Book Description

The Kelley Blue Book Used Car Guide is the most trusted source of pricing and value information for used cars. About 15 million used cars are sold every year, yet the average person has very little idea what to pay for one of them. The first Kelley Blue Book documenting used car values was published in 1926 exclusively for auto dealers, banks, and other businesses. Launched in 1993, the Consumer Edition of the Kelley Blue Book Used Car Guide includes current private-party trade-in values plus retail values on over 10,000 models of used cars, trucks, and vans. Published twice yearly, this edition contains VINS, original list prices, easy-to-use equipment schedules with values for optional equipment, and a table of acceptable mileage ranges by year. The comprehensive "How to Use This Book" section also includes valuable tips for purchasing a used car. This is the only such guide to cover 15 years of values. ... Read more

Book Description

Fantasy football is America's fastest growing obsession, and sports humorist Mark St. Amant is among the obsessed. Entering the 2003 season -- utterly fed up with never having won his league championship -- St. Amant decided to embark on a quest for fantasy football knowledge and glory. He abandoned his advertising career and made fantasy football his new full-time job, setting out on a sprawling reconnaissance mission to discover what really makes this game -- and its players -- tick. He stalked industry experts and gained access to leagues from all over the country, from private local leagues to the biggest (and richest) league on the planet, the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) in Las Vegas.

Wading through the game's history, from its humble beginnings in a New York hotel in 1962 to the serious business it is today, Committed takes readers on a wickedly funny, deeply informative descent into the underbelly of an exploding national pastime. St. Amant provides an all-access, sideline pass to his entire season, and this world, as he strategizes, plots, trades, rants, and chases his league championship. For longtime veterans and newbies, hardcore sports nuts and casual sports fans, Committed reveals the truth behind the unique attraction of fantasy football. ... Read more

Book Description

The Anything You Can Do series is unprecedented in its concept of offering real stories of new heroes to young girls. The premise of the series is to profile a variety of young athletes, from a variety of ethnic, socio-economic, geographical and family backgrounds who have grown up to achieve excellence in Olympic and professional sports. Series Foreword by Julie Foudy, Member U.S. Women's World Cup-Winning Soccer Team Series Introduction by Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic Track & Field Superstar and Sports Illustrated for Women's Athlete of the Century ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inspiring role model
I love this book! It's a great story of how sports can shape your life in a positive way. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike will be inspired by Jenny's story. This great book is now available as an e-book for those of you who can't find a copy of the original printing. You can order here from amazon.com, the isbn is B0001GDOUQ.

How Jenny dealt with the negative peer pressure
Fast Lane To Victory is the third in Wish Publishing's outstanding "Anything You Can Do...New Sports Heroes For Girls" series and the story of swim champion Jenny Thompson. Swimming was what Jenny like best, but when her friends at school started to tease her and call her "tomboy" and "Too Tall Thompson", she felt the pressures placed on a lot of young girls to conform to social norms of what was "proper" for girls. Jenny dealt with the negative peer pressure and became so successful as an athlete that she came to be called the "Fastest Swimmer in the World". Also very highly recommended for school and community library collections are the first two volumes in this superbly presented and inspiring sports oriented series for girls: A Drive To Win: The Story Of Nancy Lieberman (40-8, ...) and Sword Of A Champion: The Story Of Sharon Monplaisir (39-4, ...). ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (43)

Pre, There Was Only One
The book "Pre" by Tom Jordan is an unbelievable life story of the famous distance runner Steve Roland Prefontaine. The book starts in chronological order from the birth of Prefontaine to his death. This 162 page book is based on his track career. He was unlike any other man because he had such a strong passion to be the best and he was not afraid to share this passion with the world. He brought attention to the distance part of Track that nobody cared about. He was and still is a Track legend even after his death 28 years ago.

My opinion on this book is biased because I liked the book before I read it. This is because I saw the movie "Without Limits", which depicted the life of Prefontaine, before I read the book. I thought the movie was wonderful and I fell in love with Prefontaine's personality and attitude. As I was reading the book I noticed that the book progressed like the movie. It showed his track career from his early high school races to his international races. I think that the movie gave me a better understanding of the book because when I was reading it I thought of scenes from the movie. In some cases I think the movie did a better job of explaining what happened than the book. I don't mean that the author is a bad writer but certain emotions can't be explained through writing. For example, his 1972 Olympic 5000 meter race, the movie shows through facial expressions and body motions the anxiety and hope that the competitors were going through unlike the book.

What I like most about this book is the way the author uses quotes from people who were there to describe what was going on at a particular event. For example, to show that Prefontaine was always the crowd's favorite runner; At the AAU Championships Stageberg another runner that raced Prefontaine that day jokes, "We were both from Oregon, I from Eugene, he from Coos Bay, and yet he was the favorite of the Eugene crowd -I was the outsider." It shows his popularity even among his opponent's fanes. I thought that was very funny.

The book described him as brash, charismatic, rebellious, big-hearted and principled. The one characteristic that captivated me was his devotion. He did not the physique of a runner because he was short. Yet he believed and strived to be nothing less than the best. He drew large crowds to his races because he was the ideal athlete always hard working and was optimistic about the future.

This book is great because it describes the legacy he left behind which is so momentous that it is still alive in the hearts of runners everywhere. I think to understand the book you need to have some experience in Track because it uses a lot of track terminology. I feel that distance runners will like his story better than anyone else because they can comprehend with Prefontaine racing mentality. All in all I think that whether you see the movie or read any of the books on Steve Prefontaine you will get the message he was trying to deliver to the world. To find out what his message read this book "Pre" by Tom Jordan, you won't regret it.

The Art Of The Run
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift"--Steve Prefontaine. In his work 'Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend", author Tom Jordan skillfully weaves this nexus quote, along with numerous other anecdotes and observations from Pre's contemporaries, to form a rich and informative tapestry in words of the life of Steve Prefontaine. Jordan's narrative is a balanced blend of objective race results and the subjective, and at times highly emotional, recollections of the people who knew Pre the best; his friends, family, and, perhaps most importantly, his competitors.

From his humble origins in Coos Bay, Oregon to his untimely death in a 1975 car-crash, the book follows Pre through his workouts and training, his glory days at the University of Oregon, his 4th place finish at the 1972 Munich Olympics, his battle against "shamateurism" and the Amateur Athletic Union, to his work for the then fledgling Nike. In the end, the reader is left with the images of both Steve Prefontaine the runner---spirited, fiery, and driving---and Steve Prefontaine the man---caring, dedicated, energetic, and independent.

This book will be enjoyed by both runners and non-runners alike. As Pre said: "Some people create with words, or with music, or with brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run...it's style...it's being creative." Tom Jordan's work not only captures the essence of the revolutionary Steve Prefontaine but also ultimately measures up to his lofty paradigm.

