Tennis Annual. £10
039: "Holding Serve, Persevering on and off the Court" by Michael Chang with Mike Yorkey; 1st PB edition of 2003; 248 pp. This is the story of Chang and his meteoric rise in tennis, his religious convictions, and his recent retirement from the game. £8
040: "In His Court" by Betsy Nagelsen McCormack; 1st USA edition of 2002; 129 pp small 8vo. This unusual book links the tennis careers of several top players with their religious convictions. It is refreshing to see another side to these players. £15
041: "The Language of Tennis" by Ossian Shine; 2003; 160 pp in PB. Here can be found every word and term used in tennis, its derivation, history and meaning. This will make a good "trivial pursuit" present for every tennis fan. £10
042: "My Life With Lew" by Jenny Hoad and Jack Pollard; 1st PB edition of 2003; 228 pp. It was a great love story interspersed with amazing tennis achievements, ending up in retirement and sad decline in the South of Spain. £20
043: "Racket Sports Collectibles" by Bob Everitt; 2003; c300 pp in large format hardboards and dustwrapper. This is the definitive book on all those racket sports items in your collection giving photos, descriptions, history, date etc. Owing to the high cost of mailing, USA buyers can buy in the USA at schifferbk@aol.com. I can supply competitively the rest of the world. £55
044: "Rocket to the Top, On the Road with Pat Rafter" by Rafter with Leo Schlink; 1st PB edition of 1999; 212 pp. It is amongst my most regular sellers, rightly so, as he was a very charismatic person and player, now much missed. £20
045: "60 Volte Roma" by Ubaldo Scanagatta; 104 pp PB. Ubaldo continues his homage to the Italian Open by updating his book of statistics, facts and results of this long-standing event in the European tennis calendar. £15
046: "Tennis Record Book 2003" by Rino Tommasi; 238 pp in 4to PB. This, the third edition of Rino's massive statfest, is a must for all devourers of who beat whom, when, where, and by how much; more head-to-heads than I knew existed! £25
047: "Uncovered" by Pat Cash with Barry Flatman; 1st edition of 2002; 333 pp 8vo. This is the hardboards edition (no paperback edition seen yet) of Pat Cash and his somewhat stormy life in tennis. Like McEnroe, he pulls no punches here. £12
048: "Men's Results Guide 2003" and 049: "Women's Results Guide 2003". These PB books list all the singles results from each of the top 150 men and women in the 2 Wimbledon Singles events since 1st January 2003. One of each only at £15
050: "Wimbledon Compendium 2003" compiled by Alan Little. This amazing source of facts and figures about the Championships seems to get bigger as the years go by. No tennis fan can get bored while this book is around! £10
051: "Wimbledon: Serving Through Time" by staff of the Wimbledon Museum; 72 pp; PB 4to. Beautifully illustrated, this book relates many of the fine artefacts in the Museum to major tennis happenings of their period of manufacture. £10

052: BOXED SET OF 6 TENNIS SILVER TEASPOONS: This is a very unusual find, as mostly I find single spoons. This is a matching set of 6 teaspoons in a plush presentation case, all bearing a finial crest with the words "Luton Town B & Tennis Club", the words on a blue background, and surrounding a silver tennis player. The spoons are all hallmarked 1926. £175

