Seabiscuit : The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse - Softcover

9781841150925: Seabiscuit : The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
The true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse -- Seabiscuit -- that symbolised a pivotal moment in American history, as the 20th-century's greatest nation found the courage to bet on itself to win against the odds. Now a major motion picture directed by Gary Ross and starring Toby Maguire and Jeff Daniels. In 1936 the habits of 19th-century America were finally consigned to history, just as Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" was published. In their place, modern America was born. But what defined this new era? Nothing more than the story of Seabiscuit, a stunted colt with asymmetrical knees that had for two years been hacked around no-good race tracks leading to permanent leg damage. Yet by 1937 Seabiscuit could draw crowds of 60,000 and had more newspaper column inches devoted to him than Mussolini, Hitler or Roosevelt, his popularity peaking during his appearances at the Santa Anita Handicap. America had gone to the races for the first time since the Depression and fallen in love with a misshapen colt of great character. Now it wanted a winner. 'Seabiscuit' is also the story of three men: Tom Smith, a former Wild West showman was the trainer; Red Pollard, abandoned by his poverty-stricken family at a race track became the rider; and Charles Howard, a pioneer car manufacturer in San Francisco in the 1920s was the owner and financier. These three combined to create the legend of Seabiscuit and epitomise a dream for the emerging new America.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
He didn't look like much. With his smallish stature, knobby knees, and slightly crooked forelegs, he looked more like a cow pony than a thoroughbred. But looks aren't everything; his quality, an admirer once wrote, "was mostly in his heart." Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of the horse who became a cultural icon in Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

Seabiscuit rose to prominence with the help of an unlikely triumvirate: owner Charles Howard, an automobile baron who once declared that "the day of the horse is past"; trainer Tom Smith, a man who "had cultivated an almost mystical communication with horses"; and jockey Red Pollard, who was down on his luck when he charmed a then-surly horse with his calm demeanor and a sugar cube. Hillenbrand details the ups and downs of "team Seabiscuit," from early training sessions to record-breaking victories, and from serious injury to "Horse of the Year"--as well as the Biscuit's fabled rivalry with War Admiral. She also describes the world of horseracing in the 1930s, from the snobbery of Eastern journalists regarding Western horses and public fascination with the great thoroughbreds to the jockeys' torturous weight-loss regimens, including saunas in rubber suits, strong purgatives, even tapeworms.

Along the way, Hillenbrand paints wonderful images: tears in Tom Smith's eyes as his hero, legendary trainer James Fitzsimmons, asked to hold Seabiscuit's bridle while the horse was saddled; critically injured Red Pollard, whose chest was crushed in a racing accident a few weeks before, listening to the San Antonio Handicap from his hospital bed, cheering "Get going, Biscuit! Get 'em, you old devil!"; Seabiscuit happily posing for photographers for several minutes on end; other horses refusing to work out with Seabiscuit because he teased and taunted them with his blistering speed.

Though sometimes her prose takes on a distinctly purple hue ("His history had the ethereal quality of hoofprints in windblown snow"; "The California sunlight had the pewter cast of a declining season"), Hillenbrand has crafted a delightful book. Wire to wire, Seabiscuit is a winner. Highly recommended. --Sunny Delaney

From the Inside Flap:
A deluxe illustrated edition of one of the most beloved books of our time, with nearly 150 historic photographs personally selected by the author

The spellbinding true story of how three men and a great racehorse captivated a nation, Laura Hillenbrand?s Seabiscuit: An American Legend became an immediate number one bestseller and cultural phenomenon upon its publication in 2001. Named one of the best books of the year by more than twenty publications?including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, People, USA Today, and The Economist?Seabiscuit was also honored as the BookSense Nonfiction Book of the Year and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and was a finalist for several other major prizes, including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

For this lavishly illustrated special edition, author Laura Hillenbrand has written a new Introduction and selected nearly 150 rare photographs from historic archives and private collections. Seabiscuit tells the story of three remarkable men: Charles Howard, a bicycle repairman who made a fortune by introducing the automobile to the American West; Red Pollard, a failed prizefighter and failing jockey who was abandoned as a boy at a makeshift racetrack; and Tom Smith, an enigmatic mustang breaker who came from the vanishing frontier, bearing generations of lost wisdom about the secrets of horses.

