Your First Game of Golf was written by Gerald Hillinthorn and published by Day and Son, London in 1891.
It is a rare and important golf book as it is likely the first book of golf fiction not written in verse. Murdoch said it had “Amusing and colorful illustrations, offering tongue-in-cheek advice to the golfer, makes this book an attractive addition to any golf library”. The book is worth in the $1,500 – $2,000 range based on the limited number of auctions the book has sold at over the years.
The book is Chromolithographed throughout (full-page and within text) with humorous color illustrations. The book was lithographed in Holland by Emrik & Binger. The book is a soft cover oblong, 7¼ x 9¾, and is twenty-eight pages. As the cover hints at, the program is full of nicely drawn illustrations.
Day & Son was an early Victorian firm and one of the earliest involved in lithographic printing. The firm printed lithographs dealing with a wide range of subjects, such as hunting scenes, topographical views and genre depictions. Their lithographs were so meticulously conceived and technically advanced that in 1838, Day and Haghe were appointed ‘Lithographers to the Queen’. After William’s death in 1845, the firm became known as ‘Day & Son’ and in the mid-Victorian era it led the way as a pioneer of the recently developed medium of the lithograph printed in colors.
The final section of the book is a very humorous look at 12 different caricatures of candidates being considered for a club secretary.
1. Too simple looking
2. Too disagreeable looking
3. Too old
4. Too artistic looking
5. Too legal looking
6. Got a red beard
7. Too horsey looking
8. Not good enough
9. Too alarming looking
10. Too exquisite
11. Too Common-Place
12. Might do