PRINTED EPHEMERA (each item at £10):
Here is a wide selection of interesting printed ephemera, all related to tennis. This is a positive pot-pourri (!?) of bits and pieces which I have been accumulating over the last few years. But, for every piece of ephemera, there is a buyer somewhere, so have a good look through this lot, as there may be opportunities. Some of these items come from the Max Robertson collection.
053: "All England Lawn Tennis Championships 1937", competitor's card disc pass, 6cm diameter.
054: "Architectural Digest" September 1986; 230 pp magazine, containing photo illustrated article of Martina Navratilova's house in Texas
055: "Edwards Sports Nets catalogue 1951", 66 pp in PB 4to.
056: "Edwards Sports Nets summer catalogue 1967", 26 pp in large PB 8vo.
057: "Grays of Cambridge sports catalogue c1930", 32 pp in PB 8vo.
058: "Greg Rusedski signed colour photo", 18cm x 24cm.
059: "Lawn Tennis Nets 1929", 8pp in PB small 8vo.
060: "Royal Tennis Court Hampton Court Palace", 12 pp, booklet c1960.
061: "Slazengers sports catalogue 1939", 64 pp in PB 8vo.
062: "Slazengers Winter Sports Catalogue 1958/9", 34 pp + 47 pp price list, PB large 8vo.
063: "Sports Illustrated July 10 1961", containing "World Tennis Crisis" article.
064: "Tim Henman 4 signed colour action photos", each about 20cm x 25cm.
065: "Tennis Illustrated Magazine" for June 15th 1935, previewing Wimbledon which was Perry's 2nd win.
066: "Curve", USA Lesbian magazine edition for July 1999, with leading article on Amelie Mauresmo.
067: "Sports Illustrated" magazine for January 13 1975 with leading article on Bill Tilden by Frank Deford.
068: "Budleigh Salterton Open Lawn Tennis Tournament" programme for 1927.
069: "All England Lawn Tennis Club Dinner Menu and Seating Plan 1997".
070: "London vs Paris Tennis Match" at the Queen's Club 1955 programme.
071: "Great Britain vs France" International Lawn Tennis Club matches at the Queen's Club, programmes for 1954 and 1955.
072: "International Professional Indoor Lawn Tennis" at Wembley's Empire Pool, programmes for 1956 and 1958, incl. Sedgman, Gonzales, Rosewall, Kramer, and Segura.
073: "WD & HO Wills Covered Court Championships of Great Britain 1969" at Wembley's Empire Pool, programme.

074: "The Dewar Cup", programmes for what was for the UK one of the first major "Open" tennis events, involving both the top men and the top women. Players competing in these programmes include Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Margaret Court, Virginia Wade, Lew Hoad, Ann Jones, Betty Stove, Frankie Durr, Jaroslav Drobny, Evonne Goolagong, Ion Tiriac, Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Tom Okker, and many others. The event was played at several UK venues from October to December. The programmes, from the Max Robertson collection, are for the following years, with the different venues in brackets. Available are 1968 (2), 1969 (3), 1970 (3), 1971 (3), 1972 (2), 1973 (1). The collection of 14 editions at £30

TABLE TENNIS BOOKS: I have not so far strayed into the Table Tennis book market, at least not deliberately, as no-one has ever asked me for such books. But I have acquired 2 items amongst other books and list them here.
075: "The Laws of Ping-Pong and the Rules of the Ping-Pong Association"; c1900; 16 pp in small PB. Issued by J. Jaques, makers of sporting goods, this booklet has advertisements for lawn tennis, and badminton rackets; also offered is a full range of Table Tennis equipment, such as tables, balls, and battledores. Though there is no date on the booklet, I have checked the text of the service rule, which indicates a date of no later than 1902. The paper covers are detached but present. £50
076: "Ping-Pong" by Cornelius G. Schaad; 1st USA edition of 1930; 96 pp in small 8vo, no dw. This book has an introduction by William T. Tilden, who was himself a very competent table tennis player. This is a well illustrated coaching and tactics manual, and contains an unusual photo of Bill Tilden in a dinner jacket about to play the game. £40

077: "Pancho Segura's Championship Strategy"; 1976; 179 pp in 4to PB. Inscribed and signed by the old grey fox! £50

VICTORIAN ERA NEWSPAPER ENGRAVINGS:
These are original newspaper sheets, each containing a tennis or croquet image; ready to be matted, framed and glazed. Image sizes (in cm) include any accompanying text and newspaper dates. They are almost as accurate as real photographs.
078: "The Graphic" Sept 1884; scene of "Some English Lawn-Tennis Players". This is a posed group shot of 8 prominent players, including J. Hartley, the Renshaw brothers, the Watson sisters, Hartley, Lawford etc. Image is 22cm x 17cm. £15
079: "Illustrated London News" July 1881; "Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Ground, Eastbourne". This is an aerial view of the courts with a large crowd enjoying a mixed doubles match. Image is 21cm x 11cm. £15
080: "Illustrated London News" July 1880; "The Champion Lawn Tennis Match: Mr. Hartley winning the cup for the second time." A view of the 4th Wimbledon Men's Singles finalists J.T. Hartley and H.F. Lawford. Image is 23cm x 16cm. £15
081: "Illustrated London News" August 1883; "Croquet at Highgate". This is a view of a prize croquet tournament in north London. It is accompanied by descriptive text naming many well-known players of that period. Image is 24cm x 20cm. £15
082: "Illustrated London News" July 1870; "The All-England Croquet Club at Wimbledon". This is an exceptionally early view of the All-England Club, before lawn tennis started, and croquet was all the vogue. Image is 24cm x 26cm. £30
083: "Harper's Weekly" September 1885; "Lawn Tennis at Newport" (RI); from the upper balcony of the Casino. This is a full page scene of a crowd watching a match. (and photocopy of the accompanying descriptive text). Image is 35cm x 23cm. £30
084: "Once A Week" June 1890; "Tea and Tennis". This is the entire newspaper of 16 pages; the centre-fold is a magnificent view of the club-house veranda, tea being taken by the players, others still playing in the background. Image 51cm x 37cm. £75

