Gone Now Are the Forty Thieves

George K. Baulch
Calabash Press (2005)
ISBN 0971509212
Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (1/07)

From the first chapter, appropriately named “The Beginning,” the reader is swept into the world of the author, George K. Baulch, and his lifelong love of golf. From the age of 10, the author is drawn to golf as well as the fun and frustrations it can bring to life. Beginning as a caddy, George began a lifetime love of this sport from listening and learning as he walked the course day after day. Soon he was learning firsthand with his own set of clubs and it seems it was then that he began a love affair with a sport which lasted until his health forced him to halt playing.

Aging is inevitable as we all know and the author is no different. As he matured, his life took many changes in the form of joining the Navy, obtaining his masters degree at Cornell University, working in the world of banking, and finally living and working in Saudi Arabia for 25 years with the company, Aramco. He was exposed to the world in many forms and throughout it all, golf remained an important part of his life. Taking early retirement, the author then began to enjoy golf to the fullest. Though his first marriage of over thirty years ended in divorce, three years later the author married Bette, whom he began to fall in love with through her kindness and the friendship they had begun many years before. As George K. Baulch began to enjoy his retirement, he joined numerous golf clubs and began immersing himself in the sport, something he had been unable to do in former years. To say these were golden years for the author would be an understatement, for it was during this time that a group of men formed “The Forty Thieves,” but deep friendships as well. As the years passed, these men thoroughly enjoyed each others companionship, with golf and “The Forty Thieves” as a strong base for it all.

With a lighthearted air and antics that speak volumes of men who thoroughly lived life and all it held, “The Forty Thieves” traversed time together, a travel that would span the years to the time when the author was forced to abandon his love of the game as health problems began to surface. This book is a fascinating one and a book I immediately began to enjoy from the first page on. For it is not only the story of the life of George K. Baulch, but it is a look inside friendships and how the game of golf enriched them and the men of “The Forty Thieves.”

Coming from a golfing family with parents in their 70’s and 80’s that still enjoy the game, this book was one that touched me. For inside its pages, I saw friendships grow and wane, individuals forced to abandon the game they loved to deeply due to health concerns and I saw people with true character emerge and grow as the story developed. Not only do I recommend this book to all who love the game of golf, but I recommend it for people who have no interest in the game whatsoever. Even though the book is one that focuses on golf, it is also a testament to friendship and true life relationships as well. In a world where few trust each other, this book illustrates how deep friendships can mold and color ones life in a positive and amazing way. It shows the reader through real life, how friendship can enrich one in ways few ever are lucky enough to experience.

Make no mistake, “Gone Now Are the Forty Thieves” is a book that will make an impact upon all who read it, golf lover or not, for it has lessons within it’s pages that few will ever see in print. In reading one man’s journey and lifelong love of golf, the reader will find growth through the wisdom within its pages and it is this wisdom that makes this book the special book that it has become.

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