Legendary athlete's life captured well
Steve Prefontaine was and will always be my favorite athlete in any sport. His charisma, guts, and athletic ability were beyond compare. I had the wonderful opportunity of seeing him race twice as a youngster and I'll never forget it.

Tom Jordan does a fine job of capturing Pre's life, and the new addition has even more exciting photographs (I have the earlier edition, the green book).

In the follow-up edition, I wished Jordan could've extended the book. My only complaint is it is a tad short, but it's still an excellent read.

Prefontaine was a fascinating person, and anyone interested in reading about a complex, charasimatic, and passionate personality -- whether they like running or not -- should read this book.

The Athlete is Compelling, The Writing Isn't
The fact that so many people love this book, and yet the writing is so ordinary must mean something. Prefontaine was such a compelling, complex, and inspirational figure, that even the weakest effort to chronicle his life would be loved. It isn't going to make me very popular here when I say this is a pretty weak effort.

The biography is mostly a series of facts about races, competitors, and results from high school to his last race. His origins in Coos Bay, OR, or anything in his life outside of running are barely touched upon. In the hands of a better writer, we would more about his life before his running career, which would flesh out the steady drumbeat of race results. A few sentences throughout the text are poorly written.

Prefontaine was a very complex character, but here, all we learn that he was a mentally tough runner who won a bunch of races, and little else. There are people who knew Prefontaine at the height of his running career, who claim that he was hardly a modest individual and could be unpleasent. Alcohol problems have been rumored enough that they can't be ignored. It is possible alcohol contributed to his death. How did this typical brash, cocky, talented kid rise to become the legendary, charismatic runner we know today, separating himself from a number brash, cocky, talented American distance runners of his era? Prefontaine's life raised all sorts of interesting questions, but Jordan's too busy sifting through the press clippings to consider any of them.

It would complicate the "mentally tough, inspiring runner dies tragically at his peak" story, but should result in a far more unique biography. Jordan either purposely ignores the additional details, or simply wasn't aware of them. Either way, Jordan has no excuse for such a bland and simpleminded portrayal.

Runners will find this book inspiring because of who Prefontaine was, but non-runners will wonder what all the fuss is about. And those who know about Pre outside of this book will be dissappointed at how poorly Jordan describes an intensely compelling and complex person.

the best book of all
this book in my mind was the greatest running book publilshed!! It had all parts of pre's life, from highscholl to college to the pros! It talk about his coaches Bill and Bill!!!!! This book was a terrific book for all people!
my mom read it my dad read it and my brother it was great... ... Read more

Book Description

As the budding baseball superstar for the Boston Red Sox in1967, Tony Conigliaro became the youngest major league player to hit100 home runs, a record he still holds. He was on his way to becomingbaseball's new hero until, after three short years, he was struck inthe head by an errant pitch that nearly killed him. Because the blowdamaged his keen eyesight, Tony's baseball career suddenly ended. InTony C: The Triumph and Tragedy of Tony Conigliaro, author DavidCataneo writes of the tragic end to Tony C's baseball career, and histriumph over losing his dreams by becoming a sportscaster on the westcoast.

Tony seemed to be on top again with a good job, good looks,and good friends. But tragedy struck again in 1982 when Tony, only 37,suffered a massive heart attack that damaged his brain and confined himto a wheelchair. Tony Conigliaro's life seems to have been full oftragedy and Tony C: The Triumph and Tragedy of Tony Conigliarois filled with remembrances from Tony's family, friends, and former RedSox teammates. This extensively researched book, which includes rarephotographs, provides the intimate details of Conigliaro's life, bothon and off the baseball field. Tony C: The Triumph and Tragedy ofTony Conigliaro is a powerful human drama that will leave you witha lump in your throat and a tear in your eye. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Red Sox should retire Tony"s #25-just read the book.
This is a great book about Tony C. It shows both his strengths as a person and some of his weak spots, which makes this book a very true and real story.
It's a great history of the Red Sox when Tony C. played. It shows the true guts, determination, courage and love for the Red Sox that Tony C. had. No player in any sport has made such an effort to comeback. And, this book captures it all.
The Red Sox should retire his number -- just read the book it supports retiring #25.
Billy Conigliaro's quote sums up how i feel about Tony C. "I will always remember Tony C. as a fighter, a clutch hitter, warm to his fans. He was a brother who made me proud."
Tony thank you so much for all the wonderful memories as a Red Sox player. You have given me the strength to fight my own battles in life. I hope that someone makes a movie from this book.

My reason for this book...
I began work on this book in 1994...I'm glad to see that the public has received this book well. It is a fine tribute to a dashing young ballplayer for whom this book was a labor of love...Here's to you, Tony!

The Life of A Boyhood Idol
Dave Cantaneo gives this young fan a second chance to remember a boyhood idol through this very insightful book about the tragic figure thatb inspired thousands of boys my age. The ultimate complement to any baseball player when I grew up was that everyone wanted his baseball card and everyone wanted to "be" the player during pickup games. These were simple times when players were loyal to teams and teams were loyal to fans. Everyone wanted to be Tony C, and since he was just a teenager joining the Red Sox, all of my buddies and I idolized him immediately. This book permits us the opportunity to spend a few hours with a real sports idol. Tony C was to Red Sox fans what the Beatles were to American rock and roll lovers--- except he was right here. Thanks for the book, David.

One Man We'll never forget
I am a 12 year old kid and have read the book Tony C. I never watched him play on t.v, and I haven't heard about him until 1991 when i watched a quick clip on sportscenter about him. I couldn't quite remember his name and wanted to find out more about him as I searched for 7 years just to find the guy's name. I came close to finding his name as my friend next door had a model of him, but unfortunately his dog knocked it down earlier and the bottom of the model was broken off and we didn't know his name. Thats when i finally found this book at a local bookstore. This book takes you in depth of his short lifetime. This book tought a lesson to me and i feel that I never give up anymore in anything that i do (like him) This book takes you from his good days in the minors to his excellent early years in the majors until that awful august night. The night when he was struck by the pitch that put him out of baseball. That is where i will end because i don't want to tell everyone the untold, but i do highly reccomend this book. It changed the way i look at everything in life.

Excellent source for background information of Tony C.
Understand that this review comes from a thirty- six year old lifelong Red Sox fan, who never saw Tony Conigliaro play before the infamous beaning (and who wasn't subjected to the Red Sox of the early sixties). I went to my first Red Sox game as an eight year old boy in 1970, with my twenty- something aunt who got tickets to see the California Angels, because Tony Conigliaro was on the roster. I was thirteen when Tony electrified the Boston fans early in the magical 1975 season. Because of my aunt's infatuation with Tony C., I have always been intrigued with his story and enthusiastically picked up this book to learn more. The early biographical information was compre- hensive and, although clearly not unbiased, detailed enough to let the reader make their own opinions regarding Tony's immature social values and his arrogant "super jock" attitude. I appreciated the anecdotal history of Tony's minor league and early major league career, especially his rocky ! relationship with the Red Sox other star of the era, Carl Yastrzemski.

