Golf: A Royal & Ancient Game - Robert Clark (editor)

1875 - R. &, Edinburgh - First Edition
A near fine first edition of this history of golf, a rare golfing classic, in original cloth without repair or restoration. Formerly from the libraries of John Hamilton Buchanan (1861-1919) and Scottish lawyer John Kermack (1847-99), with their engraved armourial bookplates.

Illustrated with nine plates from paintings, engravings, etchings, etc., including two duotone lithographs, one colour plan of the golf course over St. Andrew's Links and frontispiece, with tissue-guards; plus numerous wood engravings and facsimiles throughout the text; title page with decorative gilt margins; decorative initials. Illustrations by Clark Stanton, C.A. Doyle and G. Aikman.

‘This book is one of the masterpieces of golf literature. It is also one of the most important contributions to the library of golf and one of the most handsomely produced of all golf books, even to this date.’ – Joseph Murdoch, ‘
The Library of Golf 1743-1966’.

‘Widely regarded as one of the most significant, as well as best produced, early books on the history of golf, Clark's work is a compilation of the earliest literature on the game. In assembling the book, Clark, a well-known Edinburgh printer, collected early press reports, biographical sketches, significant acts of Parliament, municipal records, diaries, and extracts from the minutes of the earliest golf clubs. The book also contains obituary of Allan Robertson.’
 
More details

Price HK$ 18,000



My Partner, Ben Hogan - Jimmy Demaret

1954 - McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York - First Edition
First edition of this classic biographical story of the life of golfing legend Ben Hogan, by his friend and fellow Texan Jimmy Demaret. Illustrated throughout with photographs and drawings. Scarce in the complete and unclipped example of the delicate dust jacket.

‘The story of one of our greatest players, related with some wit and aplomb by one who was a pretty fair golfer himself.’ - Joseph Murdoch,
The Library of Golf.

In 1948, Jimmy “The Wardrobe” Demaret (also known for his vivacious style) broke the U.S. Open scoring record at the Riviera Country Club, but still lost by two strokes to Hogan. It was little known that Demaret was one of Ben Hogan’s few and closest friends. In this regard, the book offers a lively and appreciative run through Hogan’s life and game.

Demaret himself was a three time Masters champion and published this book the year after Hogan won his 1953 Grand Slam winning the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open in the same year.
 
More details

Price HK$ 5,000



Golfing - The Oval Series of Games - Horace Hutchinson, C. W. Alcock (editor)

1893 - George Routledge &, London - First Edition
A rather scarce first edition of this early golfing title, in the original pictorial paper boards, without restoration or rebinding.

By the great Horace Hutchinson, an accomplished golfer who won the first two official British Amateur Championships in 1886 and 1887, and he was also a writer of considerable skill.

Illustrated with three black and white photographic plates.
 
More details

Price HK$ 2,200



Golf - Cecil Leitch

1922 - J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia & - First American Edition issued same year as the First English Edition.
The golfing life and experiences of this very great English lady golfer’ - Joseph Murdoch, The Library of Golf.

Charlotte Cecilia Pitcairn Leitch (nicknamed Cecil) was
the first superstar of women’s golf. In 1914 she won the first of her four British Ladies Amateurs, taking the title from Muriel Dodd. Her opportunity to possibly win several more was interrupted for five years during the First World War. She retired having won 12 national titles, five French Ladies Amateurs and one Canadian Women's Amateur.

With fifty illustrations, including photographic plate laid onto front covers, and full page black and white photographs.
 
More details

Price HK$ 1,800



Humours of Golf - W. Heath Robinson

1923 - Methuen &, London - First Edition
Heath Robinson unleashes his considerable talent and imagination on the world of golf in this large quarto volume In the publisher’s wonderful original illustrated boards.

With an introduction by Heath Robinson’s
Country Life colleague, the great golf writer, Bernard Darwin. 
More details

Price HK$ 3,200



The Art of Golf - Sir W. G. Simpson, Bart.

1887 - David Douglas, Edinburgh - First Edition
‘One of the great classic books on golf literature, it includes the first use of photographs to demonstrate the swing.’- Joseph Murdoch, The Library of Golf.

Dedicated to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Fully illustrated with photographic plates of old Tom Morris Jim Morris and Ben Sayers, and with figure drawings. Scarce copy with the original spine, and without being rebacked.

‘One of the classics of golf literature... a book of great charm and wit, one of the few of the very early books that can be read today with as much pleasure as the latest best seller.’ Cecil Hopkinson said, ‘It contained many diagrams and illustrations from instantaneous photographs, which was the first occasion on which the camera was called in to demonstrate correct methods of play.’ Bernard Darwin said of this book ‘one of the earliest and still the best book on golf.’
 
More details

Price HK$ 10,000



Travers' Golf Book - Jerome D. Travers

1913 - The Macmillan Company, New York - First Edition
A fine first edition of the first book by this golfing legend, illustrated with a colour frontispiece and 46 black and white photographic plates. A combination of autobiography and instructional.

‘Although he was of slight stature, Travers dominated golf in the decade before World War I with his stunning iron shots and expert putting. He won many tournaments because of his calm temperament, patience, and ability to make precise shots. He won the United States Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912, and 1913, and was runner-up in 1914. His victory in 1913 set a record for that tournament – not broken until Bobby Jones won it five times. He was among the first members of the Golf Hall of Fame established by the United States Golf Association’. [DAB]

‘Some of the words used to describe Jerry Travers have not been kind – cold, somber, ruthless – yet these were the qualities that made him the most feared golfer of his time. In a nine-year stretch from 1906-1915, Travers won four U.S. Amateurs, five Metropolitan Amateurs and a U.S. Open. Only Bob Jones won more amateur titles and Travers was one of only five amateurs to win the Open. And his battles with Walter Travis, in the words of Herbert Warren Wind, “
formed the crucible in which a talented young golfer was made into the greatest match player of his decade”‘. [World Golf Hall of Fame]

And in 1915 at the age of 28, Travers ended his championship career.
 
More details

Price HK$ 7,000