Books about Ustinov from Amazon.com

Gordon Forbes, professional tennis player in the fifties and sixties, has gained certain immortality in his eloquent and hilarious best-selling memoir, A Handful of Summers. Too Soon to Panic is Forbes's long-awaited sequel.

With complete entrée into the sport's hidden corners and the keen insights and scrutiny of a writer undercover, Forbes reveals the goings-on of the international tennis circuit from the late sixties to the early nineties - first as a player, and then as an observer. Too Soon to Panic is a court-level look at the tour from the era of Arthur Ashe through the reigns of Vilas and Borg and into the period dominated by Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.

Consorting with the top players, coaches, and myriad other characters of the tennis world, Forbes bears witness to their moments of great triumph, humiliating defeat, bad behavior, and daring escapades. He has troubles of his own, constantly battling bouts of panic and an astonishing sleepwalking affliction. Along with Abe Segal, his outrageously funny doubles partner, he travels the world from Wimbledon to the U.S. Open and beyond, bounding from one adventure to the next in an effort to make sense of the world of tennis and the world at large. Too Soon to Panic is a heartfelt and hugely entertaining chronicle of his days on the courts of life. (61/4 X 91/4, 340 pages).
Price: $19.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The hilarious and riveting autobiography from the late, great Sir Peter Ustinov Dear Me spans his extraordinary career as actor, playwright, film star and director .
Price: $207.01 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This unique collection of quotables highlights Ustinov at his best. Ranging from the funny to the ennobling and wise, this volume lets you double your enjoyment, since the entire work is illustrated with Ustinov's unique cartoons..
Price: $17.40 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Exploring themes of nationalism, pride, heartbreak, aging, war, survival, misused authority and human fragility, raconteur Ustinov ("The Old Man and Mrs. Smith") unmasks pompous poseurs and reveals obscure heroes in a series of eight humorous, often touching narratives whose protagonists span countries and walks of life. In the title story, a court-martialed British brigadier willingly lives in ignominy for the failures of the weak general he served but never liked. Bilious former film composer Erhardt Von Csumlay, "The Man Who Took it Easy", now resentfully scrapes by as a gypsy violinist at a Hungarian restaurant in L.A. The xenophobic mayor of Alcaonde la Sagrada Orden brings disgrace to his town in pursuit of Spanish glory ("A Place in the Shade"). "The Man in the Moon" concerns British aerospace genius John Kermidge, who becomes a virtual political prisoner for viewing his discoveries as advances for the world rather than an edge in the international space race. Goodhearted Martha Gorbchek, a resident of Manhattan's 'little Czech colony', makes a tragic mistake in following the advice of a self-help talk-show panel ("A Word in the World's Ear"), and sheltered innocent Edwin Applecote, the voice of a rabbit on a BBC children's show, is similarly destroyed by authorities meant to protect him in the poignant "There are 43,200 Seconds in the Day". Ustinov writes with great wit and fills these memorable tales with clever, parenthetical insights along with a clear moral thrust..
Price: $14.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A Handful of Summers is a cult classic It's a delightfully uninhibited insider's account of tennis on the international circuit - both on and off the court - in the fifties and sixties, the glory days of Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, and Virginia Wade.

Forbes begins with his childhood on a farm in South Africa, where he learned to play tennis on a gravel court. His game takes him to Europe, as a South Africa Davis Cup player, and finally to Wimbledon. Along the way he cavorts with extraordinary characters among the world-class players, and their tales, and his, shine throughout this memoir of irresistible wit and humility..
Price: $67.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]