The pristine grass and white uniforms of Wimbledon and the aggressive
hard courts of the U.S. Open have inspired tens of thousands of amateur
tennis players in North America. Millions of people watch the
tournaments each year on television and the stars of recent decades are
household names, but relatively few people know the history of the game.
In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance it was a "jeu de paume," a game
played at French and English royal courts with hands rather than
rackets. The modern game, however, dates from 1874, when Major Walter
Clopton Wingfield developed a variation on the game for the amusement of
his house guests in Wales. After he laid out the basic rules, the game
spread quickly--the first championship at Wimbledon was held in 1877,
followed soon after by the first American tournament in 1880.
Published in association with the All England Lawn Tennis Club--better
known as Wimbledon--this attractive, collectible book examines the
history of the rules of tennis from their first codification to the
present day. Included is a fascinating introduction by John Barrett, the
BBC's now retired "voice of tennis" who played in twenty-one consecutive
Wimbledon Championships, that looks at the circumstances of the
composition of the first rules, their scope, and evolution. The
Original Rules of Tennis is a must for spectators and players alike.
