The Romance of Wimbledon

CONDITION Brand New
POSTAL WEIGHT 0.7 kilograms

This book was published in 1949 and tells story of the birth and evolution of Wimbledon, with accounts of each and every Championships from 1877 to 1948.  The book was written by Daily Telegraph tennis correspondent and former Wimbledon player JOHN OLLIFF who watched his first Wimbledon as a schoolboy shortly before the the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Olliff contributes greatly to any debate about who are the greatest players of all time because, with the exception of the Renshaw brothers, William and Ernest, he saw them all play at Wimbledon. The book finishes with a chapter in which Olliff looks back on the wonders he has witnessed at Wimbledon and then looks forward to a future in which Wimbledon's lustre will become tarnished unless The Championships allow professional players to compete. This early call for Open Tennis was not to be answered until two decades later. 

ROMANCE OF WIMBLEDON by John Olliff (Hutchinson & Co, 1949, hardback, 183 pages, black and white photographs)