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THE COMPLETE SET OF THREE ANIMATED "FLICKER" INSTRUCTION BOOKS, INCLUDING "DRIVER AND MASHIE SHOTS," "BRASSIE AND IRON," and "OUT OF THE ROUGH AND PUTT."
([London]: Harrods Ltd., 1930s). 76 x 51 mm. (3 x 2"). [100] pp. FIRST EDITION.
Original green or orange paper wrappers, side stitched, titling on front cover and imprint on spine. In a custom-made folding buckram box with book wells for the three books and gilt-stamped marbled paper label inset on spine of the box. Consisting of three bound sets of 50 sequential photographs that, when flipped either from back to front or front to back, generate a stop motion animation of Bobby Jones demonstrating the proper form for executing a shot with various golf clubs (see below). Advertisements on inside wrappers. Donovan & Murdoch 22610. One volume with portions of spine gone at either end (with partial loss of imprint), wrappers inevitably somewhat soiled, corners a bit rounded (as expected), but still remarkably well preserved, especially considering its inevitable hard use, being entirely sound and with the photographs in excellent condition.
This is a scarce grouping of some of the most charming sports (as well as miniature) books we've ever offered for sale. In the 1930s the famous London department store Harrods published a series of so-called sports "flicker" books, of which these three are perhaps the most famous (other sports books involved cricket, tennis, lacrosse, soccer, badminton, swimming, and greyhound racing). Our three "flicker" books, when the pages are riffled with one's thumb or fingers, show the famous smooth-swinging American golfer Bobby Jones executing shots with various clubs. The first book (#11a in the Harrods series) features the driver and the mashie. The modern equivalent for this latter piece of equipment is slightly elusive, but the "mashie" is an iron club with considerable loft meant to hit a golf ball a relatively short distance with a high trajectory (Jones' "driver" has the same meaning today as it did 90 years ago). The second book features shots with a "brassie," roughly equivalent to today's 3- or 4-wood, and an "iron" (also called a "driving iron"), which is like today's 1- or 2-iron. The third book shows Jones putting and escaping from heavy rough (with a high-lofted club like today's sand wedge). It is great fun--not to mention still instructive--to riffle through these photographs, watching one of the world's most celebrated golf swings come to life, complete with Jones' knickers, white shirt, and flapping tie. It is also a fact of some interest that this English series would feature an American player at a time when British dominance in golf was beginning to erode. Given the physical use to which these items have been subjected, it is difficult to believe that they are still intact, let alone that they are solid enough to be handled without worry. (ST20235)
Price: $3,500.00