Nine Days Of Christmas: Two Epic St. Andrews Books
I'll be blunt: I'm was kind of over coffee table books. They're big, they're bulky and rarely do they really resonate. That was, until the two epics on St. Andrews published this year.
I can almost guarantee that barring some nice family member asking what you want and making the effort, one of these two books will not be under the tree on Christmas morning. But that's why we have the internet and this holiday gift suggestion list.
Roger McStravick's St. Andrews In the Footsteps Of Old Tom Morris is easily the richest visual history of early golf. The clarity of the early imagery and Roger's sense for what was important to include make this an amazing trip back in time when a small group of golfers had an inkling that they were onto something.
Just seeing many of the early landmark locations in golf and the people who devoted themselves to refining the sport will make you proud to be a golfer. McStravick discussed the book with us earlier this year, and you can buy any of the three editions here, with the softcover starting at sixty pounds.
Josh Evenson's Links To St Andrews is one big love letter of sorts, with a wide range of contributors sharing stories of all kinds related to the town, the courses and the people who made it the Home of Golf. But beyond that, the book quietly tells the history of golf art right up to the present with works commissioned for the book. And thanks to incredible production values, joins the many historic pieces displayed as a work of art itself. This will look excellent in your vacation estates throughout the globe.
You can order the book here and also check out this PDF sampler.
We talked to Josh on Morning Drive about the book, and also looked at the evolution of golf art.
Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 11:59 PM
Reader Comments (9)
the Collector's Edition cost $442.00 US
the 70 Edition cost $592.00 US
the 1821 Edition cost $90.00 US for a fricking paperback.
the Evenson book cost $150 US for 320 pages...that's 50 cents a page.
I am curious...who buys these books?
From time to time I pick up, and reread sections of "Tom Morris, Colossus of Golf", which is a great authoritative book about Old Tom and the making of sections of The Old Course. It will be nice to see the pictures in the new book.
I would assume people who want to and can.
Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete ; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete ; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete, Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete; Delete
This is how you make history - you delete them therefore no arguments and no lasting discussions a simple life for simple people
A Real eureka Moment for this site, however for me a real moment of sadness that others do have a view and a right to it otherwise why ask for a comment in the first place?
Otherwise, good job.
Care to expound on what was wrong with the "Tom Morris, Colossus of Golf" book? I read it, and I found it quite interesting that Tom Morris came from a family of weavers. Besides the super rich guys, weavers could also play golf, because once they get the loom up and running, their wives or daughters could run it for awhile, when they went out and played golf. Good stuff, this book.
Morris was lured over to Prestwick shortly after cousin Allen Robertson discovered that Old Tom was playing with a gutty.
Are you arguing that that episode was fact, or fiction?
Care to expound what was fallacy in the "Morris, Colossus of Golf" book? I presume that the writers did a lot of digging and checking before they published the book. It is easy to be a critic; but what can you add to the story?
Both Books on Old Tom are Good - worth the money and very informative, alas the format and the latter years seem to play against Old Tom , at the time his reputation was at its highest, possible just down to interpretation!
Both missed what I know made Old Tom what he was and that was Golf with his development of Golf Course Architecture - not really mentioned in either but this is what the Man was all about, his golf from his humble background and his creative design abilities of bring the links to inland sites. This myth of stake out in the morning play the course PM is utter rubbish, it was part of a very inclusive design package that gave clubs what they seek in a golf course design. Staking/pegging the ground was just part of the process not the whole design, but it created the routing that is in my humble opinion is the actual heart of any design.
So tell me what do we know from both these books about the design and built of the 100 plus golf courses by Old Tom Morris? - Alas next to nothing, but what they have written about is very interesting together with the old photos has created two very good quality books.
I wonder if we are any closer to understanding Old Tom Morris or his Golf Course Design methods after reads these great books, both of which I have and well worth the money. If for no enjoyed how St Andrews was shaped to allow the Golf Course (TOC) to accommodate the 1st & 18th, not to mention the Holes on the Eden Estuary and how cleverly Hall Blyth fitted Old Tom's design for the New Course into such a tight area.
Understand the old designs, the old golfing equipment and the land itself and you start to understand the real quality of this game of golf - that aspect of the game today is hard to find thanks to high tech equipment out of sync with the ground, add that to the latest aids and it takes the modern player light years away from the game he is here to play, Golf. Our loss as golfers surrendering to the easy options, while forgetting the real origins because they were based upon penal which can cost us a high score, but then golf is not all about score it is about itself, the challenge of facing oneself, of overcoming the problem, of having the strength to retreat to enable you to continue. No hill too hard to climb, if you can combat the terrain, face both Gods and Mans hazards, perhaps not necessary conquered them but managed to survive to the next Hole, the next challenges then you are playing golf and worthy to be defined as a Golfer. That’s what I miss from books on Old or Young Tom.
Merry Christmas to all!