Hardcover. NY, Simon & Schuster, 1st, 1996, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 254, b&w illustrations. A veteran of seven decades of professional baseball reminisces about his days in the Negro Leagues, offers an intimate portrait of Satchel Paige, and reveals his current work scouting for the Kansas City Royals at age eighty-two. Buck O'Neil was a former all-star player and manager for the Kansas City Monarchs; he also has the distinction of being the first black to hold a coaching position in major league baseball. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Doubleday, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 342 pages, b&w illustrations. In the spring of 1995, twelve extraordinary basketball players were chosen to represent the United States in the yearlong march to the 1996 Olympics. For Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and their teammates, winning the gold medal was only one of many goals. Around them swirled the dreams of the millions of young girls who played organized basketball, the hopes of the fans who sent the team an average of 125 pounds of fan mail each month, the multimillion-dollar bets of Nike, Champion, and other corporate sponsors, the promise of a new women's professional league, and not least, the hopes of female athletes across the country finally to gain the respect accorded male athletes.
Hardcover. Minneapolis, Milkweed Editions, 1st, 2024, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 252 pages. Some color photos. When National Geographic Adventurers of the Year Amy and Dave Freeman marry, they set out on an unusual honeymoon: a three-year, 12,000-mile journey across North America. From Alaska's Inside Passage to Florida's Key West, they traverse the continent by kayak, canoe, dogsled, and skis, encountering wildlife, sublime landscapes, and harrowing challenges.Along the way, the Freemans also bear witness to environmental degradation and climate change--from plastic-covered beaches to forest fires to retreating glaciers. And as they engage with Native and rural communities most impacted by the changes resulting from modern industrial society and meet individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the natural world, their adventure deepens in ways they never imagined. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Harper, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 456 pages, illustrated in color and b&w. Award-winning sports writer Jane Leavy follows her New York Times runaway bestseller "Sandy Koufax" with the definitive biography of baseball icon Mickey Mantle. The legendary Hall-of-Fame outfielder was a national hero during his record-setting career with the New York Yankees, but public revelations of alcoholism, infidelity, and family strife badly tarnished the ballplayer's reputation in his latter years. In "The Last Boy", Leavy plumbs the depths of the complex athlete, using copious first-hand research as well as her own memories, to show why The Mick remains the most beloved and misunderstood Yankee slugger of all time. Clean copy.
Hardcover. New York, Ticknor & Fields, 1st, 1988, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 282 pages, illustrated throughout with vintage b&w photos, documenting the Yankee star's career. Small nick to dust jacket along fore-edge, light edgewear, otherwise very good.
Hardcover. France, Arthaud, 1st, 1967, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 209 pages. French text. Minor dust jacket edge wear and tear with minor yellowing on inside flaps. Otherwise, a very clean and tight copy.
Hardcover. NY, Ronald Press , 1st, 1959, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Fair, Hardcover in a worn, chipped dust jacket. 361 pages. Many b&w photos, illustrations. The author was head baseball coach at Yale University. Owner's name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. NY, Walker Books, 1st, 2012, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 434 pages, b&w photos. William Louis "Bill" Veeck, Jr. (1914-1986) is legendary in many ways-baseball impresario and innovator, independent spirit, champion of civil rights in a time of great change. Paul Dickson has written the first full biography of this towering figure, in the process rewriting many aspects of his life and bringing alive the history of America's pastime. In his late 20s, Veeck bought into his first team, the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. After serving and losing a leg in WWII, he bought the Cleveland Indians in 1946, and a year later broke the color barrier in the American League by signing Larry Doby, a few months after Jackie Robinson-showing the deep commitment he held to integration and equal rights. Cleveland won the World Series in 1948, but Veeck sold the team for financial reasons the next year. He bought a majority of the St. Louis Browns in 1951, sold it three years later, then returned in 1959 to buy the other Chicago team, the White Sox, winning the American League pennant his first year. Ill health led him to sell two years later, only to gain ownership again, 1975-1981. Veeck's promotional spirit-the likes of clown prince Max Patkin and midget Eddie Gaedel are inextricably connected with him-and passion endeared him to fans, while his feel for the game led him to propose innovations way ahead of their time, and his deep sense of morality not only integrated the sport but helped usher in the free agency that broke the stranglehold owners had on players. (Veeck was the only owner to testify in support of Curt Flood during his landmark free agency case). Bill Veeck: Baseball's Greatest Maverick is a deeply insightful, powerful biography of a fascinating figure.