The emotional struggles of Tony's attempted come- back following the beaning were also well reported. The book followed Tony's career beyond baseball, and honestly reported the heartache of a shortened athletic career and the struggle to then fit into a traditional career.

I would recommend the book as an above average sports biography or an excellent real life human drama. I think the story provides lessons for young men and is heart-wrenching story that would interest young women as well. ... Read more

Book Description

Jerrold Casway’s fascinating biography of legendary baseball player Ed Delahanty (1867–1903) offers a compelling examination of the first "King of Swatsville’s" life and career, including the enigma surrounding his tragic and untimely death. Through Delahanty’s story, Casway traces the evolving character of major league baseball and its effect on the lives and ambitions of its athletes.

Delahanty’s career spanned the last decades of the nineteenth century during a time when the sons of post-famine Irish refugees dominated the sport and changed the playing style of America’s national pastime. In this "Emerald Age" of baseball, Irish-American players comprised from 30 to 50 percent of all players, managers, and team captains. Baseball for Delahanty and other young Irishmen was a ticket out of poverty and into a life of fame and fortune. The allure and promise of celebrity and wealth, however, were disastrous for Delahanty. He found himself enmeshed in desperate contract dealings and a gambling addiction that drove him to alcohol abuse. The owner of the fourth highest lifetime batting average, Delahanty mysteriously disappeared and was found at the bottom of Niagara’s Horseshoe Falls.

This rich biography, which relies on previously unavailable family papers and court transcripts, as well as the colorful sports reporting of the period, will appeal to anyone interested in baseball, sports, or Irish history. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Lessons To Be Learned
Jerrold Casway has provided us with an in-depth study of 19th century baseball star Ed Delahanty. Like so many other athletes in his time Delahanty lived for today rather than postpone immediate gratification for a greater future reward. The lure of the racetrack while wintering in New Orleans and later alcohol were contributing factors leading up to the decline of this once great superstar. "The Only Del" toiled for unheralded losing teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Senators. Baseball wars were on and Delahanty had the problem of not caring how many contracts he signed as long as he played with the team that offered him the most money. I felt the author did a good job of sorting through the possibilities regarding Delahanty's death on the International Bridge crossing the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York. Delahanty was removed from the train for abusive behavior, and from what information we have available it appears that he stumbled over railroad ties in an effort to elude the bridge watchman. His body was discovered below the Canadian Horseshoe Falls in the Niagara River one week later on July 9th. This was an era in which the owners had it all their way, and players had no financial benefits that today's players enjoy. Players usually reentered the regular workforce once their playing days were over. Delahanty, however, lived lavishly during his playing days without a thought to his post-playing days. Information is also provided on his baseball playing brothers in addition to his wife and daughter after Ed's death. If you enjoy 19th century baseball history I believe this is another book from that colorful age that you will find enjoyable to read.

THE GREAT PHILLIES PLAYER!!!!!!!
ED DELAHANTY-THE ONLY MAN TO WIN THE BATTING TITLE IN BOTH THE NATIONAL AND AMERICAN LEAGUES (1899 AND 1902)WITH THE PHILLIES AND SENATORS DIED A TRAGIC DEATH IN 1903.HE ONCE HIT 4 HOMERS IN A GAME- ALL IN SIDE THE PARKERS! READ THIS BOOK!IT IS GREAT!!!!!!!I HAVE BEEN A PHILLIES FAN FOR 44 YEARS.

Superb
Forget the sour grapes of that other review, this is a superb baseball history. It is extemely well researched with an incredible amount of information in a very readable package. Anyone who is truly into baseball history will want this book and will want to know and understand the 19th Century and the players. The sociology of baseball has been the sociology of this country and the early players are the heroes and pioneers who gave us the perfect game of baseball. Buy the book!

Scholarly ode to workmanlike 19th-century baseball player
As the author of a later 2004 release, Cap Anson 2: The Theatrical and Kingly Mike Kelly: U.S. Team Sport's First Media Sensation and Baseball's Original Casey at the Bat, I was excited to buy a copy of Jerrold Casway's Ed Delahanty in the Emerald Age of Baseball. Kelly and Delahanty are the first 19th-century Hall of Famers of Irish descent to be the subject of full-length books. Each of ours seeks to be the standard biography of our subjects, and Casway didn't have as much of a head start (Kelly was treated in an 1888 ghostwritten autobiography, the first book about a professional baseball player, and in Marty Appel's 1996 Slide, Kelly, Slide).

In the 1880s, Kelly was to baseball, in a more animated way, what Delahanty was, in a more workmanlike way, in the 1890s. Casway likes social history, and he relates Delahanty's Irishness to the general status of the Irish in 19th-century America (he had written a 1999 essay in the Encyclopedia of the Irish in America entitled "Irish American Factor and the Emerald Age of Baseball"). To make Delahanty's story whole, he has unearthed personable information about Delahanty and his family, and his "Irish Kid from Cleveland" chapter is arguably the most interesting chapter of the book.

I find Casway's book most similar to Reed Browning's about Cy Young, as both were fairly stoic figures or at least covered without great detail to outside interests. A case in point is that Delahanty adored the theater, and even founded a social group featuring athletes, actors and businessmen. But reporting on that great love of his was apparently scant as it is limited to a few pages of the book. Kelly loved the theater as much as Delahanty and, in part because of Kelly's own stage career which included recitations of "Casey at the Bat," a lot more was said about his relationships with theatrical personalities and other players who performed on stage (who thus had a sense of the theatrical), especially Cap Anson and Arlie Latham.

Delahanty's arguably greatest significance was as a power hitter, when leading the league in doubles (which Delahanty did five times) was to batting what leading the league in home runs is today. Casway adequately reflects that aspect of his play while wrapping his career broadly around social history themes. Arguably Delahanty's main appeal today is his mysterious death, and the author is able to write definitively on the subject especially because of a prior book on the subject: Mike Sowell's July 2, 1903.

Read this book!
The book is not only beautiful, but the content is interestingly captivating. It appeals to baseball fans, as well as a general audience. ... Read more

Book Description

"From the acclaimed author of Dino: a brilliant biography of the man who embodied menace for midcentury America.Sonny Liston was the anti-Ali, a boxer whose strength needed no gloss. His rise to the world heavyweight championship was a march of unambiguous victories that left opponent after opponent crushed, but to many Americans in the early 1960s, he was their worst dream come to life--a thug, an illiterate, a criminal who was not, in the saying of the time, a credit to his race.

But he hit harder than any man alive. And in the pages of Nick Tosches's remarkable biography of Liston, hitting hard was the only recourse for this man who essentially lived his entire life as a slave.

