Every 18 months or so I look to add to my personal boxing library, I have most of Pollacks books, Live Fast, Die Young by Compton, Peter Jacksons bio by Bob Petersen, Strong Boy by Chris Klein, and my newest addition was Nonpareil Jack Dempsey by Joe Page. Is there anything coming out soon that I should keep my eyes open for? Or is there any good ones that I’m missing? TBH I really enjoy books about very early boxing, pre 1930s, any help would be awesome
Did you ever read Clay Moyle’s Sam Langford book? I think that’s an essential. I just got Pollack’s Dempsey book and had a look through and it looks fantastic. Andrew Gallimore’s book on Freddie Welsh was superb too. I really enjoyed it and recommend it. Allen Rosenfeld’s Charles Burley book. Max Schmeling autobio. Blank Ink by Jose Corpas on Panama Al Brown is another I enjoyed a lot.
Smokin'Joe by M. Kram Jr. Ghosts of Manila by M. Kram Ali by Thomas Hauser Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler by Randy Roberts Papa Jack by Randy Roberts Rocky Marciano: Bio of a First Son by Skehan My Life by Joe Louis Raging Bull by Jake La Motta Ty Cobb by Charles C. Alexander I Fought Them All Tom Sharkey Ultimate Tough Guy by Jim Carney Max Schmeling by MS Jess Willard by Allen/Mace Fearless Freddie by Chris Evans Henry Cooper by Robert Edwards Biography of a 19th Century Gladiator by John L. Sullivan
Jack Dempsey the life & times of a boxing icon by Thomas Myler The Saginaw Kid and Boxing in the 1890s Dempsey and the Wild Bull by Jarrett The Fight of the Century by Arkush Berserk by Hamilcar Noir Beyond Glory by Margolick A Man Among Men by Nicholson James J. Jeffries by Pollack Henry Cooper by Norman Giller The Life and Times of Stanley Christodoulou Leo Houck by Swope A Tale of 2 Fists by Runyon The Choynski Chronicles by LaForce Three Jacks by McCauliffe The Big If The Phantom Punch by Sneedon ( I have never found a satisfying Liston bio. I have 5 of them. The Tousche one is pure garbage writing) John L. Sullivan by Pollack Stanley Ketchel by Mora Mickey Walkers bio 4 Dempsey bios Earnie Shavers bio Heavyweight Champions by Stanley Weston Michael Gomez autobio Freddie Welsh by Poontypridd Tunney by Cavanaugh Gene Tunney The Golden Guy Who Licked Jack Dempsey Twice by John Jarrett (I LOVED THIS BOOK) UNBEATEN BY Stanton Irish Thunder Micky Ward by Bob OHalloran A Warriors Heart by Ward Sam Langford by Moyle Jack Kearns A Million Dollar Gate Hard Luck: The Jerry Quarry Story.
I loved reading this book. I also got an ok one Abe Attell The Life and Times and have 2 on Battling Nelson and Ad Wolgast that are readable. Probably have 19 bios and autobios on heavyweight Jack Dempsey
The ultimate dempsey book is mr pollacks..... By farrrr !! Ultimate tough guy was good !! Have pretty much same above library Langford book by moyle was good
Have everyone thing on guys like jeffries, dempsey, willard, johnson , etc that was avaible last few decades And walker, Robinson, etc
The only Robinson book I liked was Sugar Ray from 1970. A fav book of mine is on George LaVigne. I kinda love 1890-1927. I loaded up on those. La'Vigne book is up there also for me as one of the best ever. I have a Zale one I dont like. Graziano one I dont like. A great one in "Somebody up There Likes Me". Got a good Tiger Flowers one. Got Siki & McTigue separate bios. 2 Greb ones. 3 Walker (who I love). 2 Duran both disappointing. I wrote at the same paper in the 80s as his ghost writer in "I Am Duran" and know for a fact that George couldn't stand Roberto. Arguello and Gomez books both are disappointing. Recently bought a new LaMotta bio- it sucked. A great writer tells a story and draws you into it. He doesn't just regurgitate facts and old newspaper prose. The Burley book is like that. While the books on Braddock pull you in. Runyon's "A Tale of Two Fists" about the lead up to and the fight between Willard and Dempsey is priceless for understanding the time and atmosphere. I have a pretty good book called " The Professor" about Nelson. But I got garbage books on Basilio, Moore and Peter Jackson. My Ezzard Charles book was enjoyable as are all the Hurricane Carter bios.
I might try t to get the lavigne and flowers books....zale book wasnt good.... Somebody up there was pretty good...sugar ray pretty good Pre 50 s i like but especially 1890 to 1940
"Muscles and Mayhem: The Saginaw Kid and the Fistic World of the 1890s" . ONE of the 5 best I ever read.
"A FISTFUL OF MURDER: THE FIGHT AND CRIMES OF CARLOS MONZON" comes out Oct 22 on Amazon . written by Noir and Stradley. And in my above post I wrote of my problems with the Duran book. I though it ("I Am Duran") was passionless also, unlike the man and his 70s fearsome aura.
The Flowers book is garbage. All three Flowers books are bad. I stopped reading the Lavigne book when it said he trained Carpentier in Paris. Thats not true. Lavigne had left France before Carpentier ever went to Paris.
