A TILDEN LETTER; ATP/WTA PLAYER GUIDE; NASTASE, BECKER, GERULAITIS BIOGS; A SCAINO

INTRODUCTION: An interesting international tennis season in 2004 looks to be on the cards, especially in the women’s game, with both Williams sisters having had extended injury breaks since Wimbledon. Those two exciting Belgian women seem to be the ones to beat at present. How can someone so small at Justine Henin hit the ball so hard? Martina has signalled that 2004 is to be her last year!

*** In the men’s game, Pat Rafter has indicated that his retirement may not be permanent. Goran withdrew from the Honda Challenge exhibition, so I guess it’s almost all over for him. He had his big moments, the best of all with Rafter in Wimbledon 2001. Will 2004 at last be Tim Henman’s Wimbledon? I am sure that most of us here in England can remember how many years we agonised over Virginia Wade before she eventually took the 1977 title. John Parsons of The Daily Telegraph has gone for Klijsters and Henman (OBE!) for 2004, and as far as I can see that’s as good a forecast as any other of the many possible combinations. What a great result that would be. And what are the fates awaiting the GB Davis Cup team? I suppose that depends on the result of the unfortunate Rusedski drugs affair.

*** The Lawn Tennis Association is pressing on with its plans to build a training centre at Roehampton and thus disposing of The Queen’s Club, which it owns outright. This is a major period of uncertainty at Queen’s, but I do hope that when the dust has settled, the members will have become the owners of the Club. I feel it is the best result, and will allow Queen’s to continue as before. It was never intended to be a major profit earner, more a facility for racket and other athletic sports. It is to be hoped that the ultimate decision-makers will see that point as the dominant one, and that no-one attempts to turn The Queen’s Club into a fast-buck sports centre, or change its endearing character.

*** Wimbledon has announced plans for the installation of a sliding roof on Centre Court, though completion is still some years away. Plans for the removal of many of the Club offices and other facilities are well advanced in order to make room for the huge structural alterations required. It seems there are mixed feelings about this major step, but one thing you can guarantee is that Wimbledon always handles change so adroitly; no changes take place without the most careful consideration. The pace of change may appear slow, but that’s England for you!

*** I am looking for copies of early ATP and WTA player guides, mostly from 1989 and before. Are there any willing sellers out there?

BOOKS ON TENNIS (Real/Court) (see also item 90)

“TRATTATO DEL GIUOCO DELLA PALLA” by Antonio Scaino da Salo; 1555. Known in the several English language translations as “Scaino on Tennis”, this is the foundation book not only on Tennis but also on Athletic (as opposed to Field) Sports. The book has 6 wood engravings showing the lay-out of the medieval tennis court and the playing equipment of the period. I have been made aware that Christie’s of London will be offering a very nice copy in contemporary vellum covers in their book sale on March 3rd. This book is the icing on the cake of any great tennis library, and would probably appeal more to an institution rather than a private client. I am available to inspect and advise on the book when it is viewable, and can act in bidding, clearing and delivery worldwide. Pre-sale estimates are £4000/$7500 to £6000/$11100, but realistically, a buyer should expect to pay well over £10,000/$18500

01: “Trattato del Givoco Della Palla” by Antonio Scaino da Salo. This is my first copy of the 1968 reprinted facsimile edition (500 copies only) of the 1555 original. It is beautifully bound into presentation half leather and marbled boards. (This book is in Italian) £250/$425

02: “TRAITE SUR LA CONNAISSANCE DE LA ROYAL JEU DE PAUME” (sic) by de Manivieux; first published in Neuchatel in 1783. This book is so rare that even I have never seen a copy! But at last it has been translated into English and will be published shortly. It is one of the most important books on Tennis, and describes in some detail the state of the game as at the latter part of the 18th century, with obvious heavy emphasis on the game in France. The author was a player himself. The book will be published in a small print run of about 200 standard edition copies and 50 de luxe limited edition copies. I am now taking reserved orders. Prices are still to be finalised, and publication is expected within the next 3 or 4 months. Please do not delay your ordering, as this very desirable book will sell quickly.

03: “The Annals of Tennis” by Julian Marshall; facsimile edition of 1973; 226 pp in large 8vo format, the green boards beautifully decorated externally with chased-in gilt and black linear engraving, with two crossed gilt tennis rackets over three balls. I have traded several originals from 1878 but this facsimile is an excellent substitute, and virtually indistinguishable from an original. The book itself is the great 19th century classic on Tennis, written as the game was beginning to decline in popularity after centuries of expansion. This is a first class history of Tennis, both in Britain and Europe. Unusually I have 3 copies, so these are offered at the lower price of £110/$190

04: “De Kaatsvereniging Jan Bogststra Honderd Jaar 1893-1993” by W. Hiddema; 1993; 239 pp in large 8vo, pictorial boards. My Dutch is not much better than my Estonian was in Newsletter 53! But this book is a history of a Dutch Kaatspell club, being a branch of Le Jeu de Paume, a demonstration sport in the Amsterdam Olympics, and a game still played today. It is profusely illustrated with historical photographs of matches and great performers of the 100 years of the club’s life. £75/$125

