Rugby: The Golden Age: Extraordinary Images from 1900 to 1980 (Golden Age S.) [Hardcover]

John Tennant (Author), JPR Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007 | Series: Golden Age S.

Played for at least two centuries, with roots stretching back into the Middle Ages, rugby remains a rough sport played by rugged men. Nearly 300 remarkable black-and-white photographs present the early days of the sport as most have never seen it. Images capture supporters making their way to the match, field workers preparing the pitch, action shots of such legendary players as Bill Beaumont and Cec Ryan, and teams including South Africa's famed Springboks. Both amateur and professional rugby is featured, with photographs documenting the frenzied tries and brutal scrums, as well as famed stadiums including England's Wembley and Leytonstone.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Tennant has designed and art directed magazines for over 25 years. During that time he has worked for, among others, The Sunday Times Magazine, the Observer Magazine and the Daily Mail. He launched and edited the Sunday Herald Magazine in Australia and was Creative Director of the Daily Express from 1996-2000. This book combines two of his passions: sport and photography.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; First Printing edition (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844032906
• ISBN-13: 978-1844032907
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Other Team Sports > Rugby

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good rugby book, September 9, 2005

By 

Richard Swann - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rugby: The Golden Age: Extraordinary Images from 1900 to 1980 (Golden Age S.) (Hardcover)

This is a great coffee table book, filled with pictures you might not otherwise see. It shows the rugby that most of us as players know- having to work a real job, deal with the home life and the kids before lacing them up on Saturday afternoons.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black and white glory, January 10, 2008

By 

Wesley Clark (Springfield, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rugby: The Golden Age: Extraordinary Images from 1900 to 1980 (Golden Age S.) (Hardcover)

Classic rugby in black and white, large format film glory!

This is a great photo book. It's interesting to see how the game used to look: twentysomething men in tweed suits, often smoking pipes, with hair styles that suggest one's grandfather. They hold huge rugby balls, wear huge shorts and long socks. They don't appear anywhere as fit and muscular as today's pros, but they were stroppy, tough and admirable men... rugby just doesn't look like this anymore.

You also get images of some of the greats: Napier, Wakefield, Prince Obolensky, etc. I once wrote an article about some of the old school ruggers depicted in this excellent coffee table book - [...] - read it and you'll get a taste for the content in this book.

Tennant mentions that in the photographic era before modern digital photography the game was depicted differently than today; you can certainly see this in the photos in this book, and it's fascinating.

Qualified recommendation: my wife only paid $[...] for it, not the $[...] plus I see right now. Not sure it's worth more than $[...]...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic rugby pics, August 31, 2007

By 

Vasco S. Ribeiro "vasco" (Greenwich, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rugby: The Golden Age: Extraordinary Images from 1900 to 1980 (Golden Age S.) (Hardcover)

What a better gift to offer in Rugby World Cup Year? Great pics that take you back to the days of the glorious amateur sport of rugby football. The communal baths were all the players would bathe after the game, the muddy pitches with any signs of grass, etc. etc. This is the sole high level sport that resisted the calls of professionalism into the last decade of the 20th century. Enjoy the Rugby World Cup, the world's third biggest sporting event!