The Autobiography of Billie Jean King by Billie Jean King & Frank Deford
The Autobiography of Billie Jean King (Collectible 1982 UK Tennis Autobiography in Jacket)
The Tennis Champion's Own Story of Her Career and Her Fight for Women's Sport, Written with Frank Deford
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Autobiography of Billie Jean King
- Authors: Billie Jean King & Frank Deford
- Publisher: Granada Publishing, London
- Publication Date: 1982
- ISBN-10: 0246117923
- Edition Details: First UK Edition, published by Granada, London, 1982.
- Binding: Publisher's dark brown cloth boards in a photographic dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Octavo-sized hardcover with a section of black and white photographic plates.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Boards: The plain dark brown cloth boards are sound, with only a few tiny pale specks and no tears or bumping. The jacket spine is clean and bright. The corners and edges appear sound.
- Interior: The pages are clean and cream-coloured, with no foxing seen. The binding is tight, and the photographic plate section is clean.
- The Dust Jacket: Present. The photographic jacket is bright with no obvious tears and a clean spine. There are slight surface scuffs and marks to the front panel. It is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in London by Granada in 1982, The Autobiography of Billie Jean King is the tennis champion's own account of her life, written with the Sports Illustrated journalist Frank Deford. It follows her career, her Wimbledon wins and her life on and off the court.
The book also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of women's sports. King went on to found the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation, and she won 39 Grand Slam titles, which makes her own telling of the story of lasting interest.
This is a collectible used copy of the UK edition, complete with its photographic dust jacket and a section of black and white plates. It will appeal to collectors of tennis literature and of sporting biography.
Author Profile: Billie Jean King & Frank Deford
Billie Jean King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles and 11 in mixed doubles. She also founded the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation.
Frank Deford began his career at Sports Illustrated in 1962 and remained with the magazine for decades. His 1981 novel Everybody's All-American was named one of Sports Illustrated's Top 25 Sports Books of All Time and was later filmed. He also wrote a memoir about his daughter, Alex: The Life of a Child.
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