Tennis is a high-stakes game, played by prodigies identified early and coached by professionals in hopes of high rankings and endorsements. This commercial world is far removed from the origins of the sport. Before 1968 when Wimbledon invited professional players to compete for the first time tennis was part of a sportsmanship tradition that emphasized character over money. It produced well-rounded gentlemen who expressed a code of honor, not commerce. In this authoritative and affectionate history of men's tennis, ...
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Tennis is a high-stakes game, played by prodigies identified early and coached by professionals in hopes of high rankings and endorsements. This commercial world is far removed from the origins of the sport. Before 1968 when Wimbledon invited professional players to compete for the first time tennis was part of a sportsmanship tradition that emphasized character over money. It produced well-rounded gentlemen who expressed a code of honor, not commerce. In this authoritative and affectionate history of men's tennis, distinguished sociologist E. Digby Baltzell recovers the glory of the age. From its aristocratic origins in the late ninteenth century, to the Tilden years, and through a succession of newcomers, the amateur era and its virtues survived a century of democratization and conflict. Sporting Gentlemen examines the greatest players and matches in the history of tennis. Baltzell explores the tennis code of honor and its roots in the cricket code of the late-nineteenth-century Anglo-American upper class. This code of honor remained in spite of the later democratization of tennis. Thus, the court manners of the Renshaw twins and Doherty brothers at the Old Wimbledon were upheld to the letter by Don Budge and Jack Kramer as well as Rod Laver, John Newcombe, and Arthur Ashe. Baltzell's final chapter on the Open Era is a blistering attack on the decline of honor and the obliteration of class distinctions, leaving only those based on money. For all who love the game of tennis, Sporting Gentlemen is both fascinating history and a badly needed analysis of what has made the sport great.
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Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $10.08, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $10.08, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $10.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $10.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $10.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $10.08, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $11.00, good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1995 by Free Press.
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Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $11.10, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. With remainder mark. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $21.50, very good condition, Sold by Gian Luigi Fine Books, Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Albany, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1995 by FREE PRESS.
Add this copy of Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis From the Age of Honor to cart. $27.00, very good condition, Sold by Southampton Sag Harbor Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southampton, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Free Press.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped ($30.00 price intact). Published by Free Press, 1995. Octavo. Hardcover. Book is very good. Dust jacket is very good. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions or if you would like a photo. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.
