A Douglas College instructor is being recognized with a literary award for his book on the history of tennis and how it shaped British society.
Rob Lake, who resides in Coquitlam, wrote A Social History of Tennis in Britain, which has been named the winner of the 2015 Lord Aberdare Literary Prize for best sports history book.
He is heading to England next September for the annual British Society of Sports History's annual conference, where he will be a key note speaker.
"The first time I went to this conference, I remember hearing about the award and watching the keynote speaker and thinking 'you know, that would be amazing,'" he said in a press release. "I never thought 12 years later I would be up there myself."
Lake's 300-page book, which was published by Routledge Research in Sports History, delves into the history of tennis, a sport rife in racism, elitism and gender conflict.
The society's panel of judges said the work offers fresh detail on the sport and will become a standard test for scholars.
Lake has also been shortlisted for the North American Society of Sports History book award.
