BRIAN LAMB, HOST: One of the things that seems to bother people about this book, and I read it in the reviews, is there is no index, there is no dedication, there is no nothing -- it's just the book. JIMMY BRESLIN, AUTHOR, "DAMON RUNYON: A LIFE": Yes. It's just the book. It's the story, from start to finish. LAMB: Is that calculated? BRESLIN: Yes. I didn't put a list of names in the back so that my friends could turn to that first. I didn't put the bibliography in there. What are you going to write, the Ring Magazine Record Book? That's one of the things I read. Football's Greatest Coaches, Knute Rockne at Notre Dame -- what, are you going to write those things? A bibliography, no. And I was not going to put footnotes in because I think footnotes are crutches used by people who can't write and who are in awe of their subject, so much so that they genuflect on the pages rather than write. They put them down there to make valid their own poor writing. They need some crutch. There's no pictures in the book, either. Do it like radio -- let's just go through it. Use your imagination and your mind. Now, I did it from start to finish -- one story, trying to get you to smile -- of people and places who are outrageously funny, and I think in doing so -- I don't care what anybody tells me; and that's what a little of the wincing is about -- I'm changing the way they're going to do biographies. I think the one fellow who mentioned that was a writer in the New York Times review where he noted the difference between this book and these dry, fact-gatherers who bring you these huge volumes filled with their footnotes. I think that's got to change. I think they have to get people who can do biographies that are more secure with the subjects and more familiar with them... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prGNzvwjMHc http://www.booknotes.org/FullPage.aspx?SID=23574-1
I will never read any books by this author. The whole 'I don't provide my sources because I don't agree with them' is shorthand for A) I can't be bothered to B) I don't want people reading the whole story and realising which bits I've picked out to suit the agenda I'm pushing.
This is the same logic that was used in writing the recent biography of Tiger Flowers which is flawed from start to finish. Filled with distortions, supposition, and outright lies. The author wrote that he didnt cite his sources because he wasnt going to cater to a small niche of boxing historians... Can you imagine a guy writing about a niche subject like boxing and about a niche fighter like Flowers refusing to cater to the exact people you expect would buy the book? Bizarre. Its unreal the garbage thats in that book. If any of the people were still alive hed be getting sued from all directions.
I agree...that's why I posted it...it's sad without sources: next day newspaper accounts/interivews with the fighters/managers/etc...eye witness accounts...who is to believe anyone without "Sources".
