Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler

Roberts, Randy

ISBN 10: 0807105880 / ISBN 13: 9780807105887

Published by Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1979

About this Item

More than a biography of the boxing phenomenon from the 1920s, this book offers "a case study of the development of a mass-media image in the day of media ballyhoo & of the growth of the professional sports business." Scandals that clouded Dempsey's career are considered within the moral climate of the 1920s. In 310 pages with Index, Notes, + 20 pages of black-and-white photos. A FIRST EDITION, First Printing, from 1979, this hardcover 8vo has navy blue cloth-covered boards lettered in copper & white to spine. Condition is Fine: just slightly less crisp than the day it was issued! Completely clean & bright, binding strong & straight, pages white & unmarked, hinges secure. Extremely mild rubbing to lower edges of both boards from shelf. The unclipped DJ is Near Fine, marred only by tiny chips to both ends of spine & a few rubbed spots along edges of rear flap/cover; else bright & clean & protected in new mylar cover Free! Our photos depict the Exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same Day Shipping on all orders received by 2 pm Weekdays (Pacific); later orders, weekends & holidays ship very next business day.er free!

Seller Inventory # 022012

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler
• Publisher: Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Publication Date: 1979
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807105880
• ISBN 13: 9780807105887
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition First Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Sports & Fitness
  • Autobiography-Biography-Journals-Letters

About this title

Synopsis

Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1919 to 1926, Jack Dempsey, also known as the Manassa Mauler, began his boxing career as a skinny boy of sixteen, riding the rails and participating in hastily staged saloon bouts against miners and lumberjacks. In this incisive, fast-paced biography, Randy Roberts charts the life and career of a man widely regarded as one of the toughest ever to enter the ring. He details Dempsey's transition from barroom fights to professional boxing and his emerging reputation for fast, brutal knockouts. Roberts draws on a wealth of newspaper articles and interviews to chronicle Dempsey's rise to the heavyweight championship and his six title defenses. Also included are accounts of the eventual loss of his title to Gene Tunney in 1926, and the rematch in 1927, which Dempsey also lost in the infamous "long count." After continuing to fight in exhibitions, Dempsey retired from boxing in 1940 with an astonishing 64 victories, 49 of them knockouts. Roberts tells of the building of this record, including accounts of Dempsey's forays into Hollywood, the controversy over his alleged draft-dodging, his long life after retirement, and his enduring legacy as one of the greatest fighters in boxing history.

Review

"In a creative and flowing literary style, but with keen attention to detail and judicious analyses of his material, Roberts approaches the heralded heavyweight champion as a legend and symbol of his age. . . . Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler is a first-rate slice of Americana. It is fresh, witty, entertaining, and serious."