[Paul_Daley]

Some 44 years ago, at age 8, I became aware of an insatiable desire to collect golf books. My search had me hunting high, low and casting the net widely. Back then, the world hadn’t fully awoken to the collectable nature of old golf books, and so surprising “finds” were possible and affordable. Today, the loop has been closed, and one is hard-pressed to stumble across an old Bernard Darwin title, tatty and discarded, lying in a dusty corner of the shop.

Some 2,500 titles have been acquired along the journey, and these are housed in the library at the top of the stairs. Among them, 100+ titles are set aside in a large glass cabinet, signifying their special status; and the ones to evacuate in the advent of a fire.

Cutting to the chase… this collectable section of my library is now up for sale. With the exception of a few titles, each one is an original First Edition. [Titles are shown in the 5 links at the bottom of this post.]   

To avoid the potential tackiness of an online auction, interested parties can email fswing@bigpond.net.au to enquire about purchasing one or more titles. If the mood strikes, and the pocket allows, those wishing to bid for the entire collection won’t be deterred from making an offer.

While all listed titles are collectable, it would be remiss not to draw attention to the following books: Golf Architecture (1920); Golf Architecture in America (1927);  The Golfer's Manual (1947);  The Golf Courses of The British Isles (1910);  A History of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club (1907);  The Badminton Library: Golf (1890);  The New Book of Golf (1912);  Freddie Tait: A Record (1900);  The Australian Golfer (1906);  Thir Braw Days (1933);  The Life of Tom Morris (1908);  The True Origin of Golf (1912);  The Art of Golf (1910);  Design For Golf (1952). 

All bids will be private and confidential. Additional information is available about any title, and photographic evidence of any title’s Imprint page will be furnished on request. Likewise, don’t hesitate to request a report on the condition of the merchandise.   

A range of payment options exist, including Paypal.

I look forward to your enquiries.

Regards,
Paul

[David Kelly]

Paul,

"The Thorn Tree Clique" is a beautiful book. Do you have any other Patrick Press editions?

[Ran Morrissett]

Paul started publishing books on golf architecture several months after GolfClubAtlas.com got off the ground in 1999. Many of us have ordered from him and have had those books shipped overseas. Clearly, his target market regarding the sale of his collection involves many who read this Discussion Group. Given that GolfClubAtlas.com is a non-commercial venture, publishing a list of goods for sale is a break from the norm. However, I view it is a way to help a long time friend of golf course architecture as well as a public service. You simply won’t find many of these first editions elsewhere.

I shamelessly purchased several before we took it live, snagging books by Darwin and Wodehouse as well as the hard to find Ted Ray’s Inland Golf. The only thing worse than being selfish is acknowledging that you are selfish. So be it! I paid through PayPal which does the currency conversion to AUS dollars for you. Paul said to allow up to ten days to allow them to reach me on the east coast.

Hopefully others will find several titles worth adding to your own collection as well.

Best,

[Paul_Daley]

Hello David.

Apologies for the delay in replying.

The Thorn Tree Clique is a beautiful publication, produced to the highest standard.  Although released in 2001, impeccable publishing values make it appear a genuine antique, given its jagged-edged stock, authentic spine, selection of font, elaborate cover image and distinctive scent.

The Thorn Tree Clique is a fresh and interesting interpretation of The Goff.  As many will be aware, the latter work is golf’s first known reference, and it materialised as a poem.  Over the years, historians in many non-golfing fields have been attracted to it for various reasons.  Indeed, it is equally lauded outside golf, as it is in within the sport.

Written by Thomas Mathieson and published in 1743, golf historians, updated editions and subsequent book reviewers, have all failed to shed light on seemingly extraneous (non-match) information contained within.  An explanation: The Goff was set at Leith, near Edinburgh, with the central characters embroiled in a fiercely contested match over the 5-hole layout. They toured the course 4 times, making it a 20-hole affair, where battle took on an ancient, epic form.
   