Hardcover. NY, PublicAffairs, 1st, 2002, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. The former editor of the Chicago Tribune tells the story of his entry into the world of thoroughbred breeding, profiles Kentucky's racehorse culture, and chronicles his successful breeding of Monarchos, the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner.
Hardcover. NY, PublicAffairs, 1st, 2020, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 331 pages. Dodger Stadium is an American icon. But the story of how it came to be goes far beyond baseball. The hills that cradle the stadium were once home to three vibrant Mexican American communities. In the early 1950s, those communities were condemned to make way for a utopian public housing project. Then, in a remarkable turn, public housing in the city was defeated amidst a Red Scare conspiracy. Instead of getting their homes back, the remaining residents saw the city sell their land to Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now LA would be getting a different sort of utopian fantasy -- a glittering, ultra-modern stadium. But before Dodger Stadium could be built, the city would have to face down the neighborhood's families -- including one, the Arechigas, who refused to yield their home. The ensuing confrontation captivated the nation - and the divisive outcome still echoes through Los Angeles today. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Random House, 1st, 1990, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. 233 pages, b&w photos. The greatest basketball player in history tells the dramatic story of his final seasons in the game. A revealing self-portrait by one of the most intriguing sports heroes. This richly detailed book describes the 1988-89 NBA season (his last).
Hardcover. Kansas City MO, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1st, 1999, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. A portrait of one of the world's most famous boxers chronicles the life and career of Oscar de la Hoya, from his poverty-stricken childhood, to his Olympic glory, to his celebrity world of multimillion-dollar contracts, spicy romances, and turbulent personal life and professional career. 313 pages, b&w illustrations. Clean.
Hardcover. NY, Julian Messner, 1st, 1962, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a worn, chipped dust jacket. 186 pages, b&w illustrations. This book looks at ten top world series thrills from 1912 to 1960 featuring the likes of Ruth, Maz, Larsen, Stengel, Johnson , Diz and more. Previous owner's stamp on front fly leaf, some pencil marks on contents page, otherwise clean.
Softcover. Jefferson NC, McFarland, 1st pbk, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 229 pages. Before the rise of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s, baseball was a game of white men, cloth caps and concrete walls. Four men helped to change the sport as America knew it: Branch Rickey, Larry MacPhail, Jackie Robinson and Pete Reiser. These men were essential to the evolution of baseball, especially in their home of Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. It was there that the first major league game was televised, where the batting helmet was developed, where the first walls were padded and the first outfield warning tracks laid down and--with the arrival of Jackie Robinson, it is where the color line was broken. This richly researched history which includes chapters such as "1940: MacPhail Starts a Dodger Dynasty," "1942: FDR Says the Show Must Go On" and "The War Years," presents an exploration of how a crucial decade of Dodger accomplishments transformed American baseball.
