Announcing a new book by Mike Garnett to be published in March 2014!
This latest production by Mike Garnett completes the trilogy of tennis history that commenced in 2004 with A Tennis Miscellany, then 2010 with Tennis Anecdotes and Sketches.
Revealed here for the first time is information (and many illustrations) of long forgotten tennis courts and other fascinating tit-bits. For example:
– Tennis courts in U.K. are revealed – at Esher Place; Holyrood Palace; Thornbury Castle; Newhall House and others.
– The ill-fated battleship built by Francois I contained his personal tennis court. But his ship never left dry land …
– Diaries of the Platter brothers – playing tennis at Montpellier, Avignon, Marseilles and elsewhere – 1620’s
– Revelations of the earliest tennis court in Sydney, Australia in 1836: one of the walls fell down killing a boy
– The tennis playing Earl of Kilmarnock – hung, drawn and quartered for picking the wrong side
– The naughty prior of Crutched Friars, caught in flagrante delicto in his tennis court, 1540
– The Gippsland Times in pre-war Australia, revealed the first use of a tennis racket in 16th century France.
– Australia’s Bathurst Cup team in New York, March 2011 blew away the opposition for our first overseas win. The success was repeated at Holyport, England in 2013 – team pics
– The career (so far) of Robert Fahey – surely one of the greatest champions of all time
– Newly revealed tennis courts in Europe: Tournus Abbey, Marseilles, Chinon, Breda Castle and others
– Vere Gould, finalist at Wimbledon in 1879, ended his days at Devil’s Island charged with murder
– John Jacob Astor built his indoor tennis court on Long Island. On return from Europe he picked the Titanic to impress his bride. His famous last words as he sipped whisky in the lounge: ‘I asked for ice but this is ridiculous’.
– The erratic and drunken Sir Charles Sedley managed to fracture his skull during a game of tennis. He exposed himself indecently in a pub whilst singing the bawdy song: The Baller’s Oath. This did not stop him from becoming Speaker of the House of Commons in 1680.
– Revealed for the first time is an early tennis court dating from 1715 on the island of Gibraltar – built to the same specifications as the Versailles court.
– Remarkable engravings from a 19th century New York newspaper, illustrating court tennis and other sporting facilities at a luxury club that has long since disappeared.
Some of the most valuable references are the updated listing of books on tennis dating from AD 160 to 2013, and references to tennis courts from the year 1385. Australian newspaper articles on Australian tennis now include the earliest references dating from the 1830’s, 1840’s and 1850’s – never previously researched.
This case-bound edition is quality bound, gilt embossed with traditional tennis racket motif. As with all books published by Historical Publications, this will be printed and bound in Victoria, Australia.
400 pages, 300 illustrations
The print run will reflect interest shown in advance. If you would like a copy, please advise Mike Garnett via email garnettm@bigpond.net.au by the cut-off date 15 April 2013. This is not a commitment but will provide Mike with an indication of numbers to be printed.
The price is $95 (Australian dollars) – no postage if collected from RMTC. No money required until publication.