David Hamilton, the celebrated writer of The Thorn Tree Clique, sheds new light on the aforementioned non-match information (previously ignored by all writers and deemed unimportant), and elevates its relevance for inclusion within The Goff.

So…what is the basis of the relationship between The Thorn Tree Clique and The Goff?  A thorn tree marked the commencement of the Leith golf links.

Typically high quality, a facsimile of The Goff resides in an attractive bracket at the back of The Thorn Tree Clique. All material is housed within a slip-case. Only 280 copies were produced in quarter leather. The copy up for sale is No. 86.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any other publications by Partick Press.   

[Paul_Daley]

Ran: Your decency knows no bounds, and I'm extremely grateful for allowing me to float this collection on GolfClubAtlas. Thank you also to Ben and Chris for your input.

LOL with your description of yourself as "selfish", as all GCA devotees know your are the least-afflicted person going around.

You'll thoroughly enjoy the 4 titles you purchased, and you'll be pouring over The Clicking of Cuthbert and Heart of a Goof well into your dotage. Perfect rocking chair fodder.

PG Wodehouse, in my opinon, wrote such humorous material because he wasn't any great shakes as a golfer; a hacker, of sorts. It gives insight that par-busters can rarely gain. Additionally, PG lent heavily on his knowledge of human frailties and the ego-driven behaviour of people he observed in many walks of life. He knew their strengths and weaknesses. He learned from the great writers of the time (and 50 years before); modified where necessary, and forged his own brilliant style. It's no wonder that so many of his works eventually found their way to the stages and playhouses of the world. He was the actor's best friend, with a constant stream of witty lines. Cleverly, a potential or broken romance lay at the heart of his writing.

Sadly, he wrote only a couple of golf books, while the others that followed were compilations produced by publishers trying to cash-in. 
       

[Bill_McBride]

Speaking of Wodehouse (and apologies for this distraction), I was at the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down and struck up a conversation with a fellow standing next to me.  Turns out he was the Captain at Royal Portrush.  We enjoyed a wide ranging conversation and found that our favorite humorist is Wodehouse and our favorite of his stories "The Clicking of Cuthbert."    Love that line about the golfer who was distracted by the fluttering of butterfly wings in the adjoining meadow. 

[Paul_Daley]

G'day Bill: Not a distraction at all. Pipe up at any time.

It would have been fun to shoot the breeze with the RPGC captain at the Walker Cup. And doesn’t time just vanish while at the golf, as discussion flits from one topic to another.

This reminds me why, potentially, a waste of corporate money can be the hiring of expensive employment recruitment gurus. Sure, they’ll utilise the latest Harvard-approved questioning methodologies, but will they penetrate the head space of the shortlisted candidates as effectively as an 18-hole round of golf can. While one’s disqualifying personality can be “locked away” over the outward nine… a few dumb bogies from the middle of the fairway on the inward nine will expose the candidate’s flaw. Brush off the carnage with poise… and then just wait for the job offer.     

You’ve rekindled one of PG's finest and funniest passages through the agency of those distracting butterflies in the adjoining meadows.

[Neil Regan]

'My angel!’ said Ferdinand.
He folded her in his arms, using the interlocking grip

[Tom Culley]

About 6 months ago i picked up a first edition copy of Golfing by Paths for £6 from an online memorabilia site... i cannot believe what a steal it has turned out to be!

[Paul_Daley]

Neil:

It's hard to read that passage of PG's without breaking into a broad one. 

Tom:

That's one of the bigger win-loss scenarios you'd come across. A big win for you ("steal" is closer); a huge loss for the online seller. Still, it's all fair game, and I can recall a few lucky purchases along the way. Other times, paid over the odds... and have gone out cussing. Paying six quid for Darwin's Golfing By-paths: I'm still shaking me noggin! Who could ask for a receipt under those circumstances.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()