05: “Pierre’s Book: the Game of Court Tennis” by Pierre Etchebaster; 1st USA edition of 1971; 79 pp; 4to HB in DW. To today’s Tennis players, especially if literature minded, this book should need no introduction. It is partly an excellent coaching manual and partly a tribute from his adversaries to one of the greatest Paumiers of the 20th century. He was World Champion for some 25 years before retiring undefeated. I read somewhere that, allegedly, Pierre did not hit the penthouse once in 21 years, unlike myself whose ball seems to live there! This copy is beautifully dedicated and inscribed by Pierre in his distinctive hand-writing and dated Sept. 20 1974. £210/$350

06: “Tennis & Rackets Association Annual Reports”. Members of the T & RA will be well used to receiving this substantial and highly informative annual report. The global contents include contact details for all Real Tennis and Rackets courts/clubs, reports and results on just about every Real Tennis and Rackets competition played in the previous year, (many illustrated with action or presentation photographs), and a full list of all members of the T & RA. Recent editions, which are in large paperback 4to format, run to around 125 pages. Offered here is a broken run for the following seasons: 1983-84, 1986-87, 1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-02. The 13 editions, plus a few Spring newsletters are offered at £30/$50

07: “Theatre des Bons Engins (Le)” by Guillaume de la Perriere. This is the 1978 facsimile edition of the 1539 original Emblem book by Perriere, in which the emblems at pages 20 and 92 show scenes of ball play and tennis; a book for the purist Tennis collector! £150/$250

08: “Two Centuries of Real Tennis” by John Shneerson; 1st edition of 1997; 86 pp; 8vo HB in DW. This is the pleasing story of the restoration of the old Real Tennis court in Newmarket (Suffolk, England), used for many years as a garage repair shop, and brought back into full use as a Tennis court in the mid 1990’s. This is copy 31 of a limited edition of 50 Library copies, each of which is signed by the author. Internally, it has marbled boards and all page edges are gilt. There is also a list of subscribers to the Library edition. £100/$175

09: “OFFICIAL (ATP/WTA) GUIDE TO PROFESSIONAL TENNIS 2004”; formerly known as the two separate ATP and WTA Player Guides, for 2004 they are now combined into one substantial book of 800 pages, weighing a hefty 1.5Kg. Published on a “flip-over” basis, at one end are the men, turn it over and at the other end are the women. It has all the usual information including player biographies, ranking lists etc. Mailing costs are quite high, but there is still a good over-all saving on previous years when two books had to be bought. This huge book is available now; the cost including postage is as follows: UK/Europe £30/$50, World-wide air £35/$60

TITLES DUE FOR PUBLICATION IN 2004; NEW TITLES; RECENT TITLES

ILIE NASTASE NEW BIOGRAPHY: The latest news on the new book on Ilie is that it is due out in June 2004. I hope to be able to accept pre-publication orders in Newsletter 55; I also hope Ilie will come to Queen’s Club during the Stella Artois week for signings.

VITAS GERULAITIS BIOGRAPHY: I have picked up word that at last there is to be a biography of the great Vitas. This was always a gap to be filled, and I am glad to hear that publication is planned for mid-2004. More news on this probably in Newsletter 55.

BOBBY RIGGS NEW BIOGRAPHY: And absolutely hot news is the publication of “The Last Sure Thing: The Life and Times of Bobby Riggs”. I only heard of this book the day this newsletter went to the printer, (thanks Joe S.) so I will have more news next time.

BORIS FRANZ BECKER born 22 November 1967 and Wimbledon Men’s Champion in 1985, 1986 and 1989. Becker burst onto the tennis scene in the mid-1980’s in an amazing manner and has been both a charismatic and a controversial figure on and off the court ever since. Whilst nobody could doubt his on-court achievements at such a young age, he continues to make news and is clearly a man round whom the dust seldom settles. I understand that his biography, to be called “Stay a Moment Longer” will be published in time for the Stella Artois at Queen’s in early June. I hope to have further news on that nearer the date. In the meantime, here are five Becker items.

10: “Advantage Becker” by Robert Lubenoff; 1st German edition of 1997; 161 pp in large 4to in pictorial boards. This book has superb colour photographs make this a thoroughly enjoyable study of the Beckers in both their private and public lives. £25/$40

11: “Boris” by Gunther Bosch; 1st German edition of 1986; 240 pp; 4to HB in DW. This large book was written by his coach and mentor at the time to celebrate Becker’s Wimbledon Championship. It is beautifully illustrated with a large number of colour photographs, mostly of his tennis, but some off-court views also. The English language version is at number 12 below. £25/$40

12: “Boris” by Gunther Bosch; 1st English language edition of 11 above; 192 pp in large 4to PB. £20/$35

13: “Boris B.” edited by Herbert Riehl-Heyse; German PB edition of 1994; 256 pp. This is a series of personal commentaries about Becker and his tennis by experienced German tennis observers. The book is illustrated with colour photographs. £15/$25

14: “Wimbledon Order-of-play card for Tuesday 25th June 2002”; signed beautifully by Boris Becker. £50/$85

NEW TITLES: The following list details some recent publications on Tennis and Squash, as well as a few titles that have been around for a few years but which I continue to feel should be a part of any Racket Sports library.

