Let's deal with some facts. Yes its expensive but the authors spent 15 years on it and are donating some proceeds from each book to charity one of them founded that supports the dual purpose of providing those in need with powered wheelchairs and promoting the traditions of the game from the time of Old Tom Morris.
Here is a direct link to order form and pricing information.
http://www.rhodmcewan.com/tom_morris/pdfs/tom_morris_orderform.pdfHere are some from the book's website explaining the difference in the two editions and noting a donation will be made to charity for each book sold. The prices I quoted came from this website which includes online ordering information. The $1,400 came from a comment on Geoff Shackelford's website and is what the comentator said he was quoted by a local bookstore and may represent a secondary market for the book.
"THE KEEPER OF THE GREEN ‘395’ EDITION
This Edition is strictly limited to 395 copies
Each copy is numbered and signed by the authors
The main text and appendices run to 350 pages
There are some 325 illustrations, including over 70 full page. Many have not previously been published
The printing is high definition, on quality art paper, to give the best possible illustration reproduction
The page size is 235 x 290mm (91/4 x 111/2 inches)
The binding is half-leather, using top quality morocco leather
Protected in slipcase
THE SUBSCRIBERS ‘87’ EDITION
This Edition is strictly limited to 87 copies, one for every year of Tom Morris’s life
Specification as per THE KEEPER OF THE GREEN ‘395’ EDITION above, with the following additional features:
Bound in full green morocco leather
Gold block to front with gilt tooled emblems to spine in compartments, gilt titling direct, all edges gilt
with dentelles, full leather slipcase with gilt stamp, silk bookmark, top and tail bands, silk endpapers
List of Subscribers’ names
Seven additional illustrative plates
The Royal Bank of Scotland R&A 250th Anniversary commemorative £5 note tipped-in, bearing an image of Tom Morris, the first time a golfer has been portrayed on a British banknote. The last two digits of the
serial number will correspond to the number of the copy
Included in an annexe to rear cover are four high quality facsimile reproductions of important historical
manuscript documents:
i) Tom Morris’s 1864 Open Championship winning card, the earliest extant and the first time
the winner was awarded prize money
ii) Letter from George Glennie of Blackheath to Charles Campbell (of Prestwick Golf Club),
dated 19 October 1860, commenting on the play during the first Open Championship
iii) Draft conditions for the first Open, in the hand of Colonel J. O. Fairlie, the genesis
of the Open Championship
iv) Tom’s resignation letter, dated August 1864, to Prestwick Golf Club
APPLICATIONS FOR COPIES WILL BE ACCEPTED IN STRICT SEQUENCE
OF RECEIPT BY THE PUBLISHER
An appropriate donation will be made from the proceeds of this book to ‘KEEPERS OF THE GREEN’, a registered charity based in St Andrews. The charity provides powered mobility to the needy, as well as promoting the ethos and traditions of the game of golf as they were during the era of Tom Morris."
And here is a summary of the contents.
"Tom Morris of St Andrews
The content of this book is the result of more than 15 years of research. Much new and hitherto unknown material is revealed.
We have been privileged to have had unfettered access to the respective archives of the Morris, Morrow, Hunter and Rusack families, both in the UK and USA.
We have received help and cooperation from all the golf clubs, institutions and individuals which have been approached for assistance. In particular, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has been unstinting in helping and supporting this project.
Topics covered include:
In-depth analysis of Tom, his antecedents and contemporaries in golf.
Tom’s rise from obscurity to national and international renown.
New detailed insight into Tom’s forebears, his family and the tragedies he endured for most of his adult life.
Tom’s contribution to the game and his influence in the context of his time have been completely re-assessed. In a society obsessed by class distinction, Tom’s changing status makes for fascinating reading.
His son Tommy’s ascendancy in golf and his ultimately tragic life is covered in-depth, as well as the crucial role both he and Davie Strath played in popularising the game.
The importance of the challenge matches between Tom and Willie Park in the period 1855-1870.
James Hunter’s (Tom’s son-in-law) success in the timber business in Georgia and Alabama which transformed the Morris family’s financial situation.
A new appreciation is given of the part played in the development of the game in the 19th century by the leading golf clubs of the day, particularly Prestwick, Royal Liverpool and Royal North Devon.
Corrections to errors and myths, repeated over the years by writers and observers."