Softcover. Chicago, Arcadia Publishing, 1st, 2000, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 128 pages with b&w photos. Chronicles the history of the teams and players that spent time in the "Windy City." Has black and white photos of John Henry "Pop" Lloyd, Bruce Petway, Pete Hill, Grant "Home Run" Johnson, Lou Dials, Dave Malarcher, Willie Foster, "Cannonball" Dick Redding, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe and many others. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Chicago, Bonus Books, 2nd pr., 1989, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 317 pages, b&w photos. Happy Chandler was a two-time governor of Kentucky and a U.S. Senator from the same state during World War II. And while most people credit Branch Rickey with integrating baseball, it would not have happened without this special southern politician, Albert "Happy" Chandler being the Commissioner of Baseball at that time. Chandler also had to deal with the raids on star players by the Mexican League, the controversial suspension of Brooklyn Dodger manager Leo Durocher, and the threatened player strike. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Sterling Publishing, 1st, 1991, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. 274 pages. A brilliant array of major league baseball uniforms from 1900-1991 crowds the pages of this unique sports history. With its high proportion of full-color photographs, it's an invaluable resource for long-standing veterans of the game as well as recently converted devotees. The evolution of uniforms is fascinating to peruse. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, BC Ed., 1976, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 268 pages. Illustrated with a section of black-and-white photographs. "In the poised, outspoken style that typifies his career as one of baseball's fiercest competitors and a superstar of the modern era, Frank Robinson recounts in this book his remarkable and dramatic experience as the first black manager in the history of the major leagues. Written in collaboration with Dave Anderson, the renowned sports columnist of The New York Times, Frank is both the essence of baseball and a document that transcends sports: an intimate, superbly detailed record of the business of managing men on the playing field and a revelation of one man on a spot no one ever occupied before him." Copyright page states first edition but lack of price on dust jacket tells us it's a Book Club. Embossed stamp on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. NY, Simon & Schuster , 1st, 1973, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 192 pages, b&w illustrations. Larry Brown was a running back who played for the NFL's Washington Redskins from 1969 to 1976. An eighth-round draft pick out of Kansas, Brown defied several odds to make the Redskins out of training camp, and then, suddenly, as the team's starting running back. Brown went on to post two 1,000-yard rushing seasons as an integral part of the Redskins' football revival, started with Vince Lombardi in 1969 and then, after Lombardi's 1970 death, carried on by George Allen in 1971. Small tape repair to dust jacket, clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Thomas Dunne/St. Martins, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, price-clipped dust jacket, 290 pages, b&w illustrations. Early in the twentieth century, fate thrust a young Babe Ruth into the gleaming orbit of Ty Cobb. The resulting collision produced a dazzling explosion and a struggle of mythic magnitude. At stake was not just baseball dominance, but eternal glory and the very soul of a sport. For much of fourteen seasons, the Cobb-Ruth rivalry occupied both men and enthralled a generation of fans. Even their retirement from the ball diamond didn't extinguish it. On the cusp of America's entry into World War II, a quarter century after they first met at Navin Field, Cobb and Ruth rekindled their long-simmering feud--this time on the golf course. Ty and Babe battled on the fairways of Long Island, New York; Newton, Massachusetts; and Grosse Ile, Michigan; in a series of charity matches that spawned national headlines and catapulted them once more into the spotlight. Clean copy.
Hardcover. New York, Stein and Day, 1st, 1981, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 260 pages, b&w photographs. INSCRIBED BY GRAZIANO on front fly leaf, dated 1987. Very good in a bright dust jacket.
Hardcover. Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 2nd pr., 2008, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, SIGNED BY BILL SMITH on title page. 194 pages. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to dust jacket.
Hardcover. New York, Moffat, Yard and Co, 3rd, 1916, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 463 pages. Contains black & white photographs. Light soiling to covers.
Hardcover. New York, Villard, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 368 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. A very clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to dust jacket edges. A tight copy.
Hardcover. Boston, Ticknor and Fields, 1st, 1860, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: None, 283 pages. Hardcover. Stated Author's Edition. Brick colored end papers scarred & chipped. Small discard stamp on title-page - ex-library with few markings. Short tear to page 7 of preface. Original embossed brown cloth, gilt lettering on spine faded. Uncommon book detailing the hunting of Indian animals, including man-eaters, panthers, bears, buffalo and wild elephants.
Hardcover. Shrewsbury UK, Quiller Press, 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, Profusely illustrated with color photographs of fox hunts. Detailing the best of hunting both in Britain and America. Clean, bright copy in an unclipped dust jacket. SIGNED/INSCRIBED on front fly leaf "With all best wishes from Jim Meads/03".
