Book Description
From the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed The Greatest Game Ever Played comes The Grand Slam, a riveting, in-depth look at the life and times of golf icon Bobby Jones.In the wake of the stock market crash and the dawn of the Great Depression, a ray of light emerged from the world of sports in the summer of 1930. Bobby Jones, an amateur golfer who had already won nine of the seventeen major championships he'd entered during the last seven years, mounted his final campaign against the record books. In four months, he conquered the British Amateur Championship, the British Open, the United States Open, and finally the United States Amateur Championship, an achievement so extraordinary that writers dubbed it the Grand Slam.A natural, self-taught player, Jones made his debut at the U.S. Amateur Championship at the age of 14. But for the next seven years, Jones struggled in major championships, and not until he turned 21 in 1923 would he harness his immense talent.What the world didn't know was that throughout his playing career the intensely private Jones had longed to retreat from fame's glaring spotlight. While the press referred to him as "a golfing machine," the strain of competition exacted a ferocious toll on his physical and emotional well-being. During the season of the Slam he constantly battled exhaustion, nearly lost his life twice, and came perilously close to a total collapse. By the time he completed his unprecedented feat, Bobby Jones was the most famous man not only in golf, but in the history of American sports. Jones followed his crowning achievement with a shocking announcement: his retirement from the game at the age of 28. His abrupt disappearance from the public eye into a closely guarded private life helped create a mythological image of this hero from the Golden Age of sports that endures to this day.
Customer Reviews:
Not as good as "Greatest Game," but still a worthwhile read.......2007-07-22
Frost's follow-up effort to the outstanding "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the movie adaptation of which will be released by Disney this fall - this meandering tale tracks the career of Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur golfer of all time, climaxing with his assault on the Grand Slam (back then, it was the US and British Open and Amateur titles) in 1930. After winning the Slam, Jones retired from tournament competition, at the age of 29. After reading Frost's harrowing account of his physical and mental anguish during the ordeal, you'll certain understand why.
Aesthetically, this book doesn't hold together nearly as well as "Greatest Game". Frost includes far too much "background" information (most of which is, quite honestly, common knowledge) about everything from the origins of World War I to the Scopes "Monkey Trial". The bits of early 20th-century lore than festooned the pages of "Greatest Game" were a welcome addition to the storyline, helping us to understand the time and place. Here, they are an annoying intrusion. Despite this unfortunate slip, Frost's prose is still enjoyable to read, and the story will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the history of golf.
A good story of the life of Bobby Jones.......2007-05-14
Any golfer has heard about Bobby Jones, this book brings his life into focus for all of us. Bobby Jones played this game as an amateur and never was a professional golfer. He won many tournaments both here and in England as was able to afford this by the help of his father.
He was married and they lived with his parents as the many travels Bobby had to make playing golf, it made it handy for his family to be cared for. I was surprised that Bobby Jones had quite a temper and his language was not the best either. He tried to control this but he was such a prefectionist that whenever he made an error he let out his frustration this way.
This book covers all his winnings from a very young age until he won the Grand Slam with were all the big tournament in one year. A terrific feat that has not been done to this day. Until Tiger Woods did it but his was done covering from one year to the next.
If you love history and love golf, this book is worth the read.
Letta Meinen
A cherished read.......2006-09-10
By reading this book I began to admire Bobby Jones, not so much for his golf but for his character and his strength in making it to the end. It would have been a lot easier for him in a folklore sense if he had died young instead of being tortured with a crippling, painful disease that challenged him physically and was a test to him mentally and emotionally. I admire that he never hid himself away like so many famous people do that want to be remembered as they "were". I believe that this is the most admirable thing about him. That and his willingness to serve in WWII, landing on the same beach the day after D-Day. Not just a "for show" tour of duty. His devotion to his family, his country and his friends and his hometown are quite amazing. He is a role model in many ways that I don't even think of golf as one of them but for his tenaciousness, his intellect, his well roundedness and his extreme graciousness. He could have derailed many times but he never did in life. It's a loss that there isn't more to read about his life to know how he managed to adjust to everyday life and his illness, how he kept putting one foot in front of the other. The criticism seems unjust re: Chick Evans, Jones was very kind in all his correspondence to him which I have read in other books. Also, so much is made of his temper which he defends and explains in "Down the Fairway" by Jones, as not worse than any other player of the time and shortlived as a childish display that was never witnessed again at least publically for the rest of his life. Bobby Jones accomplished an amazing number of feats that most of us would feel proud to do even one of such as the many languages he spoke, the degrees, his many intellectual skills, a good family man and most of all his grace in a life.