15: “Book of Tennis Rackets”: Siggy Kuebler has published a 92 page updated supplement to his fine work on tennis rackets. With over 200 photos, mostly colour, and in soft covers, this is now available at £25/$42. If ordering with the main book, the joint price is £65/$110

16: “Khans Unlimited: A History of Squash in Pakistan” by Dicky Rutnagur; 1997; 214 pp in small 4to; HB in DW. Although this book was published some years ago (in Pakistan), I have only just caught up with it. I enjoyed my few days at Nottingham in October during the British Open Squash Championships during which time I had several chats with Dicky. He has reported on Squash and Cricket for The Daily Telegraph for some 40 years, and this splendid history of Pakistan squash is a delight for all squash fans. £20/$35

17: “On Being John McEnroe” by Tim Adams; 144 pages in small format hardboards and DW. The front cover tells us: “Tim Adams sets out to explore what it might have meant to be John McEnroe during those (early) times, and in his subsequent lives, and to define exactly what it is we want from our sporting heroes.” I would guess this is not an authorised book and it is not illustrated. £10/$17

18: “Racket Sports Collectibles” by Bob Everitt; 2002; 304 pp in large format hardboards and DW. Out now for over a year, this massive source of information on all types of racket sports collectibles continues to sell well. Collectibles covered include Books, Magazines, Programmes, Ephemera, Games, Cigarette and Postcards, Equipment, Ceramics and Glass, Silver and Metalware, and Jewellery. Each of the more than 1000 colour photographs is supported by a descriptive text, including source and date of manufacture, size, and suggested current market value. I cannot imagine that any serious tennis collector can exist without this marvellous book. £50/$85

19: “Roots of Tennis in Japan (The): A Biographical Study of Masanosuke Fukuda” by Kuniko Okada; 2002; 208 pp in small 8vo and DW. This book (in Japanese) is a study of the life of Fukuda, a great Japanese player of the 1920’s during which time he played Davis Cup, and later became a tennis writer and mentor of modern tennis in Japan. £20/$35

20: “The Server” by Spencer Vignes; 1st PB edition of 2003; 268 pp. I have read it and is rather good fun. Vignes takes it upon himself to travel the length of England with his tennis racket and balls and tries to have a hit on every court he passes. This leads to all sorts of adventures, mostly quite amusing, including an exchange of correspondence with the All England Club, following Vignes request for a hit, not on Centre Court! Eventually he stands out in Somerset Road and skies a ball over the wall to hit Number 2 court. He continues up country, hitting on the Henman’s court, and recounting many amusing conversations with puzzled tennis players. £8/$15

21: “Squash: A History of the Game” by James Zug; 1st edition of 2003; 368 pp; 8vo HB in DW. This is most upto date history of squash, with an excellent early history, and then how the hard and soft ball games appeared along side each other in the early 1900’s. Thereafter it concentrates more on the USA version and recounts in great detail the stories of the leading players, the major events, the clubs etc. Now it seems that most of the USA has gone over to the soft-ball version with international dimension courts. £25/$40

22: “Tennis Confidential: Today’s Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies” by Paul Fein; 1st edition 2002; 319 pp 8vo; HB in DW. This wide-ranging study of competitive tennis, mostly during the last 15 years, is a series of essays about great modern players and their lives. The book is interspersed with a myriad of “Fascinating Facts” and is surely one of the top Tour books of the moment. £25/$40

23: “Tennis Fashion” by Diane Elisabeth Poirier; 80 pp; 8vo in DW. Frankly, this is not as detailed and as comprehensive as I expected or hoped it would be. There are some nice colour photographs of early tennis costumes, but the subject deserved a much deeper study. There are, after all, several tennis museums with lovely examples of tennis costumes. 1 copy only at £15/$25

24: “US Open 2003 Program Inserts”. The US Open does not print a daily updated programme as does Wimbledon. Instead, they publish a large magazine and issue daily updated inserts. I am offering here two such inserts for 2003, the first being a special 4 page “Tribute to Pete Sampras”, issued on Opening Night (August 25) which was the day he was feted by the fans at the National Tennis Center. With this special issue is also the insert for finals day (Sunday September 7) showing Ferrero due to play Roddick at 4.30pm. Thus all the US Open 2003 results are there, except for the last day. The two memorable US Open 2003 items are offered together at £5/$8

25: “More Than Tennis: The first 25 years of wheelchair tennis” by Sarah Bunting; 2001; 112 pp in large 8vo HB in DW; in landscape format. I have watched with amazement and admiration the wheelchair tennis exhibitions played during the last two Championships. No quarter seemed to be sought nor offered, and as far as I could see the only significant change to the rules of play was that the ball can bounce twice before being struck. (Hope I got that right!) The book is a fascinating history of the game from its inception as an organised sport to becoming an Olympic sport. You can buy this title direct from the ITF at wheelchairtennis@itftennis.com

