Squash by Malcolm Willstrop
Squash (Illustrated 1987 Squash Instruction Manual)
A Illustrated Squash Instruction Manual by Leading Coach Malcolm Willstrop, with a Foreword by Jonah Barrington
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Squash
- Author: Malcolm Willstrop
- Publisher: Octopus Books Limited, London
- Publication Date: 1987
- ISBN-13: 9780706428896
- ISBN-10: 0706428897
- Binding: Publisher's laminated pictorial hardcover boards, black spine with cream lettering and Octopus Books at the foot. Issued without a separate dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Large format hardcover, roughly 250 x 205 mm. Heavily illustrated with colour action photographs, colour diagrams and line drawings.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: Laminated pictorial boards, solid overall. Some bumping and rubbing to the corners, with a bent lower fore-corner on one board. Spine is black with cream lettering; the spine ends are slightly bumped and rubbed at the head. Light edge wear and a slight sheen and scuffing to the laminate.
- Interior: Cream pages, clean and bright where seen, with colour photographs well preserved. The binding is tight. The endpapers are clean and slightly toned. No foxing, markings or inscriptions noted.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Squash, part of the Play to Win series from Octopus Books, is an instruction manual on the game by Malcolm Willstrop, one of the sport's best-known coaches. It carries a foreword by Jonah Barrington.
The book covers shot techniques, practice routines, tips from leading players, preparing for play and court craft. It is lavishly illustrated with colour action photographs, colour diagrams and line drawings.
Published in London in 1987, it is a useful period record of how squash was taught in the 1980s, and a collectible copy for those who follow the history of the game and its coaching.
Author Profile: Malcolm Willstrop
Malcolm Willstrop was a British squash coach, based in Pontefract, where he developed top players including his son James, a world junior champion, and Lee Beachill, a world number one. He was also involved with England Squash's World Class Performance Programme.
He coached for around 45 years and is remembered across the worldwide squash community. He later co-authored, with Rod Gilmour, Trading Secrets: Squash Greats Recall Their Toughest Duels (2015).
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