Interesting insights on Jones.......2006-08-26
Most sports fans have heard that Jones won the Grand Slam, but few (including myself) realize the temper that Jones had or how the quest to win ate him up. Also the story of his later life was unknown to me as well.
Not just a golf story an excellent Historical Narrative .......2006-08-22
Historical Narrative in the spirit of Seabiscuit or Jeff or Michael Shaara's works. Excellent story interwoven with the characters, times, and actions that surrounded Bobby Jones.
Book Description
As The Legend of Bagger Vance has inspired a movie, it has also inspired a book about its two most famous charactersWalter Hagen and Bobby Jones. Stephen Lowes Sir Walter Mr. Jones is an amazingly detailed cradle-to-the-grave account of the lives and achievements of these two great players.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful biography of two great golf legends.......2004-09-09
Beautifully written and factual.
The author introduces us to the two most accomplished golfer of their era.
This book is for anyone who not only enjoys the game of golf but also its historical context.
Very good and enjoyable read.
Know what you're getting!.......2002-09-04
This is a serious work by a professor of history. It ISN'T filled with anecdotes ("And then Walter said to Bobby ..."), descriptions of shots ("Bobby then drilled a quail-high mashie between the towering pines ..."), gossip, swing analyses, etc. If this is what you're looking for, you'll be sorely disappointed. It's fairly dry -- make that extremely dry -- but is well-researched (hundreds of endnotes) and will be fascinating for anyone with an interest in the history of American golf. The format is a dual biography of Jones and Hagen in which their respective careers are compared and contrasted to give the reader an understanding of the rise of American golf in the era 1900-1930. The two men were so different in virtually every respect that this approach is very effective. Those who think golf began with Palmer, Nicklaus or Woods will gain an appreciation of what "gods" Jones and Hagen really were during the era in which they played. Hagen especially tends to be overlooked, but this book is an important reminder that he was one of the true greats of the game in addition to being one of its two or three all-time "characters." I didn't have the feeling that the author was particularly knowledgeable or avid about the game -- instead, this is a work of historical research, just as you or I might produce a history of badminton if we were willing to spend the time to do the research. When you're done, you won't "know" Bobby Jones as well as you'd know him if you read his and O. B. Keeler's own voluminous writings, and you won't be a fount of anecdotes, but you will have a solid grasp of Jones' and Hagen's place in history, how golf became an American obsession and how American golf eclipsed British golf. All of this for the price of a couple of dozen Top-Flite x-outs.
Great read.......2001-05-17
After reading this book, I found that Dr. Stephen Lowe really brings to life the lives of Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. This book is written in a descriptive oriented reading. Before reading this book, I found that golf was not much of a sport. I found that there is truly a rich history in golf that I have come to respect and want to learn more about. I applaud Dr. Lowe and hope to read future writings.
A Very Insightful Book!.......2001-05-10
A meticulously researched book, an asset to any avid golfers bookshelf.
All facts!.......2001-05-07
I was very disapointed in this book. It seemed more like a collection of facts than a insightful biography. I felt I learn little about the two man that I could not have found in a enclopedia.
Book Description
In 1966, as the largely nonviolent Civil Rights movement swept through America, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the legendary Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. Revered by some and vilified by others, the party burst onto the scene with a militant vision for social change and the empowerment of African-Americans. Its methods were so controversial and polarizing that in 1968, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover described the organization as the country's greatest threat to internal security. During the height of the movement, from 1967 to 1973, photographer Stephen Shames had unprecedented access to the organization. He captured not only its public face--street demonstrations, protests and militant armed posturing--but also life behind the scenes, from private Party meetings to Bobby Seale at work on his Oakland mayoral campaign. Shames was prolific and his archive of Panther images is the largest in the world, presenting an uncommonly nuanced portrait of this dynamic social movement. Released on the occasion of the Party's fortieth anniversary, this illuminating publication gathers an astonishing collection of never-before-published images, offering an electrifying visual history. Panther newspapers, posters and other ephemera help convey the ethos of the Panthers and of a transformative period of social upheaval for the whole nation.
Customer Reviews:
The Black Panthers.......2007-03-21
Stephen Shames' The Black Panthers provides some very powerful and insightful documentary images of the Black Panther Party. Shames served as their official photographer- and was actually close to publishing this book decades ago until convicted felon and Vice President Spiro Agnew told his golf buddy (and publishing honcho) that he best not publish any such book.
This book also serves to remind us how our government first denigrates, infiltrates and then obliterates any political movement committed to the direct service of its people and community.
