String Theory - David Foster Wallace

Staff Pick

Fans of David Foster Wallace’s epic novel, Infinite Jest, know that tennis is a firm presence in the author’s life and work. Wallace was a highly-ranked junior tennis player in the Midwest, and along with his celebrated fiction, wrote essays about tennis. Whether explaining the hazards and vicissitudes of playing in the tornado alleys of his youth, the trials of a player trying to qualify for the US Open, or the sublimity of Roger Federer’s game, the five pieces included in String Theory are literary and journalistic treats, and often very funny. Don’t overlook the (lengthy) footnotes—mini masterpieces of their own.

String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis: A Library of America Special Publication By David Foster Wallace, John Jeremiah Sullivan (Introduction by) Cover Image
$19.95
ISBN: 9781598534801
Availability: In Stock—Click for Locations
Published: Library of America - May 10th, 2016

Tennis Science: How Player and Racquet Work Together - Bruce Elliott

Staff Pick

Tennis, more so than basketball or football, is a game of physics (angles, spin, torque, velocity, force, vectors), played with athleticism and high precision on a frustratingly small court. And thus tennis fans, more so than those of basketball or football, obsess about technique. We daydream, for example, about the effortless way the perfectly-directed momentum of a racquet-head imposes a trajectory upon a yellow felt ball. This is a book for tennis fanatics looking to geek out over technique, or for a gift-giver to bind the tennis fanatic in his or her life to undying loyalty.

Tennis Science: How Player and Racket Work Together By Bruce Elliott, Machar Reid, Miguel Crespo Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780226136400
Availability: Backordered
Published: University of Chicago Press - October 26th, 2015

Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life - Ron Darling

Staff Pick

On October 25th, 1986, Ron Darling was on the mound in New York for the biggest game of his life, pitching in front of his teammates in the dugout, tens of thousands of fans in the stadium, and millions in front of their TVs- and he failed. With honesty and clarity, Darling discusses how he lost his cool and his confidence, burdening his team with a deficit from which they escaped only through a miraculous comeback. He also recounts what it was like to be on one of the most successful (and disliked) single season teams in baseball history, and gives glimpses into why they didn't become the dynasty he thinks they could have.

Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life By Ron Darling, Daniel Paisner Cover Image
$21.99
ISBN: 9781250118745
Availability: Not On Our Shelves—Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: St. Martin's Griffin - April 4th, 2017

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