Tyrus raymond cobb 18861961 was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, ending his twentyfouryear career the first twentytwo of which he spent with the detroit tigers with a lifetime batting average of. Ive also been fascinated by ty cobb for most of my life, but until i read your book i had absorbed a lot of the. Overview a fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history, ty cobb the best work ever written on this american sports legend. The best work every written on this american sports legend said the boston globe. I sat down a while back with leerhsen, a former editor at sports illustrated and the author of two other sportsthemed books, to. It inspired me in some ways and saddened me in others. I write books for a living, but when i read ty cobb. The true story of dan patch, the most famous horse in america. In writing this combination earlybaseball history and legal brief, leerhsen, a onetime editor at sports illustrated. His biography of king cobb, as he was known in detroit, is subtitled a terrible beauty, but it really should be the smearing of ty cobb. A terrible beauty, which won the 2015 casey award for best baseball book. Tim hornbaker wrote the recent book entitled war on the basepaths. Both books give cobb a fair shake in regard to his reputation.
Those who stubbornly cling to that myth really should read leerhsens fantastic book ty cobb. A true tale of mystery, mayhem, and the birth of the indy 500. A terrible beauty, one of the most well researched, well written. The two things everyone knows about ty cobb are that he was a phenomenal baseball player and that he was the worst racist ever to play the game. Ty cobb a terrible beauty, written by charles leerhsen and published in 2015, is a colorful and well balanced biography.
Its a major reconsideration of a reputation unfairly maligned for decades the boston globe. When charles leerhsen began working on this book, he tells us in its pages, he believed ty cobb to be a racist and a mean, spikessharpening son of a bitch. A terrible beauty was published in the february issue of sabrs deadball era newsletter. A terrible beauty, which won the 2015 casey award for best baseball book of the year. But charles leerhsen accomplishes this unusual feat in his biography, ty cobb. May 04, 2015 former sports illustrated executive charles leerhsen and author of ty cobb. A terrible beauty, charles leerhsen examines cobbs rivalry with babe ruth as the dead ball era came to a close and a new style of baseball emerged. When the hall of fame began in 1936, he was the first player voted in. The director stated cobb might have killed as many as three people. New york times bestseller ranked by the sporting news as one of the best baseball books of all time winner of the casey award for best baseball book of the year winner of the sabr baseball research award and the sabr larry ritter award. The former executive editor of sports illustrated explores the idea that tyrus raymond cobb 18861961, perhaps the greatest player in baseball history, was also a violent, racist, roundly hated person leerhsen blood and smoke.
I grew up admiring the player but abhorring the man. By the time charles leerhsen began researching his terrific 2015 biography, ty cobb. These incidents are recounted in charles leerhsens new biography, ty cobb. A terrible beauty was a book i could hardly put down.
The ty cobb movie, based primarily on the book is even worse. Oct 24, 2018 people have been told that ty cobb was a bad man over and over, all their lives. Several scandalous and tabloid quality books have been written about. If youre looking for a free download links of ty cobb. A terrible beauty is not only the best work ever written on this american sports legend, but its also a major rehaul of a reputation unfairly maligned for. Charles leerhsen is a journalist, author, and adjunct professor at the city university of new yorks graduate school of journalism. The georgia peach was by far the most thrilling player of the era. Charles, to use some baseball terms, is a hall of famer with the keyboard while im a busher, to employ the vernacular used back in cobb s day. May 31, 2015 charles leerhsens biography of ty cobb reassesses the toxic reputation of one of baseballs greatest players. A terrible beauty by charles leerhsen librarything. Charles leerhsens biography of ty cobb reassesses the toxic reputation of one of baseballs greatest players. A new cobb emergesmanyfaced and passionatein this important, original view of a figure well installed in baseball lore.
Ty cobb a terrible beauty by charles leerhsen internet archive. Leerhsens new biography draws on primary sources including free press archives and the ernie harwell sports collection at the detroit. A terrible beauty, is a highly enlightening and highly enjoyable book. A terrible beauty, a book largely intended to rehabilitate its. I believe leerhsens book a terrible beauty does a more thorough job in redefining cobb s reputation.
Superbly reported, wonderfully written and often quite funny, charles leerhsens ty cobb. A terrible beauty charles leerhsens reclamation of ty cobbs reputation or at least some significant parts of it is fascinating. His lifetime batting average is still the highest of all time, and when he retired in 1928, after twentyone years with the detroit tigers and two with the. A terrible beauty, author charles leerhsen commits a sin that will go down in the annals of byb history. Finally a fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history, ty cobb. A terrible beauty by charles leerhsen overview a fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history, ty cobbthe best work ever written on this american sports legend. It is a musthave for any library of great sports books. I can see why my friends there were raving about this book certainly one of the best sources of information on ty cobb that is backed up by solid research and sources. A terrible beauty by charles leerhsen 2016, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. I even got to do a little of this in my work on my ma thesis in history, therefore charles leerhsens ty cobb.
A terrible beauty, which thc highly recommends, the cobb as monster image was embedded in our consciousness. He is the author of several books, including crazy good. A terrible beauty by charles leerhsen, i just shook my head in admiration. But thanks to the impeccable charles leerhsen i dont believe that anymore, nor should anyone else. Referring to sabermetricians as baseball nerds, leerhsen gives a. Baseball history fans and people who love to learn about detroit and legendary figures. A terrible beauty charles leerhsens reclamation of ty cobb s reputation or at least some significant parts of it is fascinating.