In the sultry summer of 1936, the lives of these men converged around a bad-legged, floundering racehorse named Seabiscuit. Forming an improbable partnership, they transformed the horse into one of the most extraordinary competitors in sports history. In four tumultuous years, the rags-to-riches horse overcame a phenomenal run of misfortune to emerge as an American cultural icon, drawing an immense following, prompting an avalanche of merchandising, and establishing himself as the single biggest newsmaker of 1938?receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or any other public figure.

Seabiscuit is an inspiring tale of unlikely heroes, a classic story of three embattled individuals and a remarkable racehorse overcoming the odds in the Great Depression.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherFourth Estate Ltd
  • Publication date2002
  • ISBN 10 1841150924
  • ISBN 13 9781841150925
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages448
  • Rating

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Seller Image

Hillenbrand, Laura
Published by Fourth Estate Ltd (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Softcover Quantity: 5
Seller:
GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 1472136-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 13.48
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Hillenbrand Laura
Published by Harper Collins Publishers (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Majestic Books
(Hounslow, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: New. pp. 496. Seller Inventory # 3289442

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 9.26
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 8.27
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Hillenbrand, Laura
Published by Harpercollins Pub Ltd (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Soft Cover Quantity: 10
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9781841150925

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 19.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Laura Hillenbrand
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. From the author of Unbroken a major motion picture releasing in 2015 this is the bestselling true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse, Seabiscuit. In 1938 one figure received more press coverage than Mussolini, Hitler or Roosevelt. He was a cultural icon and a world-class athlete and an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse by the name of Seabiscuit.Misunderstood and mishandled, Seabiscuit had spent seasons floundering in the lowest ranks of racing until a chance meeting of three men. Together, they created a champion. This is a story which topped the bestseller charts for over two years; a riveting tale of grit, grace, luck and an underdogs stubborn determination to win against all odds.Made into a major motion picture starring Toby Maguire and Jeff Daniels. From the author of Unbroken a major motion picture releasing in 2015 this is the bestselling true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse, Seabiscuit. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781841150925

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 20.35
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Laura Hillenbrand
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9781841150925

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.03
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.73
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Hillenbrand, Laura
Published by Fourth Estate Ltd (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_1841150924

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 21.80
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Laura Hillenbrand
Published by HarperCollins Publishers (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Paperback / softback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
THE SAINT BOOKSTORE
(Southport, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. From the author of Unbroken - a major motion picture releasing in 2015 - this is the bestselling true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse, Seabiscuit. Seller Inventory # B9781841150925

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.90
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.39
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Laura Hillenbrand
Published by Fourth Estate (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Paperback Quantity: 5
Seller:
Monster Bookshop
(Fleckney, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9781841150925-GDR

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 15.46
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.44
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Laura Hillenbrand
Published by Fourth Estate (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Paperback Quantity: 2
Seller:
Revaluation Books
(Exeter, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 448 pages. 7.64x5.04x1.18 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __1841150924

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 15.55
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 12.73
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Laura Hillenbrand
Published by Fourth Estate Ltd (2002)
ISBN 10: 1841150924 ISBN 13: 9781841150925
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:

Book Description Condition: New. From the author of Unbroken - a major motion picture releasing in 2015 - this is the bestselling true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse, Seabiscuit. Num Pages: 496 pages, portraits. BIC Classification: 1KBB; 3JJG; BT; WSNB. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 194 x 132 x 27. Weight in Grams: 350. . 2002. 2nd Impression. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9781841150925

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.31
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.42
From Ireland to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book