Overtime: A 20th Century Sports Odyssey

This collection of essays, some of which appeared in different form in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, World Tennis and other periodicals, is from an author who has also edited over 50 sports books. Born in 1911, he grew up in the golden age of sports and developed an interest in virtually every sport, becoming an excellent badminton and tennis player. He writes most entertainingly about his own forays onto field and court, his heroes (he makes a compelling case for pole-vaulter Cornelius Warmerdam as the greatest athlete ever) and the sports figures he has known, including Branch Rickey, Ted Williams and Nancy Lopez. Schwed's delicious sense of anecdote makes his book a total delight to read. (October 25)