Customer Reviews

Illustrated History Of The Pole Vault

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a comprehensive history of the origins of the pole vault, the sport of gods. However, Mr. Johnson also accurately captures the ebb and flow between the greatest vaulters in history during each season in modern times. The USA produced the greatest pole vaulters for many years having never lost an Olympic games until 1972 when, due to cheating, the East Germans won the event. Mr. Johnson won the bronze despite the obstacles placed in his and fellow tem mates way. Full of pictures that will bring back memories to any and all track fans this book is a must have! It will serve as the historical reference for the sport of pole vaulting for many many generations to come. GREAT PIECE OF WORK!

Despite some defects this book is a sheer joy. It traces the history of the pole vault from ancient times to Bubka's record shattering performances. It has many illustrations and excerpts from contemporary sources. One easily follows the progression of the vaulting poles, from relatively heavy wooden ones, through metal to fiberglass. The most salient character in the history of the pole vault was the great Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam. I vaulted with a metal pole back in 1961 and looked upon Dutch as a model. I had forgotten how great he was. He dominated the event for over a decade, generally from 1940, when he broke the "impossible" fifteen foot barrier (43 times!) to the early fifties. Unfortunately he was never able to win an Olympic medal due to the war years. No one came close to him. And he vaulted with a bamboo pole! He is without question one of the greatest athletes in history. It is amazing how few people know of him. I also enjoyed the controversy surrounding the advent of the fiberglass pole. You get some great coverage here with particular emphasize on Don Bragg's objections. Despite his objections the fiberglass pole opened the way to sixteen feet and beyond, culminating with Sergei Bubka. A previous reviewer is correct in asserting that the clarity of the illustrations and articles is suspect. Many are very tiny and the images are very hazy. Nonetheless, I really enjoy this book. I realize that it appeals to a rather small market. This is all the more reason to praise the authors. This was a true labor of love to them and in consequence vaulting aficionados are amply rewarded. I want to personally acknowledge my profound admiration to the authors for this project. It transported me back in time and the experience was pure joy. I even got the smell of athletic balm in my olfactory senses.

This is by far the most comprehensive history of the pole vault available. It's packed with information and is lots of fun for anyone interested in the history of the event. It should be noted that except for broad discussions about the evolution of pole vaulting technique over time, there is very little discussion of vaulting technique. This is not a book for those just interested in getting advice or suggestions on vaulting technique. As the title indicates, it is a history book.

The title also includes the word "illustrated", and the book is loaded with pictures and reproductions of old newspaper articles. Unfortunately, this is where the book is much less than what it could or should be. The small format of the book is not conducive to an illustrated history. The pages should be much larger than they are to accommodate the illustrations in an effective way.

The pictures are tiny, miniscule in most cases. As these are also old pictures, the tiny size makes it extremely difficult to see much in the picture in many cases. The reproductions are also very poor in most cases. So while there are certainly LOTS of pictures, most of them are so poor in size and quality that they're not worth much. Larger pictures (requiring a larger page size), and much more attention to quality reproductions would have improved this book enormously.

The newspaper articles are even worse. Many of these are great articles which add much to the text of the book, but they are so poorly reproduced that it is extremely difficult to read the text of the articles reproduced. In some cases a magnifying glass might help. In many cases the articles are unreadable under any conditions due to small size and, especially, due to poor reproduction.

The flaws described above are serious in an illustrated history and unfortunate in this book, which is a unique document. I am still giving the book four stars, because even though the graphics are of abominably low quality, the subject matter is so unusual and available nowhere else, that students and fans of pole vault history will want this book in spite of its flaws.

One would hope that there will be future editions in which a great deal more attention will be paid to the size and quality of the qraphics so that this book can fulfill its promise and be what it has the potential to be.