Elvis used to lament that it'll be "a blue Christmas without you." For literate sports fans (and the booksellers who love them), Christmas 2005 may well turn out to be "black and blue," thanks to the many superb books on the bruising sports of boxing and college football. There are also significant bios and other books from the increasingly bellicose world of NASCAR, along with a staple of perennially reliable baseball titles.
Ode to the Sweet Science
Although boxing champions have come from all over the world, there is no disputing that this sport has a distinctly American flavor. From John L. Sullivan to Jack Johnson, Joe Louis to Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, America more than any other nation has put its distinctive imprint on the boxing world. And this fall the marketplace will be inundated with quality, erudite books on what is known as "the sweet science."
"Boxing is now a beacon of nostalgia," says Tom McCarthy, editorial director at the Lyons Press, "a look back on the glory days when a fighter from poor and often desperate circumstances used the ring to rise to respectability. The people who were rapt by those fights of the '50s and '60s are nostalgic for the golden days, and now they have the money to shell out for beautiful, high-quality books."
"The movies [Million Dollar Babyand Cinderella Man] and the classic fights on ESPN," says Matthew Benjamin, senior editor at Collins, "are certainly increasing the popularity of boxing and building a sense of nostalgia for the days of Frazier, Ali and Foreman: the kings of the ring."
Louis vs. Schmeling
A year before World War II, on June 22, 1938, two fighters met before 70,043 spectators at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. In one corner stood Joe Louis, black American, son of a sharecropper, and in the other corner stood Max Schmeling, the World Champion, representing Hitler's Third Reich. As the saying goes, something had to give, and it was Schmeling, as Louis pummeled him to the canvas in the first round—a presaging of what would happen between American and German forces in Europe only six years hence. Good versus evil. But like most things in life, everything wasn't a matter of black and white—no pun intended.
This year there have been three extraordinary books published about Louis and Schmeling. Knopf's Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink by David Margolick takes an in-depth look at the fighters and many of the myths that surround them. "I didn't see Beyond Glory as a boxing book," says Jonathan Segal, v-p/senior editor at Knopf, "but a book about an important and revealing moment in history. I knew, given David's background, that the Jewish dimension of the story—Jews, after all, for the most part saw Schmeling as the devil incarnate—would be handled well. The book also boasts many correctives in the life of Schmeling," adds Segal, "eliminating the myth that the Nazis only embraced him after he beat Louis and walked away from him after he lost." Knopf plans a five-city tour with heavy emphasis on New York City media.
The Greatest Fight of Our Generation: Louis vs. Schmeling by Lewis A. Erenberg will be published by Oxford in November. "What fascinated me," says Susan Ferber, senior editor, American and World History, at Oxford, "was the way these bouts are a window onto American and German society during the Depression and World War II. Just as the story of Seabiscuit appealed to readers who were not avid followers of horse racing, I anticipate that the story of Louis and Schmeling has so much human interest that it will draw in people, like me, who don't consider themselves boxing fans." Oxford plans to send author Erenberg to Chicago and New York and plans a heavy blitz on sports talk radio.
"I'm not a big boxing fan," admits Cal Barksdale, senior editor at Arcade responsible for Ring of Hate: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling: The Fight of the Century by Patrick Myler, "but the symbolism of the fight, as well as the brilliant performance by Louis, made it stand out as one of the great sports events of the last century." Arcade is promoting Ring of Hatethrough Book Sense and has ongoing national publicity and Web marketing campaigns.
In this corner, from Casey Press LLC, weighing in at almost eight pounds and retailing for a whopping $70, is America on the Ropes: A Pictorial History of the Johnson-Jeffries Fight by Wayne A. Rozen. The book has extraordinary photos of the fight taken from newsreel footage. Rozen, who is president of Casey Press, plans a 3,000-copy first printing and will be promoting through the Carol Fass Publicity and PR agency.
Another name from the golden age of boxing, Rocky Marciano, will also be given a pictorial tribute when Rounder Books publishes Undefeated: Rocky Marciano—the Fighter Who Refused to Lose by Everett M. Skehan this month. "Skehan's book appealed to us for two primary reasons," says Bill Nowlin, cofounder of Rounder Books. "First of all, it's simply a well-written study of a fascinating man—the only undefeated heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. Secondly, at Dick Johnson's suggestion, we were able to pair Skehan's original text with some 50 photographs of Rocky taken by photographer Stanley Bauman, who grew up with Rocky in Brockton, Mass." Undefeated will have a rather small printing—Nowlin estimates around 5,000 copies—because of high manufacturing costs. Publicity will consist of targeted print and radio campaigns.
If there's one name that means boxing to America it's Muhammad Ali. SportClassic Books has just published The Lost Legacy of Muhammad Ali by Thomas Hauser, well known for his definitive biography Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. "Hauser thinks outside the box," says Jim O'Leary, publisher, SportClassic Books. "His observations on Ali and his knowledge about Ali combine to provide genuine insight into the man and the boxer." SportClassic plans a 15,000-copy initial printing and will do a direct e-mail promotion to about 70,000 boxing fans. There will also be author appearances and signings, usually in conjunction with a boxing card.