Hardcover. NY, Crown/Archetype, 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. To tell this story, acclaimed journalists Jackie MacMullan, Rafe Bartholomew and Dan Klores embarked on a groundbreaking mission to interview a staggering lineup of basketball trailblazers. For the first time hundreds of legends, from Kobe, Lebron and Steph Curry to Magic Johnson, Dr. J and Jerry West, spoke movingly about their greatest passion. Former NBA commissioner David Stern and iconic coaches like Phil Jackson and Coach K opened up like never before. Those who shattered glass ceilings, from Bill Russell and Yao Ming to Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie, explained what it really took to lay claim to their place in the game. At once a definitive oral history and something far more revelatory and life affirming, Basketball: A Love Story is the defining untold oral history of how basketball came to be, and what it means to those who love it. Clean, unmarked copy.
Softcover. Seoul Korea, Nanam Publications, 1st, 1985, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 219 pages, b&w illustrations. Essential for any serious martial artist and practitioners of Tae Kwon Do. Contains practical one-step fighting techniques arranged in the traditional format along with articles on the philosophy andlaguage of the Tae Kwon Do culture. Clean copy.
Softcover. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1st pbk, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 362 pages. INSCRIBED BY BURGOS on the title page. Although largely ignored by historians of both baseball in general and the Negro leagues in particular, Latinos have been a significant presence in organized baseball from the beginning. In this benchmark study on Latinos and professional baseball from the 1880s to the present, Adrian Burgos tells a compelling story of the men who negotiated the color line at every turn-passing as "Spanish" in the major leagues or seeking respect and acceptance in the Negro leagues. Burgos draws on archival materials from the U.S., Cuba, and Puerto Rico, as well as Spanish- and English-language publications and interviews with Negro league and major league players. He demonstrates how the manipulation of racial distinctions that allowed management to recruit and sign Latino players provided a template for Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager Branch Rickey when he initiated the dismantling of the color line by signing Jackie Robinson in 1947. Burgos's extensive examination of Latino participation before and after Robinson's debut documents the ways in which inclusion did not signify equality and shows how notions of racialized difference have persisted for darker-skinned Latinos like Orestes ("Minnie") Minoso, Roberto Clemente, and Sammy Sosa. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Henry Holt, 1st, 1989, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. Years of watching the Boston Red Sox baseball team playing at Fenway Park with his father, grandfather, and then his son, allows Higgins to talk about the simple game, so difficult to play.
Hardcover. NY, Praeger Publishers, 1st, 1973, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. Foreword by Wilfrid Sheed. IIlustrated with photographs. Statistics. 274 pages. Biography of one of the greatest baseball player in the game. Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. Clean copy.
NY, Doubleday, 1st, 1975, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket, unclipped, 324 pages, b&w illustrations. The inside story of baseball's most colorful team and it's controversial owner. "Ambitious, obnoxious, passive-aggressive, unpredictable and never satisfied with anyone but himself. He built the 1970s Oakland A's dynasty then proceeded to tear it apart by his own relentless meddling. He drove staff and managers out of town by the busload. His own players, tired of his interference, bullying and cheapskatery, bided their time at the dawn of free agency and signed elsewhere at the first chance." Clean copy.
Hardcover. Open Road Ski Company, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, pictorial boards, 289 pages. Featuring over 200 ski resort trail maps hand-painted by one legendary artist, this beautiful 292-page hardcover coffee table book is the first and definitive compilation of the art created by James Niehues during his 30-year career. Eight geographically themed chapters form the heart of the book, offering you full-page images of the world's most iconic ski areas including Alta, Arapahoe Basin, Aspen, Breckenridge, Big Sky, Deer Valley, Heavenly, Jackson Hole, Jay Peak, Killington, Kirkwood, Lake Louise, Mammoth, Mont Tremblant, Mt. Bachelor, Park City, Revelstoke, Snowbird, Squaw Valley, Stowe, Sugarloaf, Sun Valley, Taos, Telluride, Whistler Blackcomb and other renowned resorts. In engaging narrative that complements the maps, Niehues reveals his exacting technique, which demands up to six weeks to complete a single painting. He then walks you through the step-by-step process for mapping Breckenridge, sharing everything from aerial photographs, to numerous pencil sketches, to in-progress builds, to the final trail map illustration. Clean copy. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.
