American Colossus
Big Bill Tilden and the Creation of Modern Tennis
Allen M. Hornblum
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Imprint: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 03/2018
Pages: 520
Subject: Biography and Autobiography
eBook ISBN: 9781496204318
DESCRIPTION
Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Bobby Jones, and Bill Tilden were the
legendary quartet of the "Golden Age of Sports" in the 1920s. They
transformed their respective athletic disciplines and captured the
imagination of a nation. The indisputable force behind the
emergence of professional tennis as a popular and lucrative sport,
Tilden's on-court accomplishments are nothing short of staggering.
The first American‑born player to win Wimbledon and a seven‑time
winner of the U.S. singles championship, he was the number 1 ranked
player for ten straight years. A tall, flamboyant player with a
striking appearance, Tilden didn't just play; he performed with a
singular style that separated him from other top athletes. Tilden
was a showman off the court as well. He appeared in numerous
comedies and dramas on both stage and screen and was a Renaissance
man who wrote more than two dozen fiction and nonfiction books,
including several successful tennis instructions books. But Tilden
had a secret—one he didn't fully understand himself. After he left
competitive tennis in the late 1940s, he faced a lurid fall from
grace when he was arrested after an incident involving an underage
boy in his car. Tilden served seven months in prison and later
attempted to explain his questionable behavior to the public, only
to be ostracized from the tennis circuit. Despite his glorious
career in tennis, his final years were much constrained and lived
amid considerable public shunning. Tilden's athletic
accomplishments remain, as he is arguably the best American player
ever. American Colossus is a thorough account of his life, bringing
a much-needed look back at one of the world's greatest athletes and
a person whose story is as relevant as ever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allen M. Hornblum is a former criminal justice administrator and college professor. He is the author of several books, including The Invisible Harry Gold: The Man Who Gave the Soviets the Atom Bomb and Acres of Skin: Human Experiments at Holmesburg Prison. John Newcombe is a former tennis great from Australia who won twenty-six Grand Slam championships, including singles titles in three Wimbledons, two U. S. Opens, and two Australian Opens.
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