The Devil and Sonny Liston is Nick Tosches's brutal and stunning illumination of that life. Digging into the darkest corners of police files, fight tapes, Congressional investigations, and the memories of those who know, Tosches reveals the true course of Liston's story. Birth into a huge family on a modern plantation, criminal life and imprisonment, a fight career under the scarcely concealed control of the mobsters who ran boxing--every stage of Liston's life is revealed as a new subjugation. The truth of Liston's infamous losses to Cassius Clay in 1964 and to the newly christened Muhammad Ali in 1965 is revealed here in the inescapable words of Liston himself and those who knew him best. And in these pages the mysteries of Liston's death in Las Vegas are unfolded at last.

Written with a passionate intensity and an unrivaled knowledge of the workings of organized crime, The Devil and Sonny Liston is an instant classic of American biography by a man who has been hailed by the Dallas Observer as "one of the greatest living American writers." ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Sonny Liston a Guest In His Own Biography
3.5 Stars

I liked most of this book, but do not consider it a biography.

I think too much time - too many pages - were dedicated to the mob figures and peripheral issues and people - and it took away from Sonny - ironically - like they did.

It seemed the writing style was trying too hard to be tuff and every now and then a swear would pop up - oddly - like it was just there to be there.

The last 50 pages are unquestionably powerful. Toshes writing style and way work perfectly here.

I think Sonny deserves more.

I would not consider this a biography of the champ, but I'm glad I read it. I'm glad I got to learn some parts of Sonny Liston that I didn't know before - so that alone is worth reading it - as long as you realize that Sonny is only a bit player in what is supposed to be his biography.

In addition to this I'd recommend David Remnick's King of The World - it's a fantastic book surrounded by Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali.

Read both and you get somewhat of a view of Sonny Liston.

Rest in Peace Champ!

Tosches hits it
"The Devil and Sonny Liston" is a spellbinding tale about one of sports most misunderstood characters. The insight and detail Tosches presents are void of political correctness and give an intriguing portrait of one of professional boxing's most feared competitors and the sport's underlying corruption of the 50's and 60's. Muhammad Ali worshippers are in for an education. No punches are pulled. A great book!

Tosches takes a dive
A truly talented writer is one who can write about a subject in which I have no interest and keep me interested. Tosches is a talented writer because I find boxing a bore. "The Devil and Sonny Liston" (or "Night Train," Tosches' preferred title which was used in the UK) held my interest, yet if I came to the book as a fan of either boxing or the title subject, I think I'd be disappointed.

As he did in his superior biography of Dean Martin, the author uses the central figure more as a starting point to cover a wider terrain, in both cases, the influence of organized crime in 20th century America. But whereas Dino came alive on the page, Liston takes a few valiant swings before he's knocked to the canvas, a supporting character in his own life. If Liston took a dive in the famous match against Cassius Clay, and Tosches is convinced he did (and makes a convincing case despite a lack of objectivity - Tosches obviously despises Clay as a triumph of style over substance), Tosches did the same here by writing this book strictly for the cash (an admission he makes in "In the Hand of Dante"). I don't condemn that, after all, the book is still a good read, but that doesn't change my feeling that Liston and his fans got shortchanged.

Tosches botches it
Sonny Liston was one of the real bad boys of boxing, although the term "bad boy" is undersized, like the gloves Liston had to wear until he could afford a custom-made pair to cover his massive fists. One of the baddest of bad men, then, one of the three truly fearsome heavyweights of the last fifty years, a brutal ring warrior who dispatched his opponents with ease until his career was clipped by Cassius Clay under what many view as suspect circumstances. Subsequently overshadowed, his reputation has been revised recently and a growing minority now view him as the greatest heavyweight of all. Nick Tosches' biography is certainly aptly timed.
Liston's early life was mysterious. His birth date is unknown, but was apparently some time between 1928 and 1932. His father, Tobe, was born four years after the abolition of slavery in the almost unfathomably distant year of 1870. Next to nothing is known of Sonny's childhood, but it was evidently hard. He came to St Louis as a young man who couldn't read or write and followed the all-too-well-trodden path of petty crime, prison and boxing. He turned out to have outstanding ability, including tremendous punching power. Opponents described his blows as paralyzing or excruciatingly painful. By the late 50's he was a leading heavyweight contender. He finally got his championship shot against Floyd Paterson, whom he demolished in two fights in a total time of four and a half minutes.
Liston's career by this point had been severely tarnished. He was managed by the Mob, drank heavily, had run-ins with the police, even during his tenure as champion, and apparently settled his way out of being charged with sexual assault. In February, 1964 his 18-month reign as champion ended when he refused to rise from his stool at the start of the seventh round against Cassius Clay, claiming that his left arm was numb and thereby becoming the first champion since 1919 to go out sitting down. In the rematch Liston was knocked out by one punch in the first round. The fight film (surely the second-most scrutinized strip of film from the 60s) has failed to satisfy fans that a blow of any force was delivered. But real or not, the "Phantom Punch" didn't just stop Liston, it ended his career. An attempt to get into movies was a complete failure (although his commercial spot for Braniff Airlines, co-starring Andy Warhol, sounds memorable). Sonny mounted a comeback bid in the late 60's but it was derailed when he was KOd by Leotis Martin (although the fight also ended Martin's career, as he suffered a detached retina). In his last fight, in 1970 (100 years after the birth of his father), Sonny banged up Chuck Wepner. His shady life ended in shady circumstances. He was found dead at home by his wife in January, 1971. As he had already been dead several days, however, the precise date of death is unknown. The cause of death, likewise, could not be established with certainty.
While Liston and his times are fascinating - not least Liston's role as the godfather of all subsequent bad-ass African-American sports and music celebrities - their treatment by Tosches is decidedly pedestrian. There is little about boxing, with almost no description of any of Liston's fights and little about the overall scene or the other leading contenders. Tosches' main focus is on organized crime. Unfortunately, most of this material is second-rate. Apart from the problem of a relative lack of documentation, the would-be Mob historian writing of decades-old events is also confronted by the fact that many of the principals are dead, while the survivors may be afflicted by (genuine) memory loss and were all habitual liars to begin with anyway. Tosches wastes space with transcribed filler from various public inquiries (does anyone really want to read about Blinky Palermo or Barney Baker taking the fifth a dozen times?). But he fails to tackle the big question of the narrative - were the fights against Ali fixed? Tosches has his opinions, but adds no new evidence. Nor does he address the obvious fact that the motive for a fix was highly problematic. Allegedly, Liston's owners deliberately gave up a valuable, high-prestige and revenue-generating property - the heavyweight championship. For what - so they could bet on a fix at 8-1? And then how did they get Sonny to take a dive? While it might be rational to throw a fight in pursuit of a title shot, as Jake LaMotta admitted to having done, the championship itself is what fighter live, train and suffer for, the rewards are enormous and the alternatives bleak, as most fighters have neither skills nor interests outside the ring. The notion that a fighter would throw away the title, his lifetime goal, simply to satisfy his manager's machinations requires a little explanation. And even if the first fight was rigged, why not recapture the crown in the second, where the 8-5 odds offered a much less lucrative payoff? The evident dive against Ali notwithstanding, the fix theory raises as many questions as it answers.
Tosches' investigation of Liston's death is similarly inconclusive. Tosches states at the outset that Liston was murdered, but later admits that there is no evidence to support this; nor is there much evidence for any other cause, such as drug overdose.
Tosches success is in drawing his subject as a man who never escaped servitude, who could handle himself in the ring but not in life, but who, for all his bad side also maintained a kind of dignity. At the same time, the portrait of Liston is sketchy and unsatisfying. The main research effort having been wasted on minor Mob figures, and the writing style being classic blowhard, this is a book with some shortcomings. But its subject is a remarkable figure, and the photos are good, especially the cover and the last one. Bad as he was, Sonny Liston deserves a better biography.

