Wilfrid M. de Freitas - Bookseller

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Taylor on Golf

Welcome!

...to our new-look golf list. For the first time many items are now illustrated so that what might before have been an unfamiliar title to you or, indeed, one you already possess, you can now see what our copy looks like. And if there's one we haven't pictured but which you'd like to see, just ask and we'll be glad to send you a scan. All are in their original bindings unless otherwise stated; dust jackets, if present, are described separately.

To see an individual item, click on its description below, or browse through them by visiting the Golf Image Gallery

References are to The Game of Golf and The Printed Word: 1566-1985 by Richard E. Donovan and Joseph S.F. Murdoch . We have identified items in four ways:

  • "D/M #00000": for items cited exactly.
  • "D/M #00000-later printing": later printings mentioned in the entry.
  • "title in D/M": in cases where title is cited, but our edition or printing is not specifically described.
  • "not in D/M": for those with no reference at all.

The books are organized into broad categories: some authors (contributors, etc.) appear in more than one, so check the general author index if you are seeking works by a particular author. Or use your browser's "Find" feature to search for a specific title or its keyword(s).

The books are divided into the following categories:

SquareGolf History, Literature, etc. Square

F-034
Adams, Frederick Upham. John Henry Smith: A Humorous Romance of Outdoor Life. New York: Doubleday, Page, 1905. First edition. Illustrated by A.B. Frost. Original green cloth with humorous (Smith) pictorial label and gilt spine lettering clean and bright; cloth slightly rubbed at corners and spine ends. Neat internal repair to partially cracked rear hinge, otherwise text block is tight and clean. A near fine copy. [D/M #4850]
$95

F-179
Cox, W. J. [Bill]. Can I Help You?: The Guide to Better Golf. London: Ernest Benn, 1954. First edition. Original gilt-stamped green boards; former owner's name and "3/6" price on front endpapers. Sadly, pp. 83-95 are savagely creased at the fore-edge, as though carelessly dropped. Very good pictorial (author) dust jacket creased at edges; lacking small chips at spine ends and corners, and 3/4" semi-circle from bottom edge affecting author's name; rear panel lightly soiled. A very good copy. [D/M #13230]
$10

Golfing and Other Works by Bernard Darwin

F-280
Darwin, Bernard. British Clubs. London: Collins, 1947. Third impression. One of the "Britain in Pictures" series. "With 8 plates in colour and 20 illustrations in black & white." Pictorial (a club) light blue and white covers a bit splayed. Inner half of endpapers age-toned; contents nice and clean. Matching decorative dust jacket a bit rubbed at spine ends and corners, and dusty at edges. A near fine copy. This discussion of social clubs of all kinds, with a section on "Games and Conviviality" discussing clubs formed around all sorts of sporting activities, including rugby, cricket, tennis and golf - the latter, as expected from Darwin, playing a special part.
$15
F-292
Kavanagh, L.V. History of Golf in Canada. Toronto: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1973. [First edition]. Original textured brown cloth lettered in gilt on spine; neat ink name on front pastedown; light stains on fore edge, occasionally extending 1/4" onto page; contents otherwise bright and clean. Yellow colour pictorial (putting green Cove Fields, Quebec, 1894) dust jacket, with just a hint of fading to spine; front fold rubbed; corners and spine ends lightly worn with minor loss. A near fine copy. [D/M #58750]
Until Barclay's 1992 Golf in Canada: A History this was "...the first and only complete record of Canadian golf." (cf. dust jacket flap).
$65
Lawn Sports. New York: American Sports Publishing Company, 1916. "Spalding's 'Red Cover' Series of Athletic Handbooks, No. 43R." Includes sections on Golf-Croquet and Clock-Golf.
F-208
Murray, H.A. The Golf Secret. New York: Emerson Books, 1954. Second US edition, revised. Original green boards a touch browned on spine; occasional underlinings and margin notes throughout. Green pictorial (golfer putting) dust jacket also slightly browned on spine, with 1/2" closed tear on upper edge of front panel; top of spine slightly worn. All in all, a near fine copy. [D/M #27190]
$10
F-297
Olman, John M. and Olman, Morton W. Olman's Guide to Golf Antiques & Other Treasures of the Game. Cincinnati, Ohio: Market Street Press, 1992. [First edition]. "Foreword by Hale Irwin." Illustrated with hundreds of photographs of golfing antiques and memorabilia, arranged with text into sections on equipment, artwork, books, autographs, and various types of ephemera. An as new copy in original gilt lettered black rexene; with photo-pictorial (antique club and ball) dust jacket. With modern print of "Young Tom Morris" laid in.
$35
Patten, William (ed.). The Book of Sport. New York: J.F. Taylor & Co., 1901. Edition de grande luxe. No. 427 of 450 numbered copies . Includes chapters on women's and men's golf.
F-079
Stanley, Dave and Ross, George G. (eds.). The Golfers Own Book. New York: Lantern Press, 1956. [First edition]. A fine copy in black-stamped bright green cloth; small ownership label on front endpaper. Dust jacket worn at corners and spine ends, with slight loss and small piece lacking at lower left corner of front panel. [D/M #35580]
$20
F-230
Wagenvoord, James. Golf Notes. Toronto: Best Sellers, 1981. A fine copy in gilt-stamped limp green textured wrappers; lower corner of cover and first 20 pages lightly creased; gift inscription on half title. Contains expense log, golf dates, course charts, lesson log, etc., all just waiting for you to fill them in!
$5

