The renowned journalist and former host of Masterpiece Theatre shares his views on sports and entertainment from the Kentucky Derby to Wimbeldon, Jack Nicklaus to George Gershwin, and Bobby Jones to Charlie Chaplin. 15,000 first printing.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Cooke, retired host of Masterpiece Theater, has compiled 49 of his short pieces, mostly written for the Manchester Guardian between 1940 and 1994, that cover the gamut from cricket to baseball. Boxing is given prime space, with two profiles of Sugar Ray Robinson, in his prime ("An Epic of Courage") and in his decline ("Sugar Ray's Downfall"); and two of Muhammad Ali, in victory ("A Mountain Comes to Muhammad") and defeat ("Come-Uppance for the 'Onliest Champion'"). There are essays on tennis ("The Money Game" and "My Life with Gabriela Sabatini") and the Kentucky Derby ("The Road to Churchill Downs"). Nineteen selections are reserved for golf, its heroes, tribulations and vicissitudes. Best, however, are the portraits that have hardly anything to do with sport. There are wonderful profiles-of Frenchman Eric Tabarly, who in 1964 sailed solo across the Atlantic in 27 days, one hour and 56 minutes to break Chichester's 1962 record; and of nightclub owner Max Cohen ("Oasis in Baltimore," 1940). Cooke's obituaries for Gary Cooper, Duke Ellington and Charlie Chaplin are touching and informative. A mixed bag.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
For years--no, decades--Alistair Cooke has been an icon to so many people. From his days as a journalist and feature reporter to his latter-day assignment as host of Masterpiece Theatre, Cooke has been the quintessential hybrid British-American, and in this collection of his articles and essays, Americans can get a Briton's-eye view of great American sports figures (Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Sugar Ray Robinson) and entertainers (Gary Cooper, John Wayne, and George Gershwin). Likewise, we gather great insight into heroes idolized in Europe (Gaby Sabatini in sports and Greta Garbo on the screen), as well as a deeper understanding of Cooke himself as he holds forth on the real origins of baseball, offers a wonderful treatise on golf and the duffers who play it, and submits a poignant reminiscence on the death of the great clown Charlie Chaplin. Cooke is an international treasure, and from his writings on the feats of others, we gather an even greater appreciation for his own remarkable life. Joe Collins
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful look back on sport from the mid century,
By trent@blackdome.com (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fun & Games With Alistair Cooke (Paperback)
If all sporting events could be reviewed by Mister Cook, we would both appreciate and understand the efforts/compromises of today's athletes. Relation of sport and life.
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