Match Play And The Spin Of The Ball

“Match Play and the Spin of the Ball” is a vintage guide to tennis by William T. Tilden. William Tatem Tilden II (1893 – 1953), commonly known as "Big Bill", was an American tennis player who is often hailed as one of the greatest tennis players of all time With simple explanations and helpful diagrams, this fantastic guide is highly recommended for both new and experienced players alike, and it is not to be missed by collectors of vintage sporting literature. Contents include: “Our Greatest Player”, “Chapter I - The Spin Of The Ball”, “Chapter II – Grips”, “Chapter III - Footwork And Timing”, “Chapter IV - Attack And Defence”, “Chapter V - Singles And Doubles”, “Chapter VI - The All-Court Game”, “Chapter VII - The Value Of Intensive Practice”, “Chapter VIII - Youth To The Fore”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

Long before journalist George Plimpton donned shoulder pads for Paper Lion, sportswriters were stepping onto the field, arena, track and ring. This first-of-its-kind anthology of participatory sportswriting collects 48 pieces from the Gilded and Golden Age greats. Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Frances Elizabeth Willard, John Muir, Jack London, Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Ring Lardner, Bill Tilden, Bobby Jones, Helen Mills, Paul Gallico, and many more prowled America's sporting grounds with pen in hand in a time when, as Grantland Rice put it, "a flame...lit up the sporting skies and covered the world."

Originally published: New York: Free Press, 1995.