Squash : A History of the Game

Invented by English schoolboys in the 1850s, squash first came to the United States in 1884 when St. Paul's School in New Hampshire built four open-air courts. The game took hold in Philadelphia, where players founded the U.S. Squash Racquets Association in 1904, and became one of the primary pastimes of the nation's elite. Squash launched a U.S. Open in 1954, but its present boom started in the 1970s when commercial squash clubs took the sport public. In the 1980s a pro tour sprung up to offer tournaments on portable glass courts in dramatic locales such as the Winter Garden at the World Trade Center.

James Zug, with access to private archives and interviews with hundreds of players, describes the riveting moments and sweeping historical trends that have shaped the game. He focuses on the biographies of legendary squash personalities: Eleo Sears, the Boston Brahmin who swam in the cold Atlantic before matches; Hashim Khan, the impish founder of the Khan dynasty; Victor Niederhoffer, the son of a Brooklyn cop; and Mark Talbott, a Grateful Dead groupie who traveled the pro circuit sleeping in the back of his pickup. A gripping cultural history, Squash is the book for which all aficionados of this fast-paced, exciting game have been waiting.

I was expecting write ups on recognized international greats and found nothing.


Instant Classic of a Mine Unworked   January 14, 2004
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book, as the forward by the late George Plimpton indicates, is the first comprehensive history of American squash, and it is a hard act to follow. As such it is pretty much assured "instant classic" status.

Problems with the book: 1) The title does not indicate that it is a history of squash in America. Except for the very early history of squash in England, do not expect to find much outside the U.S. and Canada. 2) It is written for the squash player, and will be difficult to read for outsiders--except perhaps as a reference.

Good things about the book: Everything else.


Like golf on TV...   November 5, 2003
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

...if you've never played golf, it's darn near unwatchable. If you've never played squash, I'm not sure this book is all that readable, save in small chunks. However, for a player such as me it's a great book. Most interesting are Zug's efforts at unravelling the origins of the game from the morass of legends, myths and speculations surrounding that whole English prison/public school debate; and his thoughts on the fairly recent conversion of the North American countries to the international softball game. He mourns, as I do somewhat, the loss of the quirky games and personalities that the American hardball game produced.
If I had one quibble it would be the author's dwelling on the stories and athletes with ties to the Ivy League's perennial squash powers. I could have used a little less history of Harvard's stars of the 1920's and a little more on some less well-known squash luminaries. For example, Heather McKay, the Australian, won the British Open 16 consecutive years, didn't lose a single game in a tournament for nine straight years, etc., etc., but merits two paragraphs?
Overall an impressive accomplishment for Mr. Zug. Well written, thoroughly researched, and heartfelt. Thanks!