LITTLE WONDER

The remarkable athletic feats of one woman from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

When Charlotte “Lottie” Dod (1871-1960) was only 15, she appeared at Wimbledon in the traditional garb for women in those days: “an ankle-length white dress, the sleeves down to her wrists, the body of the dress up to the middle of her neck, with a corset underneath, her legs covered in thick black stockings, her feet clad in the sort of clunky black leather shoes worn by washerwomen, [and] her head protected from the sun by a delicate white cricket cap.” Despite her restrictive dress, she won the tournament—and proceeded to win four more Wimbledon titles. From there, she turned her attention to other sports: ice skating; mountain climbing some of the most dangerous peaks in Norway and Switzerland; field hockey; cycling; and archery, a sport in which she won a silver medal in the 1908 Olympics. In this comprehensive and highly detailed account of Dod’s life, freelance journalist Abramsky chronicles her interests and winnings in each of the sports to which she devoted her attention. The author explores the difficulties Dod faced because she was a woman but also shares how she overcame the obstacles of a micromanaging mother and a repressive society to freely pursue her career in sports. To provide valuable context, Abramsky includes major events that occurred during Dod’s lifetime, including the two world wars and Queen Victoria’s reign and death. Even though Dod was a phenom in her day, she was largely forgotten without TV, movies, or social media to carry her name forward. Fortunately for sports fans and students of women's studies, Dod won’t be overlooked thanks to Abramsky’s thorough biography. The author's historical portrait helps readers appreciate Dod's amazing feats long before Title IX was ever conceived.

A welcome resurrection of a true pioneer.