This is one for the Bargain Bin
"The Devil and Sonny Lisaton," does not deal with Liston very much. The book covers mob trivia and rehashed info on mobster influence in boxing during the fifties, but contains very little interesting info on Liston, on his fight career, his opponents or anything else about the man. This is one of the worst boxing books ever published! ... Read more

Book Description

When Casey Stengel was named the manager of the Yankees in 1949, baseball wags were stunned. What had Stengel ever done? His work managing the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves had been long on personality and remarkably short on success. They thought the Yankees would never be able to compete with the Red Sox or Indians with that broken-down old man in charge. At the All-Star break, the Yankees looked like a banged-up bunch of also-rans, not like a team about to embark on five straight championships. Yet Stengel seemed confident of success. As Steven Goldman explains, people had forgotten that Casey knew how to come back.

How did he know? Goldman refutes claims that anyone could have won with the Yankees. Casey knew how to win because of the years of struggle and ignominy, because he’d learned how to manage by running two of the game’s worst sad-sack franchises, because he had learned through failure. To understand Stengel’s formative years, Goldman retraces Stengel’s baseball education in playing for the great John McGraw, from whom he also learned that success permits no room for nostalgia. Goldman follows Stengel through his years with the Dodgers and Braves, his return to the minors, a spat with Bill Veeck, and his success as a businessman away from the diamond.

Forging Genius gives insights to Stengel’s irrepressible love of the game and his incorrigible desire to entertain. As Casey put it, "Because I can make people laugh, some of them think I’m a damn fool." His humor camouflaged a relentless hunger for success, glory, and the respectability he desperately sought. Goldman gives readers an unprecedented vision of one man’s lifelong pursuit of genius on the baseball diamond. ... Read more

Book Description

John Starks: My Life chronicles John Starks’ miraculous ascension from going undrafted after one just one season at Oklahoma State to his stellar career with the New York Knicks. Fans remember his memorable career in New York, capsuled by two remarkable, yet polar-opposite games. The highest of highs would be his triumphant dunk over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan, known in Knick history as "The Dunk," in the waning moments of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls which put the Knicks up two games to none. Starks also holds nothing back about his 2-for- 18 shooting drought in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets, which was the last real chance the Knicks have had for a championship since 1973. Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, Mark Jackson, Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy are all seen anew through Starks' clear, no-nonsense eyes. Starks also describes his other NBA stops in Golden State, Utah and, briefly, Chicago. In addition, Starks names his all-minor league-to-NBA team, his all-heart-on-the-jersey team and his all-shooting team.

Starks’ autobiography describes the star’s rise from life in inner-city Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a child, John did not escape trouble, stealing from stores and later cars with a friend who later died in a high-speed car crash with the police. He credits his escape and rapid rise to the influence of his older brother, Monty, who watched the majority of John’s NBA career from behind bars, and the single mother that raised John and his siblings.

John later attended four junior colleges before making his breakthrough and playing Division I college basketball at Oklahoma State. Monty, before he was sent away to prison, was the one who drove John, toughening him up in savage games of one-on-one and convincing John that he had more in him than just being a drug dealer like himself and playing basketball on the playgrounds of Tulsa. It was Monty who called Leonard Hamilton, the then-coach of Oklahoma State, and got Coach Hamilton to come down and watch John play at Oklahoma Junior College, resulting in a scholarship.

Finally, it is a book about family and Starks moving back to Tulsa and raising his family of three children (John Jr. is an aspiring basketball player with a dream to make it to the NBA like his father) with his wife, Jackie, and helping Monty after his release from prison in 2000. Monty now lives in a house on John's property, adjacent to John's house, and has helped him find employment. The two are avid golf partners who, although they constantly fight over everything from Monty rooting for OU and John for OSU, share a bond forged on the hardscrabble streets of North Tulsa.

John Starks: My Life also includes an in-depth interview with John Starks that will take readers Beyond the Book. This very candid, personal interview with John will give fans even more insight into his life. Highlights include John's hilarious stories about his teammates and his emotional farewell message to the New York fans. ... Read more

Book Description

K2 is called the "Savage Mountain" and it has earned the name. Though not quite as tall as Everest, it is far more dangerous. Located at the border of China and Pakistan in the remote Karakoram range, K2 has some of the harshest climbing conditions and weather of any place in the world. At the beginning of the 2004 climbing season, ninety women had successfully summited Everest, but only five female climbers had reached the peak of K2. Today, all of those brave pioneers are dead.

In 1986 Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz became the first woman ever to reach the top of K2 and was followed to the summit that same year by French climber Liliane Barrard and British climber Julie Tullis, both of whom died on their way down the mountain. Then in 1992, the summer that Rutkiewicz perished on Kangchenjunga, French alpinist Chantal Mauduit summited K2 and survived, only to die six years later on another 8,000-meter peak. Finally, in 1995 British climber and mother Alison Hargreaves reached the top but was killed shortly after starting her descent from its perilous summit. These courageous, remarkable women can no longer tell their tales of defeating the ferocious mountain. Jennifer Jordan, a journalist and filmmaker, tells the haunting and compelling, sometimes tragic, stories of how these women lived and died on the mountains they pursued.

Mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, poets and engineers, the female pioneers of K2 were complex personalities in the controversial world of high-altitude mountaineering, and their lives and deaths are a reminder of the high price climbers often pay to follow their dreams.