SquareClub Histories and Related Items Square

The Dunfermline Golf Club, Scotland

F-102
Ferguson, Douglas M. Dunfermline Golf Club, 1887-1987. Dunfermline, Scotland: Dunfermline Golf Club, [1987]. First edition. Attractive photographic illustrations. A fine copy in original blue boards; grey and green pictorial dust jacket, a trifle creased at spine ends.
$30

The Huntington Country Club, U.S.A.

F-113
Eldredge, Ashton G. A History of the Huntington Country Club, 1910-1980. Huntington, Long Island: Huntington Country Club and Huntington Purchase, Inc., 1981. First edition. A near fine copy in gilt-stamped blue cloth, with scratch running the length of front cover parallel to spine, back cover lightly marked. Course plan on endpapers, colour frontispiece (clubhouse), and many b/w photos. [D/M #51360]
$50

The Letchworth Golf Club, England

F-119
Hawkins, Rodney. Golf at Letchworth. Letchworth: Letchworth Golf Club, 1985. First edition. Copiously illustrated, including many photos of the early golf greats playing at the Club. A near fine copy in original red boards gilt stamped on lightly soiled spine. Signed by the author. [D/M #55510]
$30

The Liberton Golf Club, Scotland

F-120
Comrie, Leslie; Dakers, William and Wright, Allen. Liberton Golf Club, 1920-1980. Edinburgh: Liberton Golf Club, 1980. First edition. A near fine copy in original blue boards marred only by slight spotting on rear cover and small light stain to top fore-edge. [D/M #48800]
$35

The 'Liliput' Golf Club at Holtye, England

F-121
Singleton, Dave. Holtye: The Centenary of the 'Liliput' Golf Club, 1893-1993. Croydon: [Holtye], [1993]. [First edition]. A superbly documented and illustrated (colour and b/w) club history, including colour charts (one fold out) of the individual holes and folded "Location Map" in rear pocket. A fine copy in original blue cloth and pictorial dust jacket.
$20

The Royal North Devon Golf Club, Westward Ho!, England

F-140
The Royal North Devon Golf Club: A Centenary Anthology, 1864-1964. [Bideford, England]: Royal North Devon Golf Club, 1964. [First edition]. Superbly illustrated and with extensive folding tables of the various medal and cup winners at rear. Gilt stamped blue cloth nice and bright, corners bumped; page edges very slightly tanned. A near fine copy of this earliest of English clubs histories. [D/M #54130]
$275

SquareEphemera and Miscellanea Square

F-248
[Linen tea towel]. St Andrews Old Course. White linen towel (approx. 30" x 19", horizontal image). Attractive full colour depicting R&A clubhouse and the Old Course, with playing directions to each of the 18 named holes (e.g. "Hole O'Cross", "The Road", etc.) along margins. Also nice as wall hanging! Fine.
$5

Mallaby-Deeley Vanity Fair [Vanity Fair Prints]. Golfers, such as John Ball Jr., H.H. Hilton, and H. Mallaby-Deeley, will be added to the Vanity Fair Image Gallery's sports and games pages when and as available. Please enquire or check regularly to ensure you don't miss the one you want!

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Wilfrid M. de Freitas - Bookseller
P.O. Box 883, Stock Exchange Tower
Montreal, Canada H4Z 1K2
Last updated: 12/15/08
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