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.""
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