Reviews (3)

THREE CLASSIC BOOKS BY SPACEMAN
First came The Wrong Stuff, a classic of its genre; then the hilarious The Little Red Sox Book, a revisionist Red Sox history (Curse Reversed edition now available in paperback) and now Have Glove Will Travel. Lee is the Hemingway of baseball players.
Pumpsie Greenberg

Hemingway Couldn't Write A Better Book
This book is extraordinary. First, it may be the most literate baseball memoir ever written. It reads like an excellent novel with some passages that moved me to tears, not because they were poignant, but because they were so beautifully written. Second, you will never read a more candid self-portrait. Mr. Lee writes honestly and insightfully though humorously about his many shortcomings. But what struck me is that this is a great piece of travel writing, something like a cross between Bill Bryson and the late Hunter Thompson. Lee relates zany and amusing anecdotes about the places he's visited and the exotic characters he's met while searching the globe for the perfect playing field. Lee writes of ending a drought byhitting a homer in Saskatchewan (with an wacky but loving travel piece on the town of Lumsden),educating Ted Williams, of all people, on hittng theory, and how he got arrested three times in one day while playing in Russia. It is all great, great fun. But when he writes about how baseball helped him reconcile with his father and children or of the gift he received from an impoverished woman while visiting Cuban, Lee (and his co-writer Richard Lally) will break your heart. The passages in these sections are as moving as anything you will ever read in a baseball book or any book for that matter. This book is essential reading for anyone who loves baseball or just loves great writing. I cannot wait to see the movie. Bravo!

Bill Lee Has A Genuine Love For The Game
I was going to rate this book three stars, but the book rallied in the last few chapters.I was not interested in reading about Bill Lee's adventures around the world as it applied to drugs and other hell-raising escapades.He was put on baseball's black list after going AWOL during a game with the Montreal Expos when a friend of his was unfairly, according to Lee, released.There is a wonderful chapter on the conversation he had with Ted Williams.Williams, of course, claims he made a living off of dumb pitchers.However, Lee challenged Teddy Ballgame by saying he could tell him one reason Williams was such a good hitter that Ted wasn't even aware of.The skeptical, but curious, Williams decided to hear what Lee had to say.After having Williams conduct a simple experiment involving his eyes, Lee made a believer of Williams in regard to which of Williams' eyes was the dominant one.Lee genuinely loves the game of baseball as has previous generations in his family.In fact, his aunt, Annabelle Lee, was a professional ballplayer for nine seasons as the ace left-hander for several women's baseball teams during the 1940's.Her uniform hangs in the Baseball Hall of Fame.For Lee to continue playing wherever a ballgame can be found shows he has a genuine love for the game.There are some very funny anecdotes that will be fun to pass on to others.I give the book four stars rather than five, due to a lot of the aforementioned mischief stories involving drugs and alcohol.The last forty pages, however, make this book a worth while read. ... Read more

Book Description

The sea was our common home, and I felt our connection went back a very long way -- to a time that predated man's emergence from the water.

In 1996, Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras, a native Cuban and a world champion in the dangerous and controversial sport of free diving, met Audrey Mestre, a beautiful French marine biology student who had sought him out in Cabo San Lucas for her research. A passionate romance immediately bloomed between the two, and their love was bonded by a shared fascination with and devotion to the ocean. When the couple moved back to Miami, Audrey took up the sport herself and quickly proceeded to break the female world record (115 meters). They soon became free diving's power couple, testing the limits of their wills and bodies by descending to unthinkable depths, training and touring together, encouraging and motivating each other.

Then, on October 12, 2002, in a dive off the coast of the Dominican Republic, tragedy struck: Audrey's attempt to break the world record with a dive of 170 meters ended in her death. Suddenly, Pipín -- haunted by questions, reeling from the loss of his soul mate -- could no longer find solace in the sea that had always been his true home.

Now, for the first time, Pipín tells his story. He shares the heart-pounding adventure and fierce competition that fuel the sport of free diving and his own addiction to it. He addresses the controversy that has followed him throughout his career and that spun out of control after Audrey's death. And he relates the haunting story of his relationship with Audrey -- a unique and complicated tale of love and obsession taken to extreme depths.

Book Description

This is the life and times of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, one of the most popular wrestlers of the 1970s and 1980s. A three time former NWA Heavyweight Champion, Rhodes was a major star at every company he wrestled for. Known for his amazing charisma, Rhodes had perhaps the most famous wrestling feud ever with fellow wrestling legend Ric Flair.

This autobiography explores the life of Dusty Rhodes from his childhood through his amazing career. In this book, Rhodes recounts all of his famous angles, feuds, and road stories. Truly a must-read title for all wrestling fans. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The American Dream, Plus 150 Pounds
I really enjoyed this book except I for the coarse language, the innumerable typographical errors, and the constant self-aggrandizement. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed his perspective of wrestling history.

Dusty: Reflections of an American Dream
As you read the book, you realize what great contributions Dusty Rhodes and other wrestlers made to make the wrestling business florish.The cast of characters is fabulous.Dusty's stories about some of the wrestlings greatest characters (before WWF/WWE became the only game in town) is well told.The book is worth the price and as you read it, you realize what a real pleasure it was to watch true showmen at work in a craft that they loved.Unfortunately, WWE and the McMahons, (no matter how entertaining WWE is), have hurt the overall wrestling business as well as killing off most of the small independent markets.

Don't wait for the paperback, get the hardcover book.It's a must for any and all wrestling fans. I'm hoping I can get Dusty to someday sign it for me.Many thanks Dusty, for sharing some of your stories with us -

Paul Franco

Truly a dream read
This book was one of the best wrestling books I have ever read.This isn't a book about how he ran Crockett or florida or TNA, but just a bunch of cool stories that made me long for the old days.Please do another Dusty, and let's relive the glory days

Great Stories and Insights from a True Wrestling Legend
This book was a really fun read and a good wrestling book too.I figured Dusty would tell some classic stories, which he did, but he also got into a lot of the politics of business.

There was some fansinating insight on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling/Jim Crockett Promotions, who called themselves the NWA during the mid-1980s. I was really reminded of how fantastic that promotion was. Dusty shares some great memories of the Road Warriors, Magnum TA, Nikita Koloff, Ric Flair, the Four Horsemen, and the Midnight Express. Tully Blanchard was actually quoted saying...

...[Dusty] was in charge when the tidal wave came, and the one thing Dusty should know is in my opinion he grossly underestimated the ability of himself and some of us. We had the right players. If he would have played it a little differently , maybe the result would have been different.
-- Tully Blanchard

I give Dusty his props for letting that be in the book because he does get blamed a awful lot for the promotions demise, when, in truth, the NWA had a great run, but just didn't understand marketing like the WWF (which Dusty admits).

The stories are crazy. Hearing about Dusty running with Terry Funk, Andre the Giant, Harley Race, and Dusty's best friend, Dick Murdoch, makes you wonder how they didn't get into more trouble than they did. The story with Dusty and Andre drunk in Manhattan, racing horse carriages was priceless.

