Squash
A History of the Game
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1.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
This definitive history of squash by journalist James Zug is a must-read for squash lovers and sports history buffs alike, capturing the evolution of one of America’s greatest games.
Step into the fast-paced world of squash with this ultimate deep dive into one of America’s fastest-growing sports. This newly updated edition of Squash packs in fresh stories and insights, charting the racquet sport’s evolution.
From its scrappy beginnings in the 1850s, when English schoolboys invented the game in alleys and yards, to its arrival on US soil in 1884, squash has grown into a global phenomenon. Award-winning journalist James Zug takes readers on a fascinating journey, exploring defining moments like the pivotal shift in the 1990s from the one court size to another, a change that propelled the US to international squash dominance. The game has over 1.6 million players in this country, a growing presence in schools and colleges, and is on the brink of its next big milestone—making its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Packed with vibrant profiles of squash legends, Zug’s narrative goes beyond the court. He uncovers the game’s rich cultural roots, tracing its elite origins and its expansion into public and commercial clubs. Along the way, he captures the passion, drama, and camaraderie that make squash so much more than just a sport.
In the tradition of iconic sports histories like David Halberstam’s The Amateurs, Squash isn’t just for players—it’s for anyone who loves a great story. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or curious newcomer to the game, this is your definitive guide to the lasting legacy of squash.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this detailed account of a sport few Americans know much about, Zug, a former Dartmouth squash player and freelance writer, intersperses throughout his narrative elements of surprise with analogies and references to draw readers into this unfamiliar terrain. For instance, he begins by explaining that squash, known primarily as an elitist endeavor reserved for prep schoolers and yuppies, developed in London's Fleet Prison in the early 1800s. But Zug makes squash relevant by capturing an interesting parallel between the game and American social movements as he details squash's evolution from the pastime of America's most exclusive universities and clubs to the emergence of women on the American squash scene in the 1920s and America's fitness obsession in the late 1970s and '80s, which made the game accessible to the middle class and brought squash courts to every neighborhood YMCA from coast to coast. Furthermore, realizing that a sport is only as compelling as its champions, Zug presents colorful bios of the game's best and most eccentric players, including college dropout and Deadhead Mark Talbot, John McEnroe like Victor Niedhoffer (who retired in his prime to protest the sport's anti-Semitic stance in the 1960s) and Roshan Khan (from a famous squash family, his "lusty" lifestyle led Ted Kennedy to say he came from the "Irish part of Pakistan"). While only squash fanatics will find this detailed work a must read, Zug's passion for and knowledge of the game make this a unique addition to the library of sports histories.