A SPECTACULAR HAND-WRITTEN TILDEN LETTER

26: I don’t think I have had a Tilden letter previously, but I note there is a much inferior example out on the net for around £590/$1000. The example below is a two sided hand-written letter from Bill Tilden to his young friend Arthur Anderson. Unlike so many modern writers, I see no need here to rehash the niceties of the relationship between these two men. As far as I am concerned, Tilden was and remains to this day one of the best tennis players of all time. Tilden was made very welcome by Anderson’s family and Tilden referred to Anderson as the son he never had. The letter is on headed note-paper from the Hotel Fontenelle in Omaha. It is accompanied by the original hand-addressed envelope and is franked “Omaha Nebr. Feb 10 1946”. The undated text reads:

“Dearest Stinky I am crazy about my beautiful shirt and thank you very much. Your letter was here when I arrived and was welcome for I was missing my brat. I wish you had been here last night. We had quite an evening. We are playing on wood under bad lights & I’ll tell the world its tough. Carl Earn went crazy against a bad Riggs & nosed him out in a very excellent match. 7-5, 6-8, 6-4. Riggs was lucky to win the 2nd set but then had the match in his hand at 4-3 40-30 on his own serve in the third set but blew it. Earn really played well. Riggs underestimated him. Bobby Harman had me in serious trouble in our match. He won the first set 6-2, had me down 0-40 at 1 all in the 2nd, and had 15-40 0-30 & 30-40 on my next four service games but I was getting better & I won 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Semi Finals Singles & Doubles today. Sabin beat Faunce again. Give my love to the family. I’ll write soon. I miss you, Stinky. Play lots of good tennis. Love always Your old man Bill.”

The ambience of the letter is one of close friendship; it is almost too chummy, but that was Tilden’s way. You only need to read some of his novelettes in such books as “It’s All in the Game” to see that this was how he wrote and quite probably how he spoke. Whereas he was a giant of a tennis player, mentally I don’t think he quite grew up; he was rather like Peter Pan, and craved the company and adulation of young men in an era when such a lifestyle was not considered acceptable. Frankly I don’t think it is acceptable now, but plainly I am in a minority today. This stunning and in my view rather important Tilden letter and envelope are offered at £600/$1000
PS: I have just taken in another Tilden letter, this time written from prison, also to the Anderson family. Details available.

27: “Chris Lewis: All the Way to Wimbledon” by Joseph Romanos; 1984; 222 pp; small 4to in HB and DW. Here is the story of the New Zealander who reached the Wimbledon Men’s Singles final unseeded, losing to John McEnroe 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. This is a very full account of his life so far, and it is copiously illustrated with colour photographs. The book is signed by Lewis on the main title page. £25/$40

28: “Total Tennis: The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia” by Bud Collins; 4th edition of 2003; 938 pp; HB in DW. Another massive book from the ebullient Collins giving reviews from 1919 to 2002, player registers of top amateurs and professionals, career summaries of 400 of the best players of all time, and player biogs for the top 175 players, and much much more, all supported by over 150 photos. £30/$50

SOME GREAT TENNIS CLASSICS AT A HEAVILY MARKED-DOWN PRICE, EACH AT £75/$130

This is an occasional promotion which I use when I find my shelves are becoming over-stocked with too many copies of the same title. Keeping a balanced stock is very hard work, and occasionally, I walk down the shelves and see that I have three of four copies of a comparatively rare title, when to have one is usually a pleasure. The following books are not quite in the top condition on which I usually insist, but they are all nice complete, tight titles, without damage or dustwrapper, maybe with some external fading or other modest signs of age. All the following titles, when in very good condition, are likely to be listed by me at prices from £150/$250 upwards.
29: “Captain Anthony Wilding” by A. Wallis Myers; 2nd edition of 1916; 306 pp. Written by The Daily Telegraph tennis man, this is the fascinating story of the great New Zealand tennis hero of the period upto 1914, who tragically died in the Great War in France.
30: “Forty Years of First-Class Lawn Tennis” by G.W. Hillyard; 1st edition of 1924; 260 pp. From a man who was there right at the start of Lawn Tennis, here is a much underrated history of the game, its early days and its pioneer stars and champions. Hillyard was no mean player himself, and married the top English player Blanche Bingley. The book has many fine photographs of those early champions.
31: “Lawn Tennis in Australasia” by Austral (R.M. Kidston); 1st edition of 1912; 344 pp. This is the first real book on Lawn Tennis in the Australian bibliography. It is a coaching book but it stands out because it has very many full page photographs of great players of the early 1900’s demonstrating their shots, and each is supported with a full page of explanatory text. This copy is quite worn externally and there is a long hand-written historical note on the end paper. It is however a real gem!
32: “Modern Lawn Tennis” by P.A. Vaile; new edition of 1907; 235 pp. Vaile wrote several of the earliest major coaching manuals in the game’s history, mostly in the first 20 years of the 20th century. This book is very well illustrated with photographs of top players of the period demonstrating their shots, and has chapters on events, umpiring, personalities, and even “knotty problems”.
33: “On the Court and Off” by Anthony Wilding; 1st edition of 1912; 273 pp. Wilding’s personal version of his exciting tennis life after arriving in Europe from New Zealand. Would he have won Wimbledon from 1915 to 1918? We will never know, but some think so.
34: “R.F. & H.L. Doherty on Lawn Tennis”; obviously by the great Doherty brothers, this is the first book on lawn tennis of the 20th century. The brothers pose for rather awkward looking action shots, as do some of their contemporaries. The book also contains a rather modest record of the Championships with their names featuring, and then there are regulations for holding of prize meetings.
35: “Twenty Years of Lawn Tennis” by A. Wallis Myers; 1st edition of 1921; 180 pp. The tennis correspondent of The Daily Telegraph was also a good competition player and travelled extensively to play and write about his game. He was an astute observer and records many great matches and tennis occurrences. He starts his story as the old Wimbledon ground is abandoned in favour of Church Road.
36: “World’s Tennis Stars and How to Play the Game (The)” by Pat O’Hara Wood; 1st edition of 1926; 117 pp. This might be an extension of 31 above as it has similarities. As an important coaching book from Australia, it is thorough. But it also has very many photographs of early 20th century tennis stars, taken I believe from a contemporary set of tobacco cards.

