Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero

Charles Sprawson

£9.99

Available on back-order

Charles Sprawson, himself an obsessional swimmer and diver, explores the meaning that different cultures have attached to water. From the godlike Greeks to Virginia Woolf to Mark Spitz, he gives us fascinating glimpses of the great swimming heroes.

ISBN: 9780099577249 Category:

Description

A new re-issue of the cult swimming classic, a beautiful read filled with detailed description and powerful prose.

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY AMY LIPTROT

‘A luminously romantic history of swimming’ Guardian

Haunts of the Black Masseur is a dazzling introduction to the great swimming heroes, from Byron leaping into the surf at Shelley’s funeral to Hart Crane diving to his death in the Bay of Mexico. Bursting with anecdotes, Charles Sprawson leads us into a watery world populated by lithe demi-gods – a world that has obsessed humans from the ancient Greeks and Romans, to Yeats, Woolf, Fitzgerald and Hockney.

Original, enticing and dripping with references to literature, film, art and Olympic history, this cult swimming classic pays sparkling tribute to water and the cultural meanings we attach to it.

‘This splendid and wholly original book is as zestful as a plunge in champagne’ Iris Murdoch

Additional information

Weight 0.234 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 2 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

319 , unnumbered of plates

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

797.2109 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

Join our Mailing List

Sign up to the Jaffé & Neale newsletters to receive updates on forthcoming titles we’re excited about, book club information and book signing events at the store.