Offering candid and rare glimpses behind the scenes........2007-03-12
While the visual study The Black Panthers could've been profiled in our Arts or Photography sections, it's reviewed here because no serious collection of titles on social issues and 1960s American history should be without it. The foundation of the coverage is black and white photos by Stephen Shames, which have taken nearly forty years to appear in book form. Shames was involved with the Panthers since a student at UC-Berkeley: his photos thus document the party from an insider's viewpoint, not your usual outsider's journalistic documentary approach, offering candid and rare glimpses behind the scenes.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BLACK PANTHERS.......2007-02-17
FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Recently I posted on my blog an article passed on from the Partisan Defense Committee protesting the recent arrest of some former Black Panthers for crimes allegedly committed in the early 1970's. Apparently, when the government gets you in its sights you are there forever, especially if you are black. That article got me to thinking back to the days when we of the white left were head over heels in love with the Black Panthers as the epitome of revolutionary manhood (and it was mainly men) and of revolutionary struggle. Well, as we are all painfully aware, those days are long gone although the goals fought for in those days are still desperately in need of completion. Thus, some thoughts about the ups and downs of the Black Panther experience, the most militant and subjectively revolutionary part of the black liberation movement of the 1960's, and its role in the history of black liberation is in order.
It is extremely improbable that the phenomenal rise of the Black Panthers in California, and later elsewhere, would have occurred had it not been for the tidal wave of the black civil rights struggle in the South in the early 1960' s and the various ghetto uprisings in the mid-1960's. The victories achieved in the civil rights struggle, limited as they were, taught masses of blacks how to organize around their own interests. That those victories were limited became apparent with the hardheaded and hard-learned experience that those problems were only the tip of the iceberg for the black community as the struggle moved North and West. This contradiction played itself internally in the black liberation movement and eventually caused a profound political collision between the liberal integrationist, pacific wing epitomized by Martin Luther King and the separatist, nationalist, self-defense oriented Malcolm X wing , of which the Panthers were the heirs. A shorthand way of putting this is the black liberation variant of the age-old tension between revolutionary and reformist strategies for social change. The Black Panthers throughout their rise and fall never did successfully overcome that tension, to the detriment of militant leftists, black and white.
As any photograph taken of the Panthers from the period would demonstrate the Panthers and particularly the central leadership, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Elridge Cleaver among others were not adverse to little provocative demonstrations or shock-value publicity. The FBI, however, early on had other plans for them and they were not pretty. If J. Edgar Hoover saw the placid Martin Luther King-led branch of the civil rights movement as some kind of communist conspiracy then he turned apoplectic at the thought of armed black men asserting their right to bear arms. Since early slavery times that possibility had always been the fear of whites and the response was no different this time. Over a very short period the Hoover-orchestrated federal and state drive against the Panthers left most of the key leaders and cadre dead, in jail, on bail or in hiding, This was not the first time a perceived leftist threat had been deal with this in this way. One can think of the International Workers of the World (Wobblies) in the World War I period, the Communist and Anarchist `red scare' raids and deportations after that war and more recently the anticommunist witch hunts of the 1950's. With this difference, however, in the case of the Panthers there was a concerted effort to kill off every one they could get their hands on.
The repression of the Panthers became so intense that in many ways they became a de facto legal defense organization. That was quite a difference from the wild, revolutionary black nationalist days when they believed that they could go it alone on the streets with a cadre of black street militants in an American version of a `third world' guerilla warfare- driven national liberation front. Their nationalism initially alienated them from the black community (except, perhaps in their home base of Oakland, California) as until very late the ordinary black worker could not relate to the Panther political line despite the fact that even then the East Bay and other locales where the Panthers had influence were solidly working class areas. In short, they were looking in the streets not in the factories to organize the revolution.
The state repression also caused a shift in strategy as a matter of self-defense. However, the price the Panthers would pay for this was a capitulation to Democratic Party reformism through the vehicle of the Communist Party's legal defense organizations, which they latched onto out of desperation. I have personal experience of this change. A fair number of blacks I had known from various earlier political struggles drifted into the Panther revolutionary nationalist orbit in revulsion against Martin Luther King's non-violent strategy for social change, the incessant racism of American society and the barely hidden paternalism of the white liberal establishment and a fair part of the left. For a period in the late 1960's it was almost impossible for white radicals and revolutionaries to talk or to socialize with many Panthers, especially the rank and file. On more than one occasion I was either snubbed by or threatened by Panthers for attempting to argue for an integrated black and white alliance around a common program to fight the beast of American imperialism. Then in the very early seventies all of a sudden I was invited to various Panther support meetings and social affairs. Obviously the line had changed (through the concept of the united front against fascism) and now I was a comrade again
Even a cursory glance at the current American class structure points out that blacks (and more recently Hispanics) are heavily concentrated in the working class so that in order to be successful the struggle for socialism will have to deal with the fact that blacks will be a central component in the leadership of, and the struggle for, those goals. This is where the sad lessons of the demise of the Panthers between the rock of black nationalism and the hard place of democratic reformist politics is especially important. Looking back at the history of the 'sixties' black liberation struggle one can see little turning points where if hard communists had had enough forces they could have shifted the axis of the struggle away from black nationalism and democratic reformism. A working class program to break from the Democratic Party and struggle independently for a freedom/workers party could have gained a cadre. Do you not think that such a program would have not gotten a hearing from the landless rural workers in the South and the black industrial proletariat of the North and West? That, dear readers, is the ultimate tragedy of the demise of the Black Panthers. Enough said.