085: "White Ladies" by Teddy Tinling; 1st edition 1969; 191 pp in 8vo hardboards and dustwrapper. This is a superb study of the great women tennis players for whom TT was couturier, from Betz to Bueno. With the book is a 2 page typed letter to Herman David inviting him rather nervously to the launch of the book . The letter is signed "Teddy T". £35

086: "The Kid" by William T Tilden; 1st small PB edition of 1921; 72 pp. This is virtually Tilden's first book, later published as "Lawn Tennis for Young Players". The title of this very early coaching book might suggest the way his mind was working. £75

TENNIS STAMPS AND COVERS:
Demand and turnover for these philatelic items far exceeded my best expectations, and replacing sold stock has proved very difficult. These that follow are highly decorative and priced well within the range of most pockets.
087: "St. Vincent stamp sheets": Each, with surrounding perforations, contains a block of 20 identical action shots of these players: Carlene Basset, Pat Cash, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Anders Jarryd, Ivan Lendl, Hanna (sic) Mandlikova, John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, Yannick Noah, Gabriela Sabatini, & Mats Wilander. Each £10
088: "Goran Ivanisevic block of stamps and signed card", celebrating his 2001 Wimbledon victory, this is a block of 10 stamps with action shot and accompanying card in Croat and English. The signature is guaranteed correct and original. £50

STAMPED ENVELOPES (each item at £10):
089: "Wimbledon Centenary in conjunction with World Table Tennis Championships" 4 racket sports stamps franked 12 Jan 1977.
090: "Racket Sports British Post Office First Day Cover" 4 stamps badminton, squash, table tennis, lawn tennis; franked 12 Jan 1977.
091: "Lleyton Hewitt World Number One end of 2001" franked Sydney 19 Nov 2001
092: "Davis Cup Final Australia vs France" franked 30 Nov 2001
093: "Lleyton Hewitt Wimbledon 2002 Champion" franked Melbourne 8 Jul 2002.
094: "Australian National Tennis Centre" franked 11 Jan 1988.
095: "Hyundai Hopman Cup" Czech Republic franked Burswood 4 Jan 2003.
096: "Hyundai Hopman Cup" United States S. Williams and J Blake, franked Burswood 4 Jan 2003.
097: "San Marino campionati internazionali di tennis", franked 20 Aug 1990.
098: "Australian Legends" Laver and Court, 2 stamps for each, franked 24 Jan 2003.
099: "Serena Williams Wimbledon Champion 2002", franked at Wimbledon 6 Jul 2002.
100: "Lleyton Hewitt Wimbledon Champion 2002" franked at Wimbledon 7 Jul 2002.
101: "Tim Henman at Australian Open 2002" franked at Melbourne 21 Jan 2002.
102: "Hazel Wightman", a postcard celebrating her life in tennis with USA Wightman stamp franked 6 July 1990.
103: "12th Maccabiah Games 1985", 3 sports stamps incl. tennis, franked 16 July 1985.
104: "Central American Games" air-letter from Guatemala dated 1950 with 4 stamps incl. tennis.
105: "35th All-Japan Softball Tournament" with tennis stamp, franked 23 November 1968.