JAMES SCOTT “JIMMY” CONNORS: With the welcome news that at last there is to be a major book on Vitas Gerulaitis, it seems to me that Jimmy Connors is just about the only major male tennis player of the last 25 years on whom there is not an authoritative book. When I asked him years ago if such a book was planned, he replied rather acidly (this is an understatement sanitised for the gentle reader!) that as far as he was concerned, everything that was in the public eye was public; everything else was his damn business and none of ours! Well I suppose that is a point of view. In the meantime, here are three small children’s books on Connors, not literary giants, but all that there is. These USA publications are mostly ex-library copies from USA colleges. They may bear ex-lib markings etc.
37: “Fiery Tennis Star Jimmy Connors” by Jay H. Smith; 1st edition of 1977; 32 pp. £25/$40
38: “Superstars Jimmy Connors” by Larry Batson; 1st edition of 1975; 32 pp. £25/$40
39: “The World of Jimmy Connors” by Jim Burke; 1st PB edition of 1976; 217 pp. £25/$40

PRINTED EPHEMERA; PROGRAMMES; AUTOGRAPHS; MAGAZINES; POSTERS

40: “Slazenger Flicker Book”; c1935. This is no 10 “Service and Smash” demonstrated by H.W. Austin; in good tight condition. £45/$75
41: 2 x full colour 20cm x 25cm photographs of Greg Rusedski; each is nicely signed. Each at £10/$17
42: full colour 14cm x 20cm photograph of Yannick Noah as French Davis Cup captain. His is an amusing looking signature! £10/$17
43: 4 full colour photographs of Henri on one sheet, each 9cm x 14cm, with one signature by Henri Leconte. £15/$25

44: “Lawn Tennis Photograph Albums”: I have recently acquired two quite substantial albums, which are absolutely crammed full of photographs of tennis players, the photographs taken from magazines and newspapers. They cover the period 1922 to 1933. The scene is almost entirely British but there are many photographs of overseas players, and almost all the photographs are accompanied by the original text identifying the players, results and locations. Album 1 contains over 250 photographs, and album 2 contains over 700 photographs. This second album is particularly strong on County LTA teams, with features on the Wimbledon Championships and Davis Cup matches. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying this treasure trove of tennis history from a great period of Lawn Tennis history. £150/$250

SIGNED WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY CARDS: The following cards show the daily order of play.
45: Order of play card for Friday 5th July 2002, Day 11; signed by Lleyton Hewitt £50/$85
46: Order of play card for Saturday 6th July 2002, Day 12; signed by Lleyton Hewitt and one other. £50/$85

47: FRENCH OPEN POSTERS: The last time I had some of these marvellous Roland Garros posters, they were heavily over-subscribed. Each year, a well-known modern artist is asked to submit a tennis design, which adorns every piece of stationery for that year, thus posters, tickets, programmes, media guides etc. They are highly distinctive and make excellent wall coverings. They measure about 57cm by 75cm, and will be delivered rolled into a postal tube. These posters are offered for sale singly, and the years for which I have only one example of each are: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997. Each at £50/$85

TENNIS MAGAZINES: I don’t really trade tennis magazines, but these came up in recent book collection purchases.
48: The following two broken runs of English tennis magazines (total is 26) are offered as one lot at £25/$40
"Lawn Tennis and Badminton”: 8 editions from 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953.
“British Lawn Tennis and Squash”: 18 editions from 1952, 1953, 1954.
49: The following three broken runs of English tennis magazines (total is 82) are offered as one lot at £75/$125
“Lawn Tennis & Badminton”: 1964 x 8 issues; 1965 x 23 issues; 1966 x 15 issues; 1967 x 1 issue.
“British Lawn Tennis & Squash”: 1964 x 3 issues; 1965 x 10 issues; 1966 x 8 issues; 1967 x 3 issues; 1968 x 2 issues.
“Lawn Tennis”: 1972 x 9 issues
50: “Tennis Week”: This is a very informative and topical USA magazine, which I have always thought to be the best of the international tennis magazines. Here are 10 issues in a broken run from September 20001 to October 2003, offered at £25/$40