All Power to the People!!!!!!!.......2006-11-23
First off peace to all those panthers that are still living and fighting for freedom (FREE ASSATA SHAKUR!!!!!!!!). This book is awesome!!!!!!!!!! Has great historical value, unseen articles and never before seen pictures of the panthers. I was looking for a christmas present for my brothers and it looks like I found it!!!!!!! I love my people and my history and recommend this book for anyone who wants to enrich their book collection or enlighten someone in the dark.
a Must have .......2006-11-19
I've always collected books&things on the Black Panthers. the Panthers were a Powerful movement&they made a strong impact. this Book captures the Images&elements that made the Black Panthers a Powerful force. hard to beleive it's been 40 years since the Black Panthers first emerged. Props to Bobby Seale&RIP to Huey P.Newton. this Book takes you behind the scenes&showcases so much more. a Must have.
Amazon.com
Here's the bad news: "Golf," suggests the great Bobby Jones, the largest shadow ever cast on a fairway, "is the one game which becomes more and more difficult the longer one plays it." Here's the good news: If his classic instructional can't change the diagnosis, it may at least ease the pain. Written by the master himself--no ghost ever stepped between Jones and his ball--as a series of twice-weekly newspaper columns between 1927 and 1935, the collection of tips and ideas moves from the simple ("Nobody ever swung a golf club too slowly") to the complex ("The art of appraising slope and speed--that is, of reading a green, can be derived only from experience"), the physical to the mental, the obvious to the arcane, and is penned with an elegance as smooth and fluid as Jones' liquid swing. Some of it, especially to golf's newcomers, will seem out of date--the game has changed much through the years--but that's OK; this is a book to savor as much as learn from. It's biggest drawback is its lack of illustrations, but the recent uncovering of a cache of unpublished photographs and tips--available in Jones' Classic Instruction--repairs that divot. Indeed, taken together, Jones' On Golf and Classic Instruction should cure several Royal and Ancient disorders. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
By the best amateur golfer ever to play the game, this is essential instructional reading for the millions who have taken up golf during the 20 years this marvelous, timeless book has been out of print and unavailable.
B & W line drawings.
Customer Reviews:
Jones + Nicklaus = Tiger.......2007-08-29
after viewing the jones' videos where nicklaus points out that jones would have altered his swing to match the equipment, this book sets the record straight. jones was able to edit this book after having seen some of the steel shaft swingers and cleary points out that his way (clearly he learned it from others ie spalding i think he noted) is indeed the right way, and if you were to put tiger woods up now and compare tiger's swing to nicklaus or jones i think he would more resemble jones than nicklaus. Anyway a real great book on golf for those "old school" guys who realize the old is forever new. i started reading the book about 3 yrs ago and i'm still working w/ it. like he points out in the book its somehting you can turn back to from time to time .....
A golf must read!.......2007-05-19
This book taught me more about golf then all the lessons, swing gimmicks and video study that I've tried put together. If you are serious about understanding the fundamentals of golf get this book.
An all time classic.......2007-01-18
This is one of the greatest golf instruction books ever written in my opinion. The advice presented is still relevant and can help anyone improve their game. I feel this is must reading for any serious golfer.
Bobby Jones Has Something to Say..........2006-05-13
I never saw Bobby Jones stirke a golf ball in person. I never saw him play a full game on 16 mm film for that matter. I can only go by his unmatched amateur record and very short old grainy 16-millimeter film stock of how graceful his swing was...very controlled, impeccable balance/ coordination, unbelievable tempo and rhythm. Pure ballstriking. Pure golf.
In his book, "Bobby Jones on Golf", Jones really gets to the spirit of the game. This is a great book on the nuances, technicalities, and philosophies of the game of golf.
If you read carefully and take his advice seriously, I believe you will become a better player. I can't guarantee this, but there is no reason why a beginner can't shoot in the 80's within the first year to two years of playing. If you do the reading and practice the fundamentals; after 3 years of playing on a regular basis (at least 3 to 4 times a week) you should be shooting in the 70's.