A great book for the dedicated fan is Kings of the Ring: A Photographic History of Heavyweight Boxing by Gavin Evans (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, distributed by Sterling). Every champ is here, from James J. Corbett to Neon Leon Spinks. "Kings of the Ringis based solely on the heavyweights," says Charles Nurnberg, president/CEO of Sterling. "It looks not just at their performance in the ring, but what's going on in their personal lives as well." The book will also deal with racial tensions in the fight game. The 35,000-copy first printing will be backed by a promotion campaign aimed at an African-American readership.
Want to get into shape? How about getting in the ring with Smokin' Joe Frazier? Too risky? Well, now you can train like Frazier with Box like the Pros by Joe Frazier and William Dettloff. "What makes this book special," says Matthew Benjamin at Collins, "is Frazier's take on the sport. He is old old school. He teaches you how to box the way he was taught. There are no short cuts here or fancy equipment. It is blood, sweat and tears." Collins plans a first printing of 30,000 copies in trade paperback. Why paper? "This is the kind of book to be used and abused," says Benjamin. Signings and media appearances are planned for Frazier.
The Icons of Autumn
"Baseball may be America's pastime," says Brendan Cahill, senior editor at Gotham Books, "but football is America's metaphor, the noblest and the darkest urges all encapsulated in 60 minutes of play on a rectangular field where progress is charted one yard at a time."
College football does put the emphasis on team—except when it comes to the head coach, who is often singled out for near sainthood. This fall there are books celebrating the careers of the Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton of the gridiron—Bear Bryant of Alabama, Joe Paterno of Penn State and Woody Hayes of Ohio State.
Now in his fourth decade as head coach at Penn State, Paterno can't be faulted for his success over the years, bringing championships to Happy Valley and sending innumerable players to the Hall of Fame. "If football is a metaphor for America," says Gotham's Cahill, "then Paterno is a metaphor for what's happened to college sports over the last several decades. Some believe that the changes in big-time college sports, and particularly in football, over the last decade or so have passed Joe by. He defiantly maintains they have not, and The Lion in Autumn by Frank Fitzpatrick takes you up close to see a college football legend in the fight of his life." The Lion in Autumn is already in its second printing and has 30,000 copies in print. Gotham plans to pursue publicity opportunities at Penn State and in the Philadelphia area.
The legend of Paul "Bear" Bryant, nearly 23 years after his death, continues to inspire. Today he's known for his great Alabama teams and nurturing the careers of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Joe Namath and Ken Stabler. Bryant was also an object of close scrutiny as he slowly—some say reluctantly—integrated his Alabama team. "Interest in sports figures of the stature of Bryant does not wane," insists Robert Weil, executive editor at Norton, who should know; Norton is already in its fourth printing of Allen Barra's The Last Coach, with 50,000 copies in print, and Barra is set for a tour of 10 cities in a major publicity push.
One of the most controversial college coaches of all time was Woody Hayes of Ohio State. The fiery Hayes is probably best remembered for his unsportsmanlike slugging of an opposing player along the sideline late in his career. But there was more to Hayes, and John Lombardo has captured it in A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody Hayes. "I always believe that fans want to celebrate their heroes," says Pete Wolverton, associate publisher of St. Martin's/Dunne. "While Coach Hayes is perceived as controversial by many, there is simply no doubt that he was an effective coach and dedicated to his school and players." This October title will have an initial printing of 25,000 copies and St. Martin's/Dunne plans to target alumni associations, pursue radio and print publicity and also advertise in game day programs and on the Internet.
Jesus Says, Go Long...
With Notre Dame off to a fast start, there are rumors going around that Touchdown Jesus—which is a mosaic of Jesus on the north wall of the Notre Dame library that is clearly visible from the football stadium—has sent a disciple in by the name of Charlie Weis to help redeem the school's football program.
"Touchdown Jesus: Faith and Fandom at Notre Dame by Scott Eden is a chronicle of the 2004 Notre Dame football season," says S&S's Jack Sallay, senior publishing coordinator, "the 10th straight year of mediocrity on the gridiron." Eden gives an inside look at how and why the university made its controversial decision to fire coach Ty Willingham and hire Weis. S&S is going out with 40,000 copies and because of Notre Dame's fan base plans to promote nationally.
There's another college where God plays an important part, but, unlike Notre Dame, most folks have never heard of it. Keeping the Faith by Shawn Fury, from Lyons Press, tells the story of Trinity Bible College in Ellendale, N.D., a very small evangelical Christian school that lost a game two years ago 105 to 0. "These are faithful people," says editorial director Tom McCarthy, who says the book is "a powerful piece of writing—Friday Night Lights meets The Bad News Bears." Lyons plans a 20,000-copy first printing and believes this book can go national with the help of an author tour.
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