Jeux Olympiques/ Jeux Interalliés/ Summer, 1919/ Pershing/ P - Lot 28

Jeux Olympiques/ Jeux Interalliés/ Summer, 1919/ Pershing/ Paris/ USA/ Vincennes/ Report. Rare book of the "Jeux Interalliés" or Games of the victorious nations of the Great War (17 nations, but no Poles or Russians; June 22 to July 6). In beautiful original hardback cover. A visit to these Games, certainly military, but above all Renaissance, which thrilled a world coming out of hell, is invigorating. In this Pershing stadium, built not without difficulty in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes (American soldiers took over from French strikers), we meet the future American stars (Paddock, Tunney, Friedman), and the French (Vermeulen). There's baseball, basketball, water polo and swimming at Lac St James (Bois de Boulogne), as well as golf (Massy wins) and tennis (Croix Catelan, Gobert wins). The rugby tournament (in Colombes) saw France beat the USA after a turbulent game (8-3), and in soccer (at Pershing), the Czechs beat the French (3-2), not without having nicely neutralized our goalkeeper Chayrigues. In short, we're back at the Pershing stadium, which today is slowly fading away at the corner of the Bois de Vincennes. Coubertin isn't here, and those with a grudge might guess that this is an attempt to hijack his Games. So doubly precious."