STAMPED ENVELOPES AUTOGRAPHED (all signatures are guaranteed original):
106: "Davis Cup at Wimbledon Great Britain vs Australia" franked July 1986, signed by Pat Cash and Neale Fraser at £20.
107: "Lawn Tennis Association Centenary" franked 22 March 1988, signed by B A Cowan at £15.
108: "Lawn Tennis Association Centenary" franked 22 March 1888, signed by Andrew Castle at £10.
109: "Racket Sports first day cover", badminton, squash, table tennis, and lawn tennis, signed by Roger Taylor at £15.
110: "Lawn Tennis Association Centenary" franked 22 March 1988, signed by Greg Rusedski at £15.
111: "New Zealand Health Set 1972" with 2 stamps each showing a young tennis player, franked NZ 2 Aug 1972, signed by John McDonald at £15.
112: "Wimbledon Centenary in conjunction with the World Table Tennis Championships", 4 racket sports stamps franked 12 Jan 1977, signed by Ann Jones, already a Wimbledon champion and I believe a Table Tennis champion at £15.
113: "World Philatelic Exhibition" in Poland, 1993, postcard franked May 1993, signed by Bob Maud and Ken Fletcher at £20.
114: "Lawn Tennis Association Centenary" franked 22 March 1988, signed by husband and wife John Barrett and Angela Mortimer, Wimbledon champion at £20.
115: "Hapoel Games 1979" held in Israel, with 3 sporting stamps, franked 23 April 1979, signed by Tom Okker at £20.
116: "World Philatelic Exhibition" in Poland 1993, postcard with Australian tennis stamp franked May 1993, signed by Jason Stoltenberg at £15.
117: "World Philatelic Exhibition" in Poland 1993, envelope with Australian tennis stamp franked May 1993, signed by Scott Draper at £15.
118: "World Philatelic Exhibition" in Poland, postcard with Australian tennis stamp, franked May 1993, signed by Fred Stolle at £15.
119: "Lawn Tennis Association Centenary", franked 22 March 1988, signed by Martina at £30.
120: "Australian Bicentenary", 4 stamps incl. cricket (no tennis) franked 21 June 1988, signed by Jason Stoltenberg at £15.
121: "Australian Bicentenary", this one signed by Roy Emerson at £25.
122: "Royal Mail 1st day cover Sport", 4 sports stamps, one is tennis, franked 22 March 1988, signed by Margaret Court at £25.
123: "Summertime", 5 British sporting scenes stamps, one is tennis, franked 2 August 1994, signed by Stefan Edberg at £25.

TENNIS THEME STAMPS:
124: "9 Hungarian racket sports stamps"; various tennis scenes at £15.
125: "St Vincent single stamps", 1 of Carling Basset, Pat Cash, Jimmy Connors, Anne Hobbs, Anders Jarryd, Gabriela Sabatini, Mats Wilander; The set for £10
126: "Paraguay" stamp showing Heinz Gunthardt of Switzerland at £5.
127: "Paralympics Sydney 2000", 2 stamps showing tennis and running at £5.
128: "XXVlth Olympiad 1996 Atlanta" issued by Singapore, 4 sports stamps incl. tennis at £5

129: "MY STORY": Fred Perry's autobiography written in 1934; 317 pp in large 8vo green boards. This book was written immediately after his first Wimbledon win, and it is remarkably forthright, rather like the man himself. He was not feted by the powers in the tennis world, as he was not from a public school or university, he was the son of a Labour MP, and he said what he thought. Subsequently he went out to the USA where he settled down, principally because he felt undervalued and not appreciated by his own countrymen. This copy is signed contemporaneously by him and his Davis Cup team mates, G.P. Hughes, H.W Austin and Harold Lee. The British team had just beaten the USA to win the 1934 Davis Cup competition. This therefore is a very special copy of a very rare book, of which, amazingly, I have a second signed copy offered at item 153. £475

SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHS OF DON BUDGE, BOBBY RIGGS, and LES STOEFEN: These were three of the earliest men's professional touring pro's, who staged competitive exhibition matches in so many parts of the world, notably the USA and the UK in the 1930's and 1940's. There are 4 black and white photos in this group. Each is inscribed to "Fred", and although I cannot prove it, there is in my mind every indication that the recipient was none other than Fred Perry.
130: "Les Stoefen"; full length back-hand, inscribed: "To Fred Best Wishes Les"; image is 23cm x 19cm. £45
131: "Don Budge"; full length back-hand, inscribed: "To Fred A really swell guy and here's looking forward to getting together again soon. Sincerely Don"; image is 19cm x 24cm. £75
132: "Les Stoefen"; full length with Bobby Riggs posing in the background, inscribed; "To Fred One of the swellest guys to be working with good luck happiness always Les"; image is 19cm x 23cm. £50
133: "Bobby Riggs"; full length fore-hand, inscribed: "To Fred A great guy with whom I have had many great times. All the luck in the world to you. Sincerely Bobby Riggs"; image is 18cm x 23cm.. £75

TWO SPORTS EQUIPMENT CATALOGUES FROM 1887 and 1937:
134: "Cox & Humphries, Twine & Net Merchants"; catalogue of products dated Summer 1937; small 8vo 12 pp. This soft covered leaflet lists and illustrates their range of nets etc for tennis, cricket, hockey, football, badminton, and the garden. The first 4 pages are about tennis, showing illustrations and details of lawn tennis nets, posts, lines, boundary netting, net adjusters, ball nets and line markers. Similar equipment for the other sports is also shown. Nice condition on blue paper. £15
135: "F.H. Ayres Handicap Lawn Tennis Series of Equipment"; catalogue dated Season 1887; 8vo 4 pages. This is very early for a lawn tennis catalogue. It is in good condition, slightly fragile, and its 4 pages illustrate and describe the "Handicap" racket, tennis ball, net-posts, racket press, and equipment carrying bag. F.H. Ayres is a foundation name in British tennis. £75

ELIAS VICTOR "VIC" SEIXAS celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Wimbledon victory over Denmark's Kurt Nielsen (9-7 6-3 6-4) during this year's Championships. He always strolls over to the Press Centre to chat with old friends, and this year I introduced him to BBC's glamorous Suzie Perry, (she of motor-cycle Grand Prix fame), who was looking for suitable interviewees. She immediately sat him down on a bench and recorded a golden 20 minutes worth of strolling down memory lane. Vic (born 30 Aug 1923) is still the very good-looking man the women always said he was, as Suzie was quick to agree!

136: "Prime Time Tennis: Tennis for Players over 40" by Vic Seixas with Joel Cohen; 1st USA edition of 1983; 239 pp in hardboards and dustwrapper. This is Vic's only tennis book. It is primarily a coaching title for the not-so-young tennis player, but it is partly biographical; nicely illustrated. This copy is inscribed and signed by Vic, dated Dec 16 1983. £65

BOOKS OF TENNIS HUMOUR: Yes, there are some humorous tennis books, though many would say that there does not appear to be much humour at the top level of tennis. Tennis humour puts its head over the parapet during the Honda Challenge at the Royal Albert Hall in December, but I can still recall a man who came to me angrily after that event to say that he had come a long way to see what he had expected to be serious tennis. As the young say today: "Get a life will you!"
137: "The Tennis Lover's Book of Wisdom: Common Sense and Uncommon Genius from the Game's Greatest Legends" compiled by Criswell Freeman; 1997; 152pp in small format PB. Here are mostly "one-liners" packed with irony, pathos, truth, sagacity, experience etc. There are so many apt maxims here and, at random, I have chosen a telling saying from Pancho Gonzales, who, it is alleged once said: "Don't go for the big shot when you don't need it!". Sounds ok to me! £10
138: "Tennis's Most Wanted" by Floyd Conner; 2002; 304 pp PB. Here are some 70 lists of colourful matches, inept players, bizarre nicknames, outrageous outfits, embarrassing losses, errant shots, terrible tantrums, and all about tennis. £8
139: "The Tennis Player Who Laughed" by Jack Pollard; 1st edition of 1984; 102 pp in hardboards and dustwrapper. Pollard, an experienced Australian tennis journo, has put together a very enjoyable selection of amusing anecdotes. Having just written the piece about Vic Seixas, I am amused to find a comment about him as follows: "Vic Seixas, after many years of tough training, has gained control of a wide variety of basically unsound shots!" Sound like me on the Real Tennis court! £15
140: "Tennis's Strangest Matches" by Peter Seddon; 2001, 276 pp in PB. Here is a wide selection of extraordinary happenings on or near the tennis court, describing odd occurrences of a most amusing and sometimes incredulous nature. £9
141: "Tennis Ticklers: Tennis Poems to Make You Laugh!" by Louise T. Arnold; 1st edition of 1994; 71 pp in hardboards and dustwrapper. She has written a number of what I can only describe as fairly amusing pieces of doggerel; signed by her. £20