It has left me thinking and pondering about the difference and importance between fact and opinion. He is a winner of the sabr baseball research award. He is simply a very competent public defender assigned to the task of taking up the side of the monster. Its a great read and destined to become one of the truly great baseball books of recent times. The definitive biography of ty cobb tim hornbaker and ty cobb. A terrible beauty by charles leerhsen the boston globe. A terrible beauty, one of the most well researched, well written nonfiction books ever written on a sports figure. Leerhsen recounts that when he spoke with ron shelton about his film, shelton confidently assured him that it is well known that ty cobb may have killed as many as three people.
Youll learn the complexities that made ty cobb one of the most feared and. Terrible beauty, shares five fascinating facts about the life and legacy of baseball legend ty cobb. Ty cobb, a terrible beauty is the first book to make me feel that i missed something by not seeing him play. The following year, 1906, cobb became the tigers fulltime center fielder and hit. That is why cobb deserves to be an enduring american hero. This book has given me a new perspective on cobb, baseball, the media and more. May 08, 2015 in an excerpt from his new biography ty cobb. Charles leerhsen is a former executive editor at sports illustrated. A terrible beauty, by charles leerhsen the new york. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ty cobb. The true story of dan patch, the most famous horse in america and, most recently, ty cobb.
Aug 21, 2016 this book has given me a new perspective on cobb, baseball, the media and more. Ty cobb, a terrible beauty tells the story of cobb in an enjoyable and balanced fashion. A terrible beauty, discusses the legacy of the baseball legend. Maybe because im a michigander and cobb played for the tigers, or because i was an avid baseball fan when i was young, i became. Superbly reported, wonderfully written and often quite funny, charles leerhsen s ty cobb. A terrible beauty has convinced that nearly everything i knew about cobb was wrong. In the past year or two, that perspective has changed for me because of a book that i read that told the truth about the great ty cobb. May 31, 2015 the two things everyone knows about ty cobb are that he was a phenomenal baseball player and that he was the worst racist ever to play the game. A terrible beauty demonstrates convincingly that cobb earned every one of the astonishing successes he attained on the field of play through total commitment, study, and hard work. Given cobbs public persona, much of it based on onesided and misremembered old tales, hes clearly due for an image makeover.
A terrible beauty pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. A true tale of mystery, mayhem and the birth of the indy 500, 2011, etc. Charles leerhsen, veteran sports writer and author of ty cobb. Like most baseball fans, i grew up believing the immortal ty cobb of the detroit tigers was one miserable, awful sob. Charles leerhsens ty cobb, a terrible beauty is a long overdue reconsideration of cobbs life and career. He has written for rolling stone, esquire, and the new york times. Its a major reconsideration of a reputation unfairly maligned for.
A terrible beauty, charles leerhsen presents a different picture of one of the greatest ballplayers of all time. Several scandalous and tabloid quality books have been written about him with many incidents that were largely made up. Leerhson tackles the largerthanlife persona of ty cobb. The book dispels almost everything i had ever learned about the alltime great. A terrible beauty ebook written by charles leerhsen. Any book that can do all those things is worth reading. If you still think ty cobb was a miserable sob, you need to read this book, a wonderful piece of work by leerhsen. Former sports illustrated executive charles leerhsen and author of ty cobb. A few weeks ago i read the pamphlet imprimis from hillsdale college that featured a speech given by author charles leerhsen about his new book about the legendary ty cobb. He has been an editor for sports illustrated, people, and us weekly, and spent eleven years as. Tyrus raymond cobb 18861961 was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, ending his twentyfouryear career the first twentytwo of which he spent with the detroit tigers with a.
Charles leerhsen is author of ty cobb a terrible beauty, blood and smoke true tale of mystery, mayhem and the birth of the indy 500 and crazy good true story. A fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history, ty cobbthe best work ever written on this american. Ty cobb, a terrible beauty paints a true portrait of ty. Ty cobb book by charles leerhsen official publisher page. May 12, 2015 charles leerhsen is a former executive editor at sports illustrated. In light of an insightful biography debunking many of the myths surrounding cobb, ken burns owes it to cobb s legacy to revise the episode containing flawed information. Largely thanks to scholarship that emerged only at the very end of cobb s life and interestingly, at odds with evidence from much earlier periods his reputation is that of a miserable, friendless, racist lout. Mar 07, 2016 he is the author of several books, including crazy good. There is a heavy emphasis on setting the record straight on cobbs life. A terrible beauty, a book largely intended to rehabilitate its subjects reputation. A terrible beauty, effectively debunks the worst of the cobb stories and recreates the vitality and excitement he brought to baseball, he remains someone you might not want to invite to your dinner party and there is an underlying sadness to the tale.
A terrible beauty is not only the best work ever written on this american sports legend, but its also a major. Apr 19, 2017 the end statestump forged two cobb diaries that ended up in the baseball of fame, only to be found to be a fraud by an fbi analysis in 2009. A terrible beauty, charles leerhsen examines cobb s rivalry with babe ruth as the dead ball era came to. Some may even remember that he held more than 90 baseball records. Charles leerhsen is author of ty cobb a terrible beauty, blood and smoke true tale of mystery, mayhem and the birth of the indy 500 and crazy good true story of dan patch, the most famous horse in america.
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