Dimaggio: Setting the Record Straight [Hardcover]

Morris Engelberg (Author), Marv Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2003

Widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Joe DiMaggio transcended sports and was a true American icon. Beyond his public life in a New York Yankee uniform and his glamorous if brief marriage to Marilyn Monroe, DiMaggio was an intensely private individual who rarely, if ever, revealed himself to biographers attempting to tell his life story. Until now. Morris Engelberg, DiMaggio's closest friend and confidante over the last 16 years of his life, had rare access and insight to the man behind the legend. Teamed up with longtime AP journalist Marv Schneider, Engelberg corrects inaccuracies in recent biographies of DiMaggio and reveals the true, inside story of the great "Joltin' Joe."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The New York Yankees made Joe DiMaggio a household name, but it took Brooklyn-born, Florida-based attorney Morris Engelberg to make DiMaggio wealthy. Now, Engelberg puts his personal spin on the life and times of the Yankee Clipper, who died in 1999, with Engelberg by his side, after a short battle with lung cancer. But contrary to the book's provocative subtitle, Engelberg's effort is little more than a paean to DiMaggio, his childhood idol turned dream client. Engelberg writes that he regarded DiMaggio, whose affairs he managed for the last 16 years of the slugger's life, as his "best friend" rather than a client. Not surprisingly, the book reads as though it were written by a best friend, heavy on deference and light on detail-except when it comes to Engelberg's record-setting success in peddling DiMaggio to memorabilia dealers. Indeed, more baseballs are signed than swatted in this version of DiMaggio's life, while DiMaggio's legendary 13-year Hall-of-Fame career, which includes a record 56-game hitting streak and nine World Series rings, is recalled in a brisk 60 pages. Off the field, DiMaggio's famously complicated relationships, including those with his brother and rival, Red Sox outfielder Dom DiMaggio, and Yankee teammates like Gehrig and Mantle, are largely unexplored. Even chapters devoted to DiMaggio's relationships with ex-wife Marilyn Monroe, and his estranged son, Joe Jr., are shallow and disappointing. To his credit, Engelberg clearly made DiMaggio a rich man. But his almost unsettling reverence for and loyalty to his subject overwhelm any attempts, however timid, to truly understand one of the game's greatest and most enigmatic icons. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Morris Engelberg was Joe DiMaggio's best friend and constant companion over the last 16 years of DiMaggio's life. This book combines anecdotes from DiMaggio's playing days with an extensive account of his relationship with his family, including Joe Jr., who finally succumbed to a life spent battling alcohol and drug addiction, and Marilyn Monroe, who was the true love of DiMaggio's life. The DiMaggio Engelberg knew was a man whose fame made him suspicious of those who would be his "friends" and who was seldom unaware of the image--cool, sophisticated, and graceful--he needed to protect. But he was also intelligent, compassionate, a good friend, and a doting, attentive grandfather. It was in the latter role that he found the most joy late in life. Engelberg has been criticized for exploiting his friendship with DiMaggio. Anyone who reads this book will dismiss the thought out of hand. There's nothing here to diminish DiMaggio's reputation. No one sets out to become a legend; it can be a troublesome burden. DiMaggio handled it better than most. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks International (February 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760314829
• ISBN-13: 978-0760314821
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,054,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( D ) > DiMaggio, Joe

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a baseball book - A great book for all, February 7, 2003

By 

Larry Schunk (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dimaggio: Setting the Record Straight (Hardcover)

I was so surprised to finally read a book that gave tremendous insight into the life of one of the greatest ball players ever. But I was more pleased that it is a great read about a great American. The details of Joe's life presented in this wonderful and compelling read are extraordinary. The detail, humorous asides, deep personal revalations and of course Marilyn make this book one of the best I have ever read. All baseball fans should read it. Yankee fans especially should read it. But people who just love a great true story should also read it even if they know nothing about baseball! Well done.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars relationships explained, February 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dimaggio: Setting the Record Straight (Hardcover)

Setting the Record Straight accomplishes what it sets out to do.
The relationships between his lawyer, family, son,grandchildren and the fans are carefully explained in this fine book just published.

Mr. Schneider has taken the info and made it into a very readable book. The chapters on his grandchildren and son are very moving and helps explain the elusiveness of joe dimaggio.
The answers are all there in this marvelous book.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative..., February 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dimaggio: Setting the Record Straight (Hardcover)

Mr. Engelberg took some shots in the Cremer book. Through the fine writing of Mr. Schneider, he "sets the record straight". In doing so, he doesn't candy-coat the lives of Mr. DiMaggio or the other charectors in the book (Monroe, Sinatra, JFK and RFK) and they all come out flawed.
Nobody is perfect in this book except perhaps the ghost-writer who does a heck of a job writing this book in the first-person for Mr. Engelberg.