51: Seven English Tennis Event Programmes: These programmes are offered as one lot at £25/$40
“Surrey County Junior LT Championships 1935” at Sutton; “Wightman Cup 1948, 1952, 1972” at Wimbledon.
“International Professional Indoor Lawn Tennis 1956, 1958” at Empire Pool, Wembley, London.
“Davis Cup GB vs. Czechoslovakia 1949” at Wimbledon. It interested me to read in this programme that both GB and Czechoslovakia fielded only two players each for all five matches, something the LTA is roundly criticised for doing with Henman and Rusedski. As both sides only fielded two players each, I wondered if that was the rule at the time. Does anybody know?
52: “Lawn Tennis Album: Players Personalities Tournaments Matches, etc.”; no named author; 20 pp in PB in landscape format. This series of booklets (the whole set is 1947-1957) is a useful little reminder to the English public just who were the top players of the day. I suspect these booklets were published just before Wimbledon started. Each has black and white photographs of leading players both from the UK and countries worldwide. I have one copy for years 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1952. Each at £10/$17 or the 4 for £30/$50
53: “Jana Novotna Poster”: issued by Prince Rackets to celebrate her 1998 Wimbledon Singles & Doubles titles, this is a charming poster (48cm x 65cm) showing 4 images of JN. The first shows her on her knees having just won the Singles title, the second shows her with the Ladies’ trophy, the third a full length action shot playing a back-hand, and the fourth a lovely informal view of JN sitting cross-legged on the floor, wearing a Prince sweater. There is very little ephemera on this delightful 1998 Wimbledon Ladies’ Champion. £15/$25

WIMBLEDON FINAL PROGRAMMES: Some new editions and a few left over from last time.
54: 1956 (with some notes on the front cover), 1970, 1973, 1981, 1986. Each at £15/$25
55: 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979. These are the six unsold editions from the 19 originally offered in Newsletter 52 from the Max Robertson collection. Each contains a quantity of original UK press reports on the progress of the Fortnight. Each report is mounted on pages carrying advertisements, thus the draws and articles in the programme are left exposed. Each at £20/$35

56: “Wimbledon Programmes 13th Days”: Here is a broad selection of Wimbledon programmes from recent years. The 13th day programmes are usually Men’s Final day and thus full of printed results from throughout the Fortnight.
13th day: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001. Each at £5/$8
57: “Wimbledon Programmes 1994 to 2003”: This is a parcel of 10 programmes, all from various days in the second week of each of the years 1994 to 2003. For 2001, 2003 & 2003, I can supply a small number of Final editions within this package. The 10 programmes will make a very heavy parcel, so this package is offered at a post included price within the UK of £30. Please ask for a quote for non-UK orders.
58: “Wimbledon Programmes 1970 to 1979”: This is a run of 10 programmes for each year 1970 to 1979 inclusive. The editions range throughout the Fortnight, from the 4th day to the 12th day. 1976 has a very early cover photo of Martina Navratilova in action. £30/$50

59: A TABLE TENNIS SET: c1925. This set is in its original cardboard box, the outside lid showing a delightful domestic scene of family table tennis being played by two young people as the rest of the family watches. The scene is in full glorious colour. The box contains 2 bats, 4 balls, and a net and two side posts. The lid of the box shows some splitting at the box corners; otherwise it is a lovely item. £60/$100

FAMOUS PLAYERS SIGNATURES: Signed on cards or slips, a small selection of very high quality signatures of top players from a much earlier period of tennis.
60: H W Austin £30/$50;
61: Jean Borotra £60/$100;
62: Henri Cochet £60/$100;
63: Jack Crawford £60/$100;
64: Andres Gimeno £30/$50;
65: Bryan Grant £40/$70;
66: Francis Hunter £50/$85;
67: Rene Lacoste £60/$100;
68: Roderich Menzel £30/$50;
69: Adrian Quist £40/$70;
70: Mike Sangster £50/$85;
71: Francis X. Shields £50/$85;
72: Guillermo Vilas £30/$50.

