Fifty Years of American Golf - First Edition - Signed - Harry Brownlaw Martin - Bauman Rare Books

Fifty Years of American Golf

Harry Brownlaw MARTIN

Item#: 70643 We're sorry, this item has been sold

Fifty Years of American Golf

PRESENTATION COPY OF FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN GOLF, ONE OF ONLY 355 COPIES, INSCRIBED BY MARTIN TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE USGA

MARTIN, Harry Brownlaw. Fifty Years of American Golf. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1936. Large octavo, original red cloth gilt, top edge gilt, uncut, original slipcase with paper label.

Signed limited first edition, number 21 of only 355 copies, inscribed and dated by the author in the year of publication, “To H.H. Ramsay, who as Secretary and later as President of the United States Golf Association has always fought for the best interests of the game in America. With best wishes, H.B. Martin, Oct ‘36.”

Harry Martin contributed a regular golf column to both the Los Angeles Examiner and the New York Globe. His definitive history of golf at the turn of the century is wonderfully illustrated with scores of early photographs depicting golf as a gentleman’s game. “Within [the last fifty years] this country has come to be the leading golfing nation of the world, not only in the development of outstanding players, but in the advancement of the game itself, particularly in its equipment.” Donovan & Murdoch 25510. The recipient of this copy, H.H. Ramsay, in his capacity as chairman, was the first to ban cameras at major tournaments, starting with the 1929 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, after Tommy Armour had nearly lost the play-off to Harry Cooper in the 1927 Open, because a movie camera whirred in his ear while he was driving the tenth hole.

A fine inscribed copy, in a worn scarce slipcase, with a splendid golf association.

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Aquatint Copperplate process by which the plate is “bitten” by exposure to acid. By changing the areas of the plate that are exposed and the length of time the plate is submerged in the acid bath, the engraver can obtain fine and varying shades of gray that closely resemble watercolor washes. Although the name contains the word “tint”, this is a black-and-white printing process; aquatint plates can often be hand colored, however.
Armorial Used to describe a binding bearing the coat of arms of the original owner, or with bookplates incorporating the owner’s arms.
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Boards Hard front and rear covers of a bound book which are covered in cloth, leather or paper. “Original boards” refers to cardboard-like front and back boards, from about 1700 to 1840, used as temporary protection for books before their purchasers would have them bound. Of particular value to collectors as evidence of a very early form of the book.
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Calf Binding material made from cowhide—versatile, durable, usually tan or brown in color, of smooth texture with no or little apparent grain. Readily marbled (“tree calf”), mottled, diced, colored, polished, tooled in gilt or blind, even scented (known as “russia”). Reverse calf, with a distinctive suede-like texture, is occasionally used.
Chromolithograph Lithograph printed in colors, typically three or more.
Collation Process by which the contents of a book are inspected for completeness, checking against internal evidence, the table of contents and/or plate list, and reference works. Also a shorthand bibliographical description of a book’s composition by its leaves and signatures, rather than its pages. A-C, for example, would indicate a quarto volume composed of three signatures or gatherings of eight pages each for a total of 24 pages.
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Doublure Pastedowns made not of paper but of leather, for decorative purposes.
Duodecimo (12MO) Smaller than an octavo, typically less than six inches tall; smaller formats, such as 24mo and 32mo, are uncommon.
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Incunable From the cradle of printing, i.e., any book printed before 1501.
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Japanese Vellum Expensive handmade paper often used in deluxe editions.
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Wood-Engraving Engraving made with the graver or burin on the cross-section of a piece of boxwood; the harder wood and finer tools allow for more delicate, finely detailed images, while the block can still be set in the page alongside text and printed on the same stock as the text. While much older, wood engravings enjoyed an important renaissance in the late eighteenth century through Thomas Bewick and continued in popularity thorugh the nineteenth century.
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