Hardcover. NY, St. Martin's Press, 1st, 2014, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. A reminder of the time when America fell in love with a tall, lanky, curly-haired pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. For a time in the 1970s, the country was in thrall to Mark Fidrych, who came to be known as "The Bird" for his resemblance to Big Bird. Fidrych emerged in the summer of 1976 and became an unlikely but legitimate phenomenon. Wilson tells the Bird's story in this biography of the Massachusetts native whose antics included tending to his own pitching mound during games and allegedly talking to the baseball. Clean copy.
Softcover. Annandale VA, Seven Stars Books and Video, 2nd Ed., 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, oblong format, 290 pages. Many b&w instructional photos. Clean copy. Scott M. Rodell's well-crafted book traces the history and development of the Chinese Way of the Sword from the Bronze Era through the Warring States Period up to modern times. Rodell covers all aspects of his subject from the etiquette of handling bladed weapons to basic cuts and classic forms as well as swordplay. The book is profusely illustrated with historical photographs and woodblock prints as well as photographs of contemporary swordplay. The Author brings to this book his many years of expertise as a student and teacher of Taiji Jian and as a recognized authority on the nearly lost art of Chinese swordsmanship.
Hardcover. NY, Knopf, 1st, 1981, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. Halberstam, a lifeling fan of the game, explores the world of professional basketball as he spends the 1979-80 season travelling with the Portland Trail Blazers. Light fading to dj spine, remainder stamp to bottom edge.
Hardcover. NY, Harper & Row, 1st, 1972, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket ($8.95 on flap), Stated "first edition" on copyright page, with complete number line on Page 442. Author Roger Kahn follows the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers through their 1955 season, which took them to the World Series. A nice copy of this timeless favorite. Mild discoloration to covers, hidden by dust jacket.
Hardcover. NY, Birch Lane Press, 2nd pr., 1991, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 407 pages, b&w photos. A biography of Mike Tyson traces the mismanagement of his career, his stormy marriage to actress Robin Givens, and his adventures with Donald Trump in an expose that portrays a man grappling with the burdens of fame and fortune. Illingworth does an exceptional job summarizing the life of Mike Tyson. Almost everything on Tyson is covered. From his troubled youth to his rise to stardom, and ultimately, his downfall; the shocking knock out loss to James "Buster" Douglas and later, his rape conviction of a beauty pageant. Illingworth also exposes the business side of Tyson's career. The contracts, the deals with ABC and HBO, the multi-million dollar figures, the lawsuits, etc... Other subjects include Tyson's self-destructive lifestyle, his marriage and divorce to Givens, and his conflicts with Don King. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott, 1st US, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover, 288 pages, b&w illustrations. In a worn, frayed dust jacket with a darkened spine. Included also are Veterinary Notes by Col. Todd and a chapter on Pig-Sticking by Lieut. Col. Arthur Brooke. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and drawings. Not an ex-library copy. No remainder marks. No names or marks in the text. No date but probably 1929.
Hardcover. New York, Simon & Schuster, Reprint, 1999, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 302 pages. Hardcover. Black & white illustrations throughout. Dust jacket with only minor shelf wear. Clean, unmarked text.
Hardcover. Fairfax, VA, National Rifle Association, reprint, 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 306 pages, illustrated throughout in b/w. Red embossed faux leather with gilt title and decor, all edges gilt, red ribbon marker. Clean, tight copy.
Hardcover. NY, Century Co., 2nd, 1911, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 453 pages. Hardcover with no dust jacket. A unique record of a sportsman's year among the northern most tribe. A rousing account of hunting bears, walrus, narwhals, and more in the Polar region of Alaska.. (C) 1910, b&w photos by author. Light stain to bottom front cover, otherwise VG.