Dusty gives a candid account of his relationship with Dustin. Any fan who remembers Dustin (as Golddust) making fun of Dusty on WWF TV will find this section really compelling.

I really enjoy the "Starcade Prime" section, where Dusty shares his fantasy super wrestling card, which was a nice touch.

Good book.

Dusty Finish
I purchased this book looking forward to read all about Dustys great career and get insight into the great Jim Crockett era of 84-89. Instead I get Dusty blabing on and on about nothing in particular. Dusty jumps from topic to topic without ever finishing whatever thought he was on at the time.
The book is in no chronological order whatsoever and if you are to believe Dusty, he was bigger than Hogan and "Terry" ripped him off. Oh and thanks for the chapter on the Dream Starrcade big Dust. I couldnt have lived without that. After watching his latest run as booker in TNA and reading this book, TNA will be gone by year end if you will. ... Read more

Book Description

The memoir of a former top tennis player who dedicated her life, andthe entirety of her immense fortune, to helping disadvantaged children.

In the 1980s, Andrea Jaeger was a tennis phenomenon -- she turned pro at theage of 14 and was the #2 ranked female tennis player in the world. But, despiteher success, she was unfulfilled.

After an injury ended her career early, Jaeger began to answer her true calling: following the Word of God. Listening to Hisvoice ultimately led Jaeger to put the entire fortune she had amassed on thetennis court into developing The Silver Foundation, a non-profit camp for childrenwith cancer, and dedicating her life to bringing joy to others.

This is the story of how she went from tennis great to her “second service” and the story of the incredible kids she's helped along the way.

Reviews (4)

A great example of Loving your Neighbor.
Arthur K. Dugan, an avid reader.

Andrea Jaeger's book " FIRST SERVICE " is one of the finest I have ever read on personal spirituality and I have read many. Her life of service to God through the giving of all her great amount of money to develop a place for children with cancer called The Silver Foundation. As I read through her book she reminds me of dedicated people like Mother Teresa in her work with the poor. I will read the book again and highly recommend it to others and how each of us needs to be aware of the less fortunate.

Wholesome Inspiring Book
Andrea is defintely an exceptional person, first as a tennis pro, then as a philanthropist.The latter is easily her passion and her excelling service to God.

She relates this story as it unfolds in personal memoir of her life and its turns, each one very much influenced by experiential leadings by God.This continues to develop as she senses signs which she responds to which eventually culminate in the founding of her magnificent work with cancer children.

Puzzling and of concern is her admission that she was babe in the Scriptures and still seems to be convinced by outward confirmation of rather bizarre happenings, rather than clear fountain of God's Holy Word. For example, her story in Detroit with the key to the kingdom is more poignantly given in Scripture repeatedly said to be Christ crucified for sins, e.g. Luke 24 et al.

While truly a model for all, but especially young and talented, to serve humanity, her tendency to follow outward occurrences and inward emotions to the exclusion and reduction of clearly revealed Word of God is dangerous and suspicious.

Don't let any of this reviewer's spiritual concerns detract anyone from this fine read and inspiration to all to get involved and serve.

The Inspirational Autobiography of a Former Tennis Champ
In the early 1980s, Andrea Jaeger was a household name, even among people who had little or no interest in tennis, the sport that catapulted her into the limelight. One of the youngest players ever to turn pro, Jaeger at 14 was everywhere --- in newspapers and magazines, on television. Her signature long, blonde pigtails made her immediately recognizable. She was the media darling of the tennis world.

Her career was cut short by an injury, prompting her to pursue a dream she had had since childhood --- not all that long ago, at the time --- to work with children. After spending several years acquiring business skills and other related experience, Jaeger and a friend moved to Aspen, Colorado, where they eventually set up a foundation and started a ministry to reach out to cancer-stricken children at a place now known as the Silver Lining Ranch. Jaeger's entire $1.4 million in lifetime earnings provided the seed money for the organization.

That's the straightforward account of what happened. In FIRST SERVICE, Jaeger fills in the details, the often remarkable, behind-the-scenes story of a woman whose childlike faith in God never questioned that He would bring to pass the hopes and dreams she held out for the future --- a future she always knew would not find its center in professional tennis. In her telling of the story of her life, her faith and her ministry, Jaeger clearly demonstrates that what was once considered to be her youthful exuberance is instead who she really is, because her energy, excitement and enthusiasm for life is every bit as much a part of her personality today, at the age of 38, as it was when she was a celebrity teenager.

Throughout her life, as well as the pages of the book, God plays the dominant role. From an early age, Jaeger sensed the presence of God even though she did not grow up in a strong faith environment. Many of her experiences with God have been nothing short of mystical; as a child, she had a vision of the Children's Crusade long before she ever knew anything about the actual event in history. Her narrative is sprinkled with accounts of dreams and visions that are bound to make believers shiver with supernatural delight and skeptics question her grounding in reality. But much of what she saw in those dreams and visions has come to pass and has contributed to the success of the ranch, so the skeptics may have to look elsewhere for something to disbelieve.

True to her nature, which apparently is an extraordinarily generous one, Jaeger is donating all of her proceeds from sales of FIRST SERVICE to help hurting children. In addition to the Silver Lining Ranch, Jaeger and the Silver Lining Foundation (www.silverliningfoundation.org) support children's charities in the U.S. and around the world.

First Service -- Finding a Purpose to Life
This book by Andrea Jaeger is ideal for anyone who wants to get insight into finding out what is important in life. Andrea was a great tennis player but she has found joy and purpose off the court -- helping others and being close to her faith. She tells her story in a way that makes it clear how others, too, can find joy. The book is also excitng to read as you learn about miracle after miracle that has helped her build a beauitful ranch in Aspen, CO, where children with cancer go to have great days of peace and joy. Andrea rocks! This book is a perfect gift for anyone you love. ... Read more

Book Description

He was The Intimidator. A nightmare in the rear-view mirror. A unique winner in the boardroom. A seven-time Winston Cup champion. A driver whose personal success story and dedication inspired the adoration of millions of fans.Then on February 18, 2001, just seconds from the Daytona 500 finish line, the world of stock-car racing suffered a devastating loss as Dale Earnhardt fatally careened into a track wall.The tragic shock waves, and an unprecedented outpouring of respect and love, have not stopped since.

At the Altar of Speed takes readers behind the scenes of Earnhardt's celebrated life, tracing his rags-to-riches journey to the top of America's fastest-growing sport.Beginning with Earnhardt's early days growing up in small-town North Carolina, veteran sports writer Leigh Montville examines how a ninth-grade dropout started on the dusty dirt tracks of the South, went through two marriages and a string of no-future jobs before turning twenty-five, then took about a million left turns to glory.Through the pitfalls and triumphs, Earnhardt would ultimately become a celebrated champion, whose lifetime earnings would top forty-one million dollars.The son of a legendary racer, the father of a NASCAR star, he lived a total auto-racing life filled with triumph and sadness, great joy and great pain.

