Easily the best boxing book I have read. Also, Schulberg penned the best non-boxing book that I have read "What makes Sammy Run" - although shades of Mike Jacobs in Sammy Glick's character. Eubanks Biography was an excellent read as well.:good In terms of let-downs, I would say Jacobs Beach was a dissappointment - I think partly due to the standard of the last chapter of Schulberg's Ringside which was not only authorative due to his meticulous research but the fact that he was recounting his own personal experiences with Mike Jacob. Whereas Mitchell had a chapter in his book interviewing Schulberg and not really making the most of that interview either in terms to exploring that era... Another let-down was Hooked on the Jab- Barney Eastwoods bio. I enjoyed some of the latter chapters, but it was a frustrating read, no flow, completley unstructured in its storytelling, a zillion short 3 or 4 pages chapters that goes back and forth. It scanned over really important events, for example, the part were McGuigan's opponent died in the ring at an early stage of his career was covered very coldly in about half page or so......
Dark Trade is a great book. This is also a little known gem: This content is protected Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The Heller book changed things. It remains a classic to this day because most of his fighters are dead. There are too many books here by good writers but not good boxing writers and there is a big difference. One of the favourite books on this list and all boxing lists contains a lie (not a big lie, just a tiny invention) that I told in the Daily Telegraph about 20 years ago that the author lifted and ran as fact without a credit to me. I was under deadline when I wrote but the author weaves it in as a major part of his story. Get Fighting Words by Harry Mullan. That is a boxing book for boxing people by a boxing person. Adios.
My advice to any young boxing fan is to get old boxing bios off of Amazon/Ebay, as I've said Barney Roos, Mickey Walker and Armstrongs books are second to none