Sportview Annual #1 1954-1955

The inaugural edition of Peter Dimmock's Sportview Annual stands as a remarkable time capsule of British and international sport during a pivotal period in post-war Britain. This extraordinary publication, spanning 1954-1955, captures a golden age of sporting achievement through its distinctive presentation of 170 sepia-toned photographs and 30 full-page hand-tinted colour plates, each measuring an impressive 8½ by 10¾ inches.
At the heart of this collection lies perhaps its most historically significant piece: the coverage of Roger Bannister's four-minute mile. This breakthrough achievement at Oxford University's Iffley Road stadium, where Bannister ran the first sub-4-minute mile in world history with a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, marked a defining moment in athletic history.
The annual's broader context reflects a nation and world in transition. In Britain, 1954-1955 witnessed several momentous changes. Winston Churchill's resignation due to ill health in 1955 saw Anthony Eden take over as Prime Minister. The year also saw the birth of commercial television with ITV's launch, bringing advertising to British screens for the first time.
Globally, these years were marked by significant developments in the Cold War era. The United States began providing foreign aid to South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, while closer to home, Britain agreed to end its military occupation of the Suez Canal, foreshadowing the crisis that would unfold in the following years.
The annual's coverage of figures like Stanley Matthews, Len Hutton, and Pat Smythe reflects the era's sporting heroes. The inclusion of features on Chelsea F.C., rugby league, and various Olympic prospects provides a comprehensive view of Britain's sporting landscape. The presence of American champions and international competitions demonstrates the growing globalization of sport in the post-war era. 
As for popular culture, the Christmas charts of these years capture the musical zeitgeist. Winifred Atwell topped the 1954 Christmas charts with "Let's Have Another Party" – notably the first and only instrumental UK Christmas Number 1. The following year, Dickie Valentine claimed the festive top spot with "Christmas Alphabet", marking the first properly Christmas-themed number one.
This first edition of Sportview Annual, with its meticulous attention to photographic detail and comprehensive coverage, represents more than just a sports almanack. It's a beautifully preserved document of a pivotal time in British and world history, when sport was helping to heal the wounds of war and forge new international connections. The quality of its production, particularly the hand-tinted photographs suitable for framing, speaks to an era when print publications were crafted with extraordinary care and precision. 
The extensive list of articles, from "The Four Minute Mile" to "Pat Smythe, Horsewoman Supreme," creates a rich tapestry of sporting achievement, while the inclusion of features like "Sports History on Film" demonstrates the growing intersection of sport and media that would come to define modern athletic coverage. Peter Dimmock, as the first host of both Grandstand and the BBC Sports Review of the Year, was uniquely positioned to curate this remarkable collection, making this inaugural annual a truly significant piece of sports publishing history. <br> 

ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48 
Publisher: The Thames Publishing Co, London
Published: 1955
Price: £55 
Hardcover: 125 pages