SOME EARLY BOOKS FROM OTHER RACKET/RACQUET SPORTS

73: “ABC of Squash Rackets (The)” by D(onald) G(eorge) Butcher; 1st edition of 1934; 128 pp in small 8vo; HB in DW. Butcher was one of the great 1930’s teaching squash professionals. He was also Open champion 1930-32. This is very early in terms of squash titles, and for this period the only other titles were by his great colleagues Read and Arnold. This copy includes the original, rather fragile bill from Lilywhites in Piccadilly dated 7-11-34 showing the purchase price of 5/- (five shillings); full of great court diagrams. £65/$110
74: “Art of Badminton (The)” by Mrs N. Ferrers-Nicholson and Sid G. Hedges; 1934; small 8vo; 116 pp in lovely dustwrapper showing a shuttlecock. This is another thorough coaching manual from two experienced players. Hedges wrote a great many coaching books on several sports. Oddly there are no photographs of them playing their shots. £35/$60
75: “Art of Badminton (The)” by Sir George Thomas, Bart.; small 8vo; c1925; 160 pp. Thomas was a great Badminton champion and here he gives us the benefit of his coaching wisdom. There are several illustrative photographs of the stars playing their shots. £20/$35
76: “Badminton” by S.M. Massey; 1st edition of 1911; 156 pp in small 8vo. I suspect this to be the first coaching book solely on the game of Badminton. It is much more than a routine coaching manual in that it is also an early history of the game in England. There are group photos of international teams, match results, and then the coaching section with demonstrative photos of the shots being played. £90/$150
77: “Game of Squash Racquets (The)” by C(harles) Arnold; 1st PB edition of 1926 in rare DW; 68 pp. This is the earliest coaching book solely on squash that I have ever found. Arnold was professional at London’s Bath Club, one of the premier London gentlemen’s clubs where squash was keenly played. There are some stunning posed action shots of Arnold on court. This copy is not only in its very rare dustwrapper, but it is also signed on the title page: “To my very good friend Mac. C. Arnold”. £250/$425
78: “New Angles on Squash” by R(ichard) B(ladworth) Hawkey; 1st edition of 1962; 192 pp; small 8vo HB in DW. This is a fascinating book, especially if you are of the vintage which played squash in the period 1950 onwards. It is the first of Dick’s many squash titles and is fundamentally a coaching manual, but it has an eye-opening chapter at the end called “Reminiscences” wherein he gives a large amount of information on personalities and events of the period when he was playing his best squash. £30/$50
79: “Ping-Pong: The Game and How to Play it” by Arnold Parker; 1st edition of 1902; 102 pp in beautifully decorated red boards, the front showing a scene of table tennis being played. This is pretty well as early as it gets in Table Tennis. (Gurney’s book “Table Tennis” shows nothing published earlier than c1900.) The Parker is profusely illustrated with excellent life-like drawings of the author demonstrating the strokes; the laws of play are listed and the book contains marvellous advertisements for contemporary playing equipment. £85/$145
80: “Ping-Pong: The Game Its Tactics and Laws” by Cornelius G. Schaad; 1st PB edition of 1931; 96 pp. With an introduction by William T. Tilden 2nd. and Francis T. Hunter. Yes, Tilden was a good table tennis player also, and there is a full page photograph of Tilden in tuxedo and wing-collar at the table. Otherwise it is a useful and thorough coaching manual. £40/$70

WIMBLEDON ANNUALS: There has recently been a considerable demand for most editions of the Official Wimbledon Annual, presumably because of my policy of holding down prices to a third of those being asked by some of my competitors. I have also sold a good quantity on the internet recently. My prices for these and most other books are based solely on supply and demand, which does mean that prices can go down as well as up. Some years are now rather low in stock on my shelves, so I have had to revise the whole list, as follows:
81: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1996, 1998 at £10/$17 each, OR any 2 for £16/$27, OR any 3 for £25/$42
82: 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999 at £30/$50 each, OR any 2 for £50/$85, OR any 3 for £75/$125
83: 1984, 1990, 1993, 1997 at £50/$85 each, OR any 2 for £80/$135, OR any 3 for £120/$200
84: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 at £20/$35 each, OR any 2 for £35/$60, OR any 3 for £50/$85
Please see also the piece below detailing current mailing costs of Wimbledon Annuals within and from the UK.

MAILING AND HANDLING CHARGES FOR PARCELS: UK Post Office charges continue to rise with monotonous regularity, so I thought I would let you know what current rates are for a simple parcel of Wimbledon Annuals, one of my most popular lines. Even I was a bit shocked when collating the results, but here they are, and I will use these as guidelines for future book mailings.
In the table below, ** means this parcel is sent at the printed-paper (cheapest) rate.

85: “Encyclopedia of Asian Tennis” compiled by Gordon U.A. Martin; 1st very large 4to paperback edition of 1999; 857 pp. This book has a country by country analysis of the game throughout Asia. Japan for example has over 70 pages listing history, all Davis Cup and Fed Cup players and results, national champions, ATP and WTA ranked players, all ranking lists since the first, and a “Who’s Who” of Japanese tennis. 29 Asian countries are similarly analysed. What an amazing information source this huge book is. £50/$85

“Two Miniature Silver Trophies”:
86: 6.5cm high; English hallmarked silver (indistinct); inscribed: “Great Britain, Junior Tennis Championship, Wimbledon, Girls Singles, Last 8, Lily Darby, 1925” at £40/$70.
87: 13cm high; English hallmarked silver 1923; inscribed “West Worthing, Junior Lawn Tennis Tournament, Girls (Under 18), Lily Darby, 1925” at £50/$85. Who was Lily Darby? Anyone know?

88: POSTCARDS: The last offering of original decorative tennis postcards quickly sold. I now have a further small offering of around 20 mostly romantic and highly decorative cards from the pre-1920 period. Available for inspection prior to purchase each at £8/$14
89: “Wimbledon 1981 Stamped envelope”; 3 Jul 1981; McEnroe/Dunlop picture; 2 x 8 1/2p stamps. Nice McEnroe ephemera. £15/$25

90: “The Tuxedo Club Court Tennis Court”: a view from mid-court in the service side looking across the net at the hazard side. One of 200 signed copies by Mario Stasolla; image measures 53cm x 38cm; highly detailed black & white engraving on quality art-card. £150/$250

THE HONDA CHALLENGE was played at a packed Royal Albert Hall in December. So popular is the event that for 2004, the event will be extended by a day. Love him or otherwise (don’t tempt me!), you have to admire John McEnroe, who beat the much younger Michael Stich, and then Guy Forget wilted in a high quality final. For the second year running, McEnroe did not acknowledge the presence of his many fans, who were desperate for a signed copy of his biography. Other senior players took a more friendly PR approach.
91: “Honda Challenge Magazines” for 1998, 2000, 2002. 92: “Champions Tennis Tour Guide 2001-2002” Each at £5/$8

BOOKS ABOUT SQUASH RACKETS: I have prepared a free stock list of books about Squash Rackets, (soft-ball & hard-ball). Included are some very rare, early books from the 1920’s, a signed copy of the great Amr Bey’s book, and many others; more than 100 titles.