REAL TENNIS ITEMS including a major collection of trophies:
This is an early warning to say that I hope soon to be able to offer a catalogue of Real Tennis trophies from a major collection. This might appeal to private collectors, or to Real Tennis clubs, libraries, museums and other similar institutions. The collection will probably be for sale as a whole lot; please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to be kept in the loop on this.
142: "A Dictionary Catalogue of the Library of Sports in the Racquet and Tennis Club with Special Collections on Tennis, Lawn Tennis and Early American Sport"; two folio volumes, volume 1 A-M of 468 pp; volume 2 N-Z of 472 pp. Published in 1970 in Boston for the Racquet and Tennis Club in a print run of only 200 sets on durable acid-free paper and in attractive red boards, the spines gilt decorated. The books are edited by Robert W. Henderson, the famous Librarian, who has written an introduction. In the introduction, he writes that at the end of 1970, the Library had 14.300 plus volumes covering a huge range of sports, though the Library concentrates on books related to bat-and-ball games. Other less prominent specialities include athletic and field sports, covering hunting, mountaineering, yachting, fishing, all types of horsemanship, and early American book on sport, especially children's books with ball games. Each book in the library is recorded on a small file card, giving the title, the author, the date and place of publication, the size, and the sport section under which it falls. The sheets in the two volumes are thus made up of photocopies of every book card in the Library, arranged in A-Z order of sport. It is the largest list of sports book I have ever seen and has already proved to me an invaluable source of reference. Tennis and other racket sports take up about 200 pages in volume 2. I feel these books may be attractive to an institution such as a library. £600
143: "The Annals of Tennis" by Julian Marshall; 1st edition 1878 in good condition green externally decorated boards, small 4to. Often referred to as the major English language title on Real Tennis of the 19th century, Marshall was not only a great writer but also a great player. This history and technical volume is an essential part of any good tennis library. £1500
144: "Der Ballmeister", an original engraving from 1698. See "Tennis: A Cultural History" by Heiner Gillmeister, page 26. Including the title above and the text below, this measures 8cm x 13cm. Heiner says that although the German engraver Christoff Weigel from Regensburg claims to the artist, it is more likely that he stole the image from the Dutch engraver Casper Luyken. It is a very handsome scene of jeu de paume or kaatsen. In beautiful condition, this picture is offered at £600

BOOKS FROM THE MAX ROBERTSON COLLECTION
ALL DEDICATED TO HIM AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHORS
I am delighted to be able to offer these book, as they are mostly what I would describe as mainstream tennis biographies by world-famous players. Others are by authors outside tennis, but pre-eminent in their own world and generally very famous individuals. Each is a first edition in original dustwrapper and in very good condition, unless described otherwise. All contain, at the inside of the front board, Max's very distinctive book-plate, showing sporting and other scenes from his long life. An order for the whole collection will receive preference over single orders and will be suitably discounted.