Transporting readers to the colorful, noisy world of stock-car racing, where powerful engines allow drivers to reach speeds of 200 m.p.h., At the Altar of Speed vividly captures the man who drove the black No. 3 car, a man whose determination and inner strength left behind a legacy of greatness that has redefined his sport.Illustrated with a section of full-color photographs, At the Altar of Speed is a tribute to both the man and his unbeatable spirit.
... Read more

Reviews (16)

A Book for ALL Nascar Fans...Not Just for Earnhardt Fans
I love books about NASCAR. As a female fan of the sport, I love to learn about not only the history of NASCAR but about the men who make NASCAR so popular. This book is not only for Dale Earnhardt fans but I would recommend it for those people who didn't like him. I think they will be surprised at how different Dale Earnhardt was off the track. "The Intimidator" only describes his on-track persona.

What makes this book a great read is that with each story you can almost hear the sadness in the voices of those folks who have lost a very special friend. Some of the tales told are humorous and with each recollection you learn more about Dale Earnhardt the man, husband, father, and friend.

Leigh Montville has put together what I can honestly say is the best tribute to a man who is missed by so many of us. He made me realize NASCAR will never ever be the same without that Goodwrench Black Number 3 Monte Carlo of Dale Earnhardt.

Dale, Rest in Peace!

Great Book for Casual Fans
First off, I need to explain that I'm a big NASCAR fan. Every NASCAR fan, no matter what they thought of Dale Earnhardt when he was alive, understands what a terrible loss took place the day of his crash. He is impossible to replace and was the one of the toughest competitors in all of sport.

That being said I looked forward to reading this book hoping to get a new insight into Earnhardt's life and the man. Unfortunately, I didn't read much that I didn't already know. If you were already a big fan of Dale Earnhardt and followed the sport closely, this book will add little to your knowledge. Mr. Montville is a great writer and he does a great job in writing about Dale Earnhardt in this book. In many ways, this is much like a good article in Sports Illustrated that has been lengthened to fit a book. If you are a casual fan or have just started to follow the sport, I would recommend the book to you.

As for myself as a long-time fan, what I liked best about the book was the stories about Dale and fellow races Neil Bonnett. It brought out the human side of two very close friends who both left the world far too early. The problem is that there isn't enough of that in the book. I already know about Dale's racing history and it's not hard to find out from many sources.

In addition, I had a few problems with the book. The problems I had is that Andy Petree is misidentified in one of the book's photos and there seems to be an effort to smear Earnhardt's business manager Don Hawk. Yes, Dale Earnhardt managed to make millions of dollars in his career, and one reason that happened was because of Don Hawk. It seems as if there is a bit of resentment out there because of Earnhardt's success off the track as well as on it.

While I recommend this book to new fans, I would urge long-time fans to find the article that Ed Hinton wrote in the Orlando Sentinel immediately after Earnhardt's death. As this book brings out, Hinton and Earnhardt were often at odds with one another, but Hinton wrote a beautiful story that shared a number of great anecdotes about some of the unknown stories in Earnhardt's life. That's what I want to read about and I wish this book would have had more of it.

At the Altar of Speed
This is the first Dale Earnhardt book I have found that was NOT a coffee table book filled only with captioned photos.

This book covers Dale's life from the beginning, discussing his friends and family. It tells the story of his struggle to become so successful.

Dale was always a very private person, and until now, it was difficult to find anything about his personal life away from the racetrack. The book even mentions that Dale advised Dale Jr. that he would regret living his "Club E" image in the public eye.

I been a huge Nascar fan for over 20 years, and admired Dale since he finally cast the monkey off his back by winning the Daytona 500.

All in all a very good read, leaving me the desire to find out even more about Dale.

Montville informs well
I just finished this book, and I absolutely loved it. It had me laughing, crying, and everything in between. I'm an avid NASCAR fan, and Dale Earnhardt is and will always be my favorite driver. I am following the path of his son, and I have also read Driver #8. Both books are fantastic, and a lot of fun to read. Very hard for me to put down!

This Book was Written by a NASCAR Outsider
It's obvious that this book was written by an (admitted) outsider to NASCAR. After finishing the book, I felt like Leigh Montville sat around listening to stories about Dale and then decided to write a book about those stories. I'm sorry, but I feel like the only reason this book was written was for compensatory reasons.

In one section, Mr. Montville writes that whereas other NASCAR drivers said that they were friends with Dale, Dale did not feel that they were his true friends (saying that you would always see them hang out at his trailer, but you would not see him hanging out at theirs). Dale did admittedly hang out with other drivers (outside of race weekends) and go vacationing, hunting, and fishing with them.

Being a huge NASCAR fan, I was overall very disappointed with this book (though I did enjoy the section about Dale and Neil Bonnett). If you want a brief overview of Dale's life, then this may be the book for you. If you want to find out the real/more in depth story, then I would suggest you buy a book from an author who either really knew Dale personally or has spent most of their life affiliated with NASCAR. That's what I plan to do. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

the best tennis book, period
For diversity, quality and quantity (960 pages), "Total Tennis" hits winner after winner. Past and present stars from Sears to Sampras and from Suzanne to Serena are covered with in-depth and fascinating features, either from SPORT magazine or by Bud Collins himself, the encyclopedia's distinguished author. The careers of hundreds of other players are described in engrossing profiles and bios. Collins' superb knowledge of tennis shines brightest in year-by-year stories of the greatest players at the greatest venues, as well as in discussions of important issues, from 1919 to 2002. The most memorable matches come to life with intriguing prologues -- before Lenglen's 1926 showdown with Wills at Cannes, France, she told a friend: "This girl must be mad. Does she think she can come and beat me on my home court?" -- riveting match coverage, and incisive epilogues. Comprehensive registers of both the pre-1968 amateur era and later pro era provide abundant statistical information
about leading players and Grand Slam and other prestigious events, such as Davis Cup and Fed Cup, to keep even the most fanatical follower happy. To settle "Who's Better?" and other arguments, this compendium provides world rankings going all the way back to 1913. For fun trivia, did you know: King Gustav V of Sweden learned to play during a visit to Britain in 1878, founded his country's first tennis club when he returned home, and entered tournaments under the pseudonym, Mr. G? Dazzling color photos of the greats on and off the court complete the picture. As a reference book, "Total Tennis" is unsurpassed. But as an enjoyable read, it's equally valuable because the content is so authoritative and complete, and the writing style so entertaining.

Great Tennis Book
I've read a lot of tennis books and this one is great. Except...Collins describes each season beginning with 1919...and leaves out stuff from the late 1800s and first two decades of the 20th century. Great picture of Leo Tolstoy on a tennis court though. Terrific book...and cheaper to purchase it on Amazon.com (which I did not do!)