THE OPEN BOOK + DVD

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the "Open Era" in tennis. The "open" tennis epoch began in 1968, the year that professional players were first allowed to join amateurs in the world's most important tournaments. This coffee-table book celebrates 40 years of the U.S. Open, the only "major" played on American soil and the tournament that, along with Wimbledon and the French and Australian Opens, forms the "Grand Slam" of tennis.

With 270 photos, many of them full-page, this book is a page-turner for tennis fans, who will be especially drawn to it during the two weeks of this year's Open, starting Monday and running through Sept. 7.

In the book's foreword, former champion Billie Jean King notes that the creation of the Open Era moved tennis "from the quiet, staid traditions of the sport's famous past to the energetic, star-driven power sport of today."

The book is divided into decades and includes highlights; charts showing year-by-year singles winners; short items on famous matches and events; and articles, many from U.S. Open programs or tennis magazines in each decade.

The articles are hit and miss, and some just qualify as "filler." The best probably is a look back by Bud Collins at Rod Laver's historic victory in the 1969 U.S. Open, which secured the Grand Slam for the left-handed Australian. It is photography, not words, that makes this book appealing. If you enjoy tennis, the book is harder to put down than a bag of potato chips.

From Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver and Roger Federer to Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, the gang is all here. Action shots, practice shots, crowd shots. The final 55 pages are devoted to photos of players who have won U.S. Open singles titles. Photos of many of them also appear earlier in the book, but no one is going to complain.

The book also comes with a 34-minute DVD that concentrates on inductees into the "Court of Champions" at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the Open is played. The DVD devoted too much time to speeches for my taste, but it nonetheless was a nice bonus.