Hardcover. Minneapolis, MN, Voyageur Press, Reprint, 2009, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 192 pages. Softcover. Very clean, unmarked copy with only minor edgewear. Chris-Craft is without doubt the most prestigious name in the history of American boatbuilders. This beautifully illustrated history of the Michigan-based company and its most significant powerboats begins in 1922, when the mercurial Christopher Columbus Smith and his three sons formed Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company. Modern color photography depicting restored and factory-original runabouts and cruisers details the evolution of Chris-Craft boats from the early hand-built years through the move to fiberglass hulls.
Hardcover. Brattleboro VT, Stephen Daye Press, 1st, 1935, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, black cloth with white lettering on spine, b&w illustrations, 207 pages, including a bibliography. A history of skiing is reviewed from Prehistory, the Ski in Literature, Skiing Becomes Sport, and Competitions and Records; a world-wide discussion by each country and area follows, all continents represented; Norwegian skii equipment manufacture is mentioned; facilities, conditions and the sport standing in each country are evaluated. Previous owner's signature on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. NY, Rodale, 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. While The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game will not disappoint basketball purists longing for Oscar Robertson's play-by-play of favorite games, the attraction of this autobiography is Robertson's perspective on the evolution of the sport and on the racial struggles that were the context of his formative years. Called by many basketball experts the greatest all-around player ever, Robertson earned an astonishing array of honors including an Olympic gold medal, 12 NBA All-Star appearances, the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and the 1964 NBA MVP award. Most remarkably, Robertson remains the only player in basketball history with a triple-double season (double-digit averages for scoring, rebounds, and assists). While Robertson could have easily candy-coated this impressive record for his retrospective, he devotes large sections of his book to the racial battles he faced off court, and his final chapters recount his controversial efforts as an NBA union leader to create free agency, a pension plan, and disability protection for players. In telling his life story, he lays bare the racism and mistreatment he suffered at the hands of individuals and institutions throughout his career, from the Mayor of Indianapolis and Cincinnati University to the NBA and CBS Sports. At times, his critiques can seem excessive (e.g. his discussions of the distortions in the film Hoosiers, while interesting, are repeated a bit too often), and some sections (like his attempts to compare himself to contemporary players) border on self-indulgence. Yet, he seems justified in arguing that his achievements--largely accomplished on second-rate teams, against a back-drop of unprecedented racial strife, and before the modern era of sports-media saturation--are easily underrepresented. In the end, The Big O offers a complex, human portrait to complement a spectacular sports career.
Softcover. Charlottesville, University of Virginia Press, 1st pbk, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover. Illustrated with black and white photos.; A history of of the racially-charged integration of black players into baseball's southern minor leagues.
Hardcover. Silver City NM, High-Lonesome Books, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 219 pages, b&w illustrations. There is abundant information in this book about catfishing and other outdoor sports. But there is much more. There is insight into people met along the way on the author's journey around the country, into the author himself and his family, into our society in the nineties and its apparently weakening ties to all things natural. Clean copy.
 "North American Odyssey: 12 000 Miles Across the Continent by Kayak Canoe and Dogsled by: Amy & Dave Freeman")
 "Square in the Arctic Circle, A - An Alaskan Hunt by: Holmes, William Dayton")
 "Ty and The Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship by: Tom Stanton")
 "Wild Sports of India - With Remarks on the Breeding and Rearing of Horses and the Formation of Light Irregular Cavalry, Theby: Shakespear, Captain Henry")
 "In Full Cry (SIGNED COPY)by: Meads, Jim")
 "The Man Behind The Maps: Legendary Ski Artist James Niehues by: Jason Blevins/ Ben Farrow")
 "The Breaks of the Game by: Halberstam, David")
 "The Boys of Summer by: Roger Kahn")
 "Mike Tyson: Money, Myth and Betrayalby: Illingworth, Montieth")
 "Four Corners - How UNC, N. C. State, Duke, & Wake Forest Made North Carolina the Center of the Basketball Universeby: Menzer, Joe")
 "Guns of the Old Westby: Chapel, Charles Edward")
 "Hunting with the Eskimosby: Whitney, Harry")
 "THE BIG O: My Life My Times My Gameby: Robertson, Oscar")
