Wind, Herbert Warren. FOUNDERS’ CUP INVITATIONAL – 1979. The Story of American Golf (Inscribed to the winner by Arnold Palmer)

New York: Alfred A. Knopf (Borzoi Books), 1975. pp. 586. Third Edition, Revised. Quarto. Superbly bound in full crimson morocco, expertly finished with gilt double fillets framing the boards, raised bands to spine, gilt lettered spine, and gilt wreath-and-monogram device to upper board. A presentation binding executed to a very high standard, clearly commissioned for a prestigious golfing occasion. Smooth leather doublures; binding tight and square. Leather clean and supple with only the slightest natural variation to tone. Internally immaculate. A handsome, imposing copy with exceptional provenance. A fine copy.

"Congratulations on winning the club flight — Arnold Palmer” - A striking and highly unusual association inscription invoking Arnold Palmer, the central figure of modern American golf and a principal subject of the later chapters of the work.

Almost certainly commissioned as a principal prize volume for the Founders’ Cup Invitational, 1979. The upper board gilt-stamped. The quality and cost of the bespoke morocco binding strongly indicate that this volume was commissioned as a principal prise or championship-flight award for the tournament, rather than a general presentation copy. Such finely bound books were traditionally reserved for top-tier (‘gold-level’) prises at elite invitational golf events.

Widely regarded as the definitive narrative history of American golf, Wind’s magnum opus traces the game from its late-19th-century roots through the golden eras of Bobby Jones, Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, and Player. This revised third edition incorporates updated chapters on the modern professional era, international competition, and championship golf.

[WR sport]