This book is a very easy and compelling read. Moreover, I think you will really enjoy Jone's prose. It's Jone's prose that makes this an enjoyable reading experience. It's by no means flowery or pretentious, but understated and blunt.
Much like reading a Jane Austen novel; it feels like Jones is actually speaking directly to you. And this is the best way to learn about something very complicated; to have the narrator / author personalize his language by using parables, analogies, and personal stories to make it easier for the reader to understand the complicated nuiances and idiosyncracies of the game of golf
Another important note: There are hardly any illustrations and no photographs in this book. There doesn't need to be either because Jones does such a great job in his explantions that his words paint pictures. I was glad that he didn't have to resort to any photos; it would have distracted from his impeccable teachings.
I highly recommend this book whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player. Not only will you learn from a golfing master, but you will have a new appreciation for the greatest game on earth.
Along with this book, I also recommend the reading of Ben Hogan's, "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf", Mickey Wright's "Swing the Wright Way", and Harvey Penick's, "The Little Red Book".
what an amazing book.......2006-03-18
bobby jones teaches golf in a clear and consise way. It's amazing how everything still holds true after 40 years!
Amazon.com
The story behind the publication of Classic Instruction is almost as good as the book itself, which is saying a lot, because the book is an instant classic, and a must for any serious golfer's bookshelf, regardless of skill level.
The great Bobby Jones left several boxes behind in his old law offices where they gathered dust through the decades until Martin Davis gained access to them while researching his massive pictorial biography Bobby Jones: The Greatest of Them All. In one of those boxes, he discovered the golfing equivalent of King Tut's tomb: more than 100 photographs of Jones demonstrating the game's fundamentals--grip, woods, irons, sand, chipping, putting, and the lost art of the stymie--with explanatory notes attached in Jones' hand. Jones used the photos in a limited series of film strips that he sold in the '30s, but never got around to writing the book. (Interestingly, the enduring instructional he did manage to write--Bobby Jones on Golf--is, solid as it may be, sadly lacking in illustration.)
Davis got the picture--and the pictures--and set out to rectify Jones' oversight. He immediately called Ben Crenshaw. Like Jones, two-time Masters' champion Crenshaw is a dedicated student of the game, and, in his extensive writings, an artful communicator. For Classic Instruction, he virtually collaborates with Jones. He carefully analyzes Jones' original text and the photos (many taken in detailed close-up); then, through added commentary attached to photographs of himself in similar swing positions and close-ups, Crenshaw updates the master to accommodate changes to the game and equipment that have evolved in the ensuing 60 years. In the end, the real revelation of Classic Instruction is how fundamentally sound and thoroughly modern Jones' game was. With a few minor adjustments here and there and a snappy new set of titanium heads with graphite shafts to replace his old hickories, there's no telling what kind of damage the young Bobby Jones could wreak on the PGA Tour today. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
Drawn from a recently discovered archive, this landmark book is a treasure that, until now, golfers could only wish for. A dusty, overlooked box revealed more than 100 photographs of Bobby Jones demonstrating, step-by-step, all the fundamentals of golf; keyed to the photographs was a stack of yellow legal-pad pages filled with meticulous instructions handwritten by Jones himself. It's the next best thing to having a lesson with the great Bobby Jones. Ben Crenshaw's commentary with photos of him--updating Jones's basic instruction and illustrating differences in modern-day golf--makes this remarkable work even more valuable.
Classic Instruction offers precise close-ups of the swings, stances, and grips that took Jones to unprecedented victories during the 1920s, before the modern sand wedge had even been invented. Every detail is just as appropriate today, and with photographs of Crenshaw and his own commentary interspersed throughout, the book offers a unique look at the way the masters play golf. In some cases Jones and Crenshaw employ different approaches--especially in their putting, although both men are considered to be two of the finest putters who ever lived. These distinctions provide a fascinating contrast.
Jones played competitively more than 65 years ago, but the secrets to his game are as timely as ever. Preserving this wisdom for another generation of golfers, the release of
Classic Instruction is an unparalleled golf-publishing event. Printed in Italy, in five colors throughout, this rare find is every golfer's dream come true.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2003-01-04
This is truly Classic Instruction. Not only does it give great basic fundamental instruction from "The Greatest" Bobby Jones but Ben Crenshaw shows the more modern swing as well.
Great photos of Bobby Jones and his techniques.
It's also a must have for Jones' unique lost writings finally in print for the world to see. Great for a golf book collection.
Elegant Book of An Elegant Golf Swing.......2001-04-28
Crenshaw is not only a successful pro but also he is a passionate student of golf's history. So he is the perfect one to compile this side-by-side analysis of Jones' swing.
Martin Davis who edits this book found a box of over 100 photos of Jones' swing. Along with these were handwritten notes explaining the photos.