DIARY DATES FOR 2004: Here are some important UK tennis event dates for your new diary.
Jun 07 to Jun 13: Stella Artois Men’s Championships at The Queen’s Club, Barons Court, London.
Jun 14 to Jun 19: Hastings Direct International Championships (ladies) at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne.
Jun 21 to Jul 04: The Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon.
Jun 22 Tuesday: Christie’s South Kensington, Tennis auction at their Old Brompton Road saleroom, London.
Nov 30 to Dec 05: The Champions Tour Masters at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

FAREWELL JOHN “JACK” MORTON BARNABY born Sept 9 1909, died Feb 12 2002. I am late with this appreciation, but I did not read of Barnaby’s death until a few weeks ago. He was totally USA orientated and not as well known outside the USA, where he was the Harvard Squash and Tennis coach from 1937 to 1976. He was a legend in his area of expertise and revered by generations of Harvard students to whom he was not only coach but also good friend. He wrote several coaching titles, of which the following are good examples.
93: “Racket Work: the key to tennis”; 1st edition of 1969; 250 pp; 8vo HB in DW. This is his big-selling tennis coaching title, and it is aimed at the less experienced player. On the front end paper is a fulsome inscription which is signed “Jack Barnaby”. £50/$85
94: “Racket Work: the key to tennis”; 7th print of 1974, otherwise as in 93 above, but not signed. £15/$25
95: “Squash Rackets in Brief”; PB edition of 1961; 20 pp. I think this booklet was published as a hand-out for his students, and then it was adopted by the USSRA for wider circulation. It seems to capture the essence of coaching for squash in its rather short 20 pages. £15/$25
96: “Winning Squash Rackets”; 1st large format PB edition of 1979; 286 pp. This is Barnaby’s major squash coaching manual about the American hard-ball version. It is full of excellent court diagrams showing all the shots, and each chapter finishes with a summary of the various points discussed in the chapter. He covers squash for men and women dealing with technique, tactics, training, diet etc. A fascinating chapter reviews the career of some of the great USA players of the hard-ball game, both amateurs and professionals. £20/$35

SPAM E-MAIL MESSAGES 1: In the last few Newsletters, I have acknowledged the problem of unsolicited e-mails, known as spam. I have been concerned that the occasional e-mails I send round my huge global list might be grouped under the terms of new legislation, which became current here in the UK (and Europe also I believe) on December 11. Clarification has now been issued which tells me that: “….spam and text messages may be sent to individuals only by prior agreement, except where the individual’s name was secured through some previous customer relationship.” That means to me that if you and I met at an event and you willingly gave me your name and address for mailings, or if you contact me through the internet, or if we exchange business cards etc, then that clears the way for me legitimately to add your name etc. to my mailing list, unless specifically asked not to. I think that puts an end to any concerns I might have had and I hope that you all agree. In the meantime, I must be the only man in the world not to have seen the Paris Hilton video!

SPAM E-MAIL MESSAGES 2: Keen as I am to eliminate all forms of spam, some of you who have spam washers installed are now barring my messages. If you want to receive my messages, please adjust your mail-washers to let my messages enter. Thanks.

AND FINALLY: This really happened on British TV a few weeks ago on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” during a celebrity special. In the chairs were Jim Davidson (a British comedian) and a beautiful Danish woman whose name now escapes me. Somehow they had climbed up to £16,000 and were going for £32,000. Answering this question correctly would have guaranteed their selected charity £32,000; answering it incorrectly would have lost them £15,000. The question was: “Which other British woman did Angela Mortimer beat in the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles final in 1961?” The 4 possible answers were A: Virginia Wade, B: Christine Truman, C: Ann Jones, D: Sue Barker. So, not much pressure there, or so you would have thought. Danish beauty shakes her head in ignorance, something she did most of the evening. Jim D starts off by saying that Ann Jones is that funny looking one! What could he mean? Then he says that Christine Truman was Fred Trueman’s sister. (For non-UK readers, Fred Trueman was one of England’s greatest fast bowlers at cricket.) He knew Sue Barker personally so it had to be Virginia Wade. Chris Tarrant holds his head in horror and reminds JD that he does not have to answer the question and could walk away with £16,000. JD says he is sure it is Virginia Wade and that if he is wrong, he personally will pay whatever they lose. So he goes for it, with most of the households in England shouting out “Christine Truman, you fool!” Too late, and they drop £15,000. History does not yet tell us if JD has been good to his word and made up the lost balance, but I intend to find out.

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