TENNIS TITLES:
145: "Bud Collins' Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis" edited by Bud Collins; 3rd edition of 1994 in large format PB. It is inscribed: "For Max When I think of the VOICE and character of Wimbledon I think of you. Cheers, old friend. Bud Collins 27-6-96". This is an excellent tennis reference work from one of the most loquacious tennis correspondents. (Sorry Bud!) £25
146: "Budge on Tennis" by J. Donald Budge; reprinted edition of 1951. Inscribed: "To Max Robertson, My very best wishes & keep swinging. Don Budge June 27 1990 Wimbledon." The dustwrapper is somewhat scrappy at the edges and spine. £125
147: "Education of a Tennis Player (The)" by Rod Laver and Bud Collins; 1971. Inscribed: "For Max, I have always enjoyed your commentary on radio & a great pleasure seeing you at Wimbledon. Your friend, Rod Laver. 6-28-89". £85
148: "Game (The)" by Jack Kramer; 1979. Inscribed: ""Dear Max Hope your wonderfull (sic) book sells better than this one. all best luck always Jack Kramer". I saw Jack's son and grandson at Wimbledon this year. Jack seems reasonably well. £95
149: "Game, Set and Deadline" by Rex Bellamy; 1986. Inscribed: "For Max, who saw it all, and more. With best wishes, Rex B." Rex was of course the world-famous tennis correspondent for The Times until about 10 years ago. £20
150: "Handful of Summers (A)" by Gordon Forbes; 1978. Inscribed: "For Liz! With more than a handful of admiration! (and love to Max!) Gordon". Liz is Elizabeth Beresford, Max's wife and authoress of "The Wombles" series of books. £35
151: "Lloyd on Lloyd" by Chris and John Lloyd, with Carol Thatcher; 1985. Inscribed: "To Max, Thanks for the cricket education! Chris Lloyd". Also inscribed: "and your friendship John Lloyd". Also signed: "Carol Thatcher". £40
152: "My Game" by Lew Hoad; 1958. With tipped-in slip: "To Max Hope you enjoy the book. Lew Hoad". £65
153: "My Story" by Fred Perry; 1st edition of 1934.. This is the very rare Perry title, and it is inscribed: "To Max with appreciation for a friendship that has lasted as long as this book. Fred Perry". No dustwrapper; book slightly marked. £325
154: "Rosewall Twenty Years at the Top" by Ken Rosewall & Peter Rowley; 1976. Inscribed: "To Max Thanks for all your great comments….it kept me coming back for more! always great to see you. Ken Rosewall 5th July 89." £65

NON-TENNIS TITLES:
The following non-tennis titles are all inscribed and signed by their authors to Max Robertson. I will supply fuller descriptions and prices on request: "The Kandahar Story" by Sir Arthur Lunn 1969; "Within Whicker's World" by Alan Whicker 1982; "Get to Your Marks" by Ross & Norris McWhirter 1951; "Murder in Melbourne" by Dulcie Gray 1958; "Forever England" by Mike Read 1997; "Solo" by Jack Higgins 1980; "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat 1953 10th edition no dw; "The Colditz Story" by Pat Reid 1952 no dw; "Reach for the Sky" by Douglas Bader 1954.

155: "THE CANNES TENNIS CLUB": This is the guest/visitor book, dated 1924, broad 8vo; leather boards gilt decorated. This is an amazing 1920's autograph book, which I assume was used as a signing-in book for members and visitors. It contains a large number of signatures starting from March 1924 through to 1947. Mention is made on the title page of "The Cottage", but so far I have been unable to establish the significance of this. Can anyone tell me what "The Cottage" is/was? Many of the ornately hand-written signatures mean little to me, though I am sure they are mostly wealthy socialites, who frequented the Riviera for tennis during the season. Signatures that certainly are recognisable and desirable include "Suzanne Lenglen 1924", on a page by herself and a stunning strong signature it is. "Sophie Wavertree", the well-known society hostess. "Phyllis Satterthwaite", British tennis player. "JM Hillyard". "Diddie Vlasto 3 April 1924", Suzanne's doubles partner and lover (?). "Regine Vlasto", Diddie's mother. "Tallulah" Bankhead, American actress. "Max Decugis", French tennis player. "Poppy Baring", mistress of Edward Prince of Wales. "Rosa Lewis", owner of the infamous Cavendish Hotel in Jermyn Street, London. "Suzanne Lenglen 13-1-25" with "Claude Anet 13.1.25" and "Leila Claude Anet 20-3-30", the significance of this page is that Claude Anet wrote the only French language contemporary biography of Suzanne, 320 copies only, published in 1927. "Jean Borotra 21-3-28", a great French tennis player. "Most sincerely Laddie Clliff 20/4/25", American film star. "Helen Wills, California", it seems that this was signed before she married Mr Moody, and presumably she was in Cannes for the great match against Suzanne; she was insufficiently confident that she felt it necessary to add "California" to her signature in case people did not know from where she came. "Milford-Haven", the Marquess of. "George, March 28 1927", this is a royal signature and I believe it to be Prince George of Kent. "Elsa Maxwell June 12th 1924", American actress. "E. Phillip Oppenheim May 24th", South African diamond magnate. There are many other signatures I have not recognised; this therefore offers opportunities for anyone with a greater knowledge of this period. £1500

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