So, on one page is the B&W of Jones, then parallel is the four-color swing of Crenshaw and his discussion of Jones' notes.
It is masterful, elegant and a true keepsake to any serious golf historian's collection. A must!
Excellent golf instruction and gift book.......2000-05-25
This is a very fine (and unusual) book on golf instruction. Using original photos and text from the old master Bob Jones, modern master Ben Crenshaw compares his swing and golf philosophy to Jones' swing and golf philosophy. This is also a very fine gift book--handsome and not too expensive. I recommend it highly to golf enthusiasts and neophytes alike.
Good.......1999-09-10
Very simple to understand
Book Description
Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished for one more day with you!
One More Day is about mending fences, about forgiveness, about not putting off until tomorrow saying, "I love you" or "I'm sorry." It's about making every day count because each day is a gift. It's about cherishing the people you love. You may have years to spend with a person close to you or you may have only "one more day."
The message of this poignant book pertains also to any situation where two people are not able to be together - the breakup of a relationship, a separation by distance, or death. One More Day makes you stop and think of what you would do if you were able to have one more day with someone who is no longer in your life.
This gift book is a wonderful way of telling a loved one how important he or she is and is also a comfort to anyone who has sustained a separation or loss. It lets a person know that you want to make every day count.
Amazon.com
With very few exceptions--think Dan Jenkins's Dead Solid Perfect and Steven Pressfield's The Legend of Bagger Vance--golf's most notable fictions are generally consigned to the imaginative mathematics that weekend duffers jot down on their scorecards. Consider The Greatest Player Who Never Lived a truly rare birdie then. It's a thrilling golf novel that not only captures the game, but transcends it.
J. Michael Veron's engaging fantasy begins when young law student Charley Hunter accepts a summer internship at the Atlanta law firm in which the great Bobby Jones was once a partner. Assigned to catalog Jones's dusty files, Hunter comes upon an intriguing correspondence that hints at an extraordinary story. True to his name, Hunter then sets out to learn the truth behind the unlikely exchange of letters between Jones, golf's erudite and nonpareil pillar, and a semiliterate phenom named Beau Stedman, who, on the verge of golfing greatness in the early '30s, disappeared under the cloud of a murder charge. With Jones's secret help and support, Beau manages to survive. A fugitive determined to honor his golfing destiny, he emerges here and there to play the greatest golfers of the era. Hunter isn't satisfied just with uncovering Beau's past, though; his obsession turns into a search for Beau's present, with unexpected complications.
The novel is filled with lots of good golf, and with good writing about golf's enigmatic hold on those captivated by the game. But Veron, a Harvard-educated lawyer, aims beyond golf here--and holes it. In Player, he's crafted a solid legal thriller that smartly confronts issues of character, truth, justice, and guilt, which are, of course, pretty much the same issues every golfer confronts the moment he or she steps up to the first tee. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
When Charley Hunter goes to work as a summer intern at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, he has no idea that his passion for golf will come into play on the job. Stumbling onto a yellowed file containing correspondence between Beau Stedman, an astonishingly talented teenage golfer, and the legendary Bobby Jones (once a partner at the firm), Hunter finds himself embroiled in a decades-old murder case–and searching for an invisible champion who won nearly all his matches with the masters.
As Hunter unravels the facts of Stedman’s case, his hunger for the truth is matched only by his deepening reverence for the game, one that leads him to a heart-stopping courtroom showdown between golf’s most powerful association and a family torn apart by buried secrets.
Customer Reviews:
Lackluster book, lackluster story........2007-04-14
It would appear that I am in the minority regarding the merits of this book. It is a nice story about a fictional Beau Stedman who was befriended by the legendary Bobby Jones. Beau's extraordinary prowess on the golf course is immediately recognized by his mentor Bobby Jones. But before he can make his mark, he is framed for the murder of a young wife and forced into exile, never able to gain the stature and notoriety that is his due.
Jones believes in Beau's innocence and, identifying with his young protege, Jones arranges a series of golf matches with the greats of the game which only he could engineer. And Beau beats them all! He has a perfect record against the best golfers of 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Hardly credible I would say, the vagaries of the game being what they are. While this is a sweet story, particularly the end, it suffers from a very superficial treatment of the characters and a fairly shallow and predictable story line. The story, save the very end, is not well written. All in all, this is a mediocre effort.
If you want to read a great golf novel go out and purchase "The Green" by Troon Mcallister. Now THAT'S a great golf story!
The Greatest Player Who Never lLived.......2007-01-17
A light, entertaining novel well couched in golf history and a plausebale story. You will solidlly identify with main character, his mentor and the narrator.
