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A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played |  | Author: Marshall Jon Fisher
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy Used: $7.88
as of 3/21/2010 17:03 MDT details
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Seller: wmboothsbookssf
Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 20233
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0307393941
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.342
EAN: 9780307393944
ASIN: 0307393941
Publication Date: April 21, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780307393944 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
Before Federer versus Nadal, before Borg versus McEnroe, the greatest tennis match ever played pitted the dominant Don Budge against the seductively handsome Baron Gottfried von Cramm. This deciding 1937 Davis Cup match, played on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon, was a battle of titans: the world's number one tennis player against the number two; America against Germany; democracy against fascism. For five superhuman sets, the duo’s brilliant shotmaking kept the Centre Court crowd–and the world–spellbound.
But the match’s significance extended well beyond the immaculate grass courts of Wimbledon. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the brink of World War II, one man played for the pride of his country while the other played for his life. Budge, the humble hard-working American who would soon become the first man to win all four Grand Slam titles in the same year, vied to keep the Davis Cup out of the hands of the Nazi regime. On the other side of the net, the immensely popular and elegant von Cramm fought Budge point for point knowing that a loss might precipitate his descent into the living hell being constructed behind barbed wire back home.
Born into an aristocratic family, von Cramm was admired for his devastating good looks as well as his unparalleled sportsmanship. But he harbored a dark secret, one that put him under increasing Gestapo surveillance. And his situation was made even more perilous by his refusal to join the Nazi Party or defend Hitler. Desperately relying on his athletic achievements and the global spotlight to keep him out of the Gestapo’s clutches, his strategy was to keep traveling and keep winning. A Davis Cup victory would make him the toast of Germany. A loss might be catastrophic.
Watching the mesmerizingly intense match from the stands was von Cramm’s mentor and all-time tennis superstar Bill Tilden–a consummate showman whose double life would run in ironic counterpoint to that of his German pupil.
Set at a time when sports and politics were inextricably linked, A Terrible Splendor gives readers a courtside seat on that fateful day, moving gracefully between the tennis match for the ages and the dramatic events leading Germany, Britain, and America into global war. A book like no other in its weaving of social significance and athletic spectacle, this soul-stirring account is ultimately a tribute to the strength of the human spirit.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
 Must read for any tennis fan! February 28, 2010
del
Bought the book after listening to an [...] archived interview with Gene Mako, tennis legend and Davis Cup teammate and doubles partner with Budge.
It is an absolutely fascinating book, could hardly put down! Not only does it go into depth of one of the greatest tennis match of all time, it provides a vivid description so you almost can picture the match and the atmosphere in the stands.
Well done! February 2, 2010
Librum (CA, USA)
Two things I should note:
1. I am not a big fan of sports history (much as I am a fan of sports)
2. I have especially little interest in tennis history (much as I am a fan of tennis)
Having just finished ATS I can now say: the history of tennis has some really interesting chapters. MF does a very fine job of weaving various threads together: a blow-by-blow telling of one of the greatest tennis matches ever, details of the lives of elite tennis players of the day, and a sketch of world events. The result is a gripping read. Very well done!
Splendid!!! December 11, 2009
Lady_Riddles (State College PA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Have not read a book this good in a while. It was quite a bit redundant in some places but that just kind of reinforced the surrounding the book is set it. The story is heart wrenching (shoot me! sad books make cry more than anything). It is not just a story about a sport, but something more. Besides it being grounded in history, "A Terrible Splendor" is a book that reminds people of the "forgotten/unspoken" victims of Nazi regime that are still persecuted today just by virtue of who they love.
 OK, but just OK November 11, 2009
A Southern Reader (New Orleans, LA United States)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I generally love books like this. I just finished and enjoyed The Sixth Game by Mark Frost about a memorable baseball game and all the players. The idea for this book was intriguing, a memorable tennis game with many side stories about three of the major tennis players of the 20's and 30's who were part of the game. But I think the author misfired. Idea - 10. Execution - 4.
The major players the German, Cramm. and the Americans Budge and Tilden were all sort of larger than life. The author includes a lot about the players especially Cramm and Tilden. In fact, I enjoyed his covering their lives and trials and the pre war times much more than his covering of the game. His coverage just wasn't that exciting. I think he made a mistake focusing so much on the game, or maybe it is difficult to inject excitement into reporting a tennis match. Anyway, the result is a really uneven book. He also goes on and on about the other tennis stars during the era, and recounts, or so it seems, hundreds of games and matches. Skimming is in order for those parts of the book.
Turns out homosexuality plays a big part in the respective lives. In fact, the author seems kind of obsessed with that topic.( "Not that there is anything wrong with that" )
I would give it three stars at the absolute best.
 Solid effort from Marshall Jon Fisher September 25, 2009
Joseph C. Sweeney (Portland, Maine)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Well worth a read for sports fans in general and tennis fans in particular. The three players featured in "TS" are all genuinely engaging and interesting, and the time period in which the match took place was obviously pivotal in the 20th century.
Highly recommended.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
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