Golf in America: A Practical Manual First Edition - James P. Lee - Bauman Rare Books

Golf in America: A Practical Manual

James P. LEE

Item#: 125469 We're sorry, this item has been sold

Golf in America: A Practical Manual

Golf in America: A Practical Manual

Golf in America: A Practical Manual

Golf in America: A Practical Manual

THE FIRST AMERICAN BOOK ON GOLF: JAMES LEE'S GOLF IN AMERICA, 1895 FIRST EDITION

LEE, James P. Golf in America: A Practical Manual. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1895. Small octavo, original pictorial yellow cloth.

First edition of the first book to be published in the United States on golf, an essential work in any collection of golf books, illustrated with 14 photographic plates (one a map of a golf course).

"A new game has lately been added to the list of our outdoor sports… The extreme enthusiasm of those who took it up induced others to play, and every day added to the ranks of its adherents" (Preface). Lee's instructional manual was printed just as the Scottish sport was catching on in this country. The year 1895 saw the first official United States golf championships; the USGA formed the year before. With chapters on the origins of golf, its history in the United States, and rules of the game, illustrated with photographic plates. Donovan & Murdoch 3350.

Text generally clean; light toning to cloth. A near-fine copy.

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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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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.
Wormhole Tiny pinhole-sized trails left by bookworms as they eat through a text block. Much more common in older books printed on handmade papers with a high rag content than in books printed on manufactured papers made from wood pulp with a higher acidic content.
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