Veron writes like a lawyer.......2006-01-02
J. Michael Veron apparently sat down to write The Greatest Player Who Never Lived in the same manner a trial lawyer would write a closing argument. He tells us what he's going to say, then he says it, then he sums up what he just said. There was very little tension in the story, only piles of documents to sift through along with the main character. It is at times laborious reading with a pleasant twist at the end. Golf fanatics and lawyers (who play golf) will enjoy it. Otherwise skip this tiresome read.
Simply Wonderful!!.......2004-06-23
I am a more recent golf fan and not a player, but I devoured this book from page one and loved it. The author fills in wonderful details of Bobby Jones' legendary life and career (what a marvelous man he must have been), as well as telling a gripping story of a mythical relationship between him and the young player whose own meteor never had a chance to streak across the sky. Naturally golf lovers will love it, but that said, I think anyone who enjoys a good sports story or a story about great relationships tested in tough times will also love it. It's a jewel of a book -- don't miss it.
Good story, bad history.......2004-03-30
This is a decent yarn with enough suspense to keep a golf fan interested, but I doubt than anyone outside of golf will enjoy the book.
The protagonist is Beau Stedman, a caddy with great golf talent who is befriended by Bobby Jones. At a young age he is falsely accused of killing the wife of a resort developer at Hilton Head Island, SC. He flees and spends the rest of his life living and competing under assumed names, all with help from Jones. His story becomes public after an intern at Jones' old law firm finds Jones' files on Stedman and follows up on what he finds.
For someone with knowledge of the locales in the story, particularly Augusta National and Hilton Head Island, the author gets so many background facts wrong that it's hard to get into the story. A fictional round at the Augusta National course starts with an error having #1 as a dogleg left, and ends with an error having #10 fairway to the left of #18 fairway. Another error is in a major premise, the development of resorts and golf courses on Hilton Head Island as early as 1930. Resort development of Hilton Head did not begin until construction of a bridge to the island in the 1950s.
An essential of good ficition is that the reader must be persuaded to suspend disbelief temporarily and treat the story as true. Can't do that when you constantly run into background facts that you know to be untrue. The author is supposed to be a trial lawyer. He should have had a paralegal check his facts.
Book Description
Acclaim for The Immortal Bobby
"Just when you think there is nothing new to be said or written on the subject of Bob Jones, Ron Rapoport comes along and proves that theory completely untrue. The Immortal Bobby is wonderfully reported and superbly written."
—John Feinstein, author of A Good Walk Spoiled and Caddy for Life
"The story of Bobby Jones's singular life is one of the most fascinating in sports history. Ron Rapoport's thoughtful, graceful style is well suited to telling that story."
—Bob Costas, broadcaster, NBC Sports and HBO Sports
"Beyond the grainy newsreels and the confetti falling on Broadway and Peachtree Street, there was an essential Bobby Jones, and Ron Rapoport reveals him splendidly in a portrait as graceful as the man. There's more here than Grand Slam 1930—the jangling nerves and self-doubt, the towering modesty in response to fame, the complexity of an Atlanta patrician, a life richly lived."
—Gary M. Pomerantz, author of Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn
"The skills of writing and reporting that fans of Ron Rapoport, like me, have come to expect from him over the years—candor, thoughtfulness, insight, perspective, humor—are once again demonstrated and illuminated in The Immortal Bobby. It is an important book about an important sports figure that, typically for Rapoport, goes beyond the confines of sports and fits firmly in the context of our culture."
—Ira Berkow, sports columnist and author of Red: A Biography of Red Smith
"Here is Bobby Jones as you've never seen him, almost fearful in the fires of competition, and Ron Rapoport shows us how that man became a legend."
—Dave Kindred, coauthor (with Tom Callahan) of Around the World in 18 Holes
Download Description
A penetrating, moving profile of one of golf¿s most legendary players
Bobby Jones was one of the greatest golfers of all time. In 1930, he became the only person to win the Grand Slam¿a singular achievement in sports history. It was also a precarious adventure that was littered with near catastrophes on and off the golf course. Using a vast amount of new material, Ron Rapoport gives an unprecedented in-depth portrait of Jones, revealing his life as never before: the anger that accompanied his early failings on the course, the effects of the pressure on his health, and the secret agonies of the illness that ultimately led to his death.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read on Bobby Jones for Golfers.......2006-12-03
I have read a few books on Bobby Jones including his book Down the Fairway and this is definitely one of the better books about Jones. Well written with a different and interesting look at the life of Jones on and off the course. If you are an admirer of Bobby Jones this book is a must read and will make you admire and respect Jones more than ever before.
Average customer rating:
|
The Greatest of Them All
Martin Davis
Manufacturer: American Golfer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
Golf
| Biographies
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Golf
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Sports Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1888531002 |
Amazon.com
Together with companion tomes on Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, this oversize homage to Bobby Jones forms golf's most imposing threesome of photographic celebrations. The only golfer ever to win the elusive Grand Slam, Jones was among the most dominant sporting personalities of the Roaring '20s and early '30s, an athlete of unsurpassed grace and charisma. As much as the photographs capture Jones's enormous accomplishment, the forward by Alistair Cooke, and accompanying essays by Dave Anderson, Ben Crenshaw, Peter Dobreiner, Nick Seitz, and Larry Dorman put those accomplishments in perspective and offer insight on the man and his legacy. "What we are left with in the end," supposes Cooke, "is a forever young, good-looking Southerner, an impeccably courteous and decent man with a private ironical view of life who, to the good fortune of people who saw him, happened to play the great game with more magic and more grace than anyone before or since." Thankfully, Bobby Jones manages to preserve much of that in its pages. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
Bob Jones was arguable the most dominant golfer of all time.
Book Description
An intriguing and detailed look at the greatest season a golfer has ever had-when Bobby Jones became the first golfer to win all four major championships in one year The year 2005 marks the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones's remarkable 1930 season. No one had won the Grand Slam before-and no one has since. In a splendid narrative that is worthy of Jones's singular achievement, Curt Sampson, acknowledged as one of golf's best writers, captures the magic of his feat and the high cost he paid to achieve it, set against the backdrop of the Depression.
Customer Reviews:
Puzzling Accounting of Facts.......2006-03-19
I am puzzled at why Sampson would set out to deminish Jones and his family. I noted that some of "his" facts are actually completely different in other books that are exhaustively researched such as Mark Frost's book The Grand Slam and others I have read including Down the Fairway by Jones himself. Even if everything negative he came up with was true it isn't really very much in light of the great man that he was. He was a man of impeccable character but he was a human being. He was sensitive and conscientious, intellegent, honest and gracious above all.
Even so, I enjoy reading anything about Jones which has led to my reading of other books of this era and books about Walter Hagen etc. I enjoyed the pictures.
Best Book Yet by Sampson.......2005-08-17
I was pleasantly surprised with 'The Slam'. I have come to enjoy Curt's books over the years, but this one is his best, by far. (...)
Interesting, enlightening, but with a certain tunnel vision.......2005-06-19
A marvelous look at the pressure that a champion athlete faces as he attempts to achieve something never done before. Few accounts offer the depth Mr. Sampson does as to the pressure Bobby Jones faced and the turmoil he experienced as he attempted to win the 1930 Grand Slam. The Bobby Jones of
"The Slam" is a fellow you would want to play a round with and then drink a round with, and not the marble statute of most golf hagiography. Jones comes across as talented, driven, conflicted, troubled, yet handling the pressure with grace and resolve.
Mr. Sampson has a cynical side to his writing, and it comes out in this book in his accounts of Jones and the USGA. Mr. Sampson spends a significant amount of time in explicit and implicit references to a controversial ruling on the next to last hole of the 1930 US Open. The ruling may have kept Jones from missing first place. However, as much time as Sampson devotes to what is arguably the critical point of the 1930 campaign, he still does not fully bring the point home. The ruling was based on a local rule, and Sampson suggests that the rule was not made evident to the players. Yet Mark Frost's biography of Jones indicates that all players were made aware of the rule. Who is correct? Sampson talks about players complaining about the ruling, but who were the players? Supposedly the ruling not only saved Jones a stroke, but placed him in an exceptionally advantageous position for his next shot...but from Mr. Sampson's description I could not get a good fix on the geography. A map would have been helpful.
A good book, and a book that does Bobby Jones a service in making him human again, but often hampered by the author's tunnel vision about "The Ruling" and the man who made it, Prescott Bush. Yep, the future US Senator and father and grandfather to presidents.
Books:
- Great Soccer Drills : The Baffled Parent's Guide
- Hardcore Diaries
- How I Play Golf
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Jihad vs. McWorld: How the Planet Is Both Falling Apart and Coming Together and What This Means for
- Comfort Food: Rachael Ray Top 30 30-Minute Meals
- Thinking Visually: Business Applications of 14 Core Diagrams
- Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny
- Complete Symphonies
- History: Fiction or Science
- Beyond the Cognitive Map: From Place Cells to Episodic Memory
- The Tsa Tourism Satellite Account As an Ongoing Process: Past Present and Future Developments
- Wiley CPA Examination Review Focus Notes: Auditing and Attestation
- Barometer Rising
The Greatest Game Ever Played: A True Story
Sir Walter: Walter Hagen and the Invention of Professional Golf
Ben Hogan: An American Life
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius (Special Edition)
