Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend, Miami, 1961-1964 [Hardcover]

Flip Schulke (Author), Matt Schudel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

Muhammad Ali is now considered by many to be the greatest athlete of the century. But back when he was still Cassius Clay, training in Miami after winning an Olympic gold medal, he was just a promising fighter with a mouth that might one day get him into trouble.

Schulke's photographs capture Clay's intensity at that early stage of his career. Complete with background and interviews with those closest to Clay at the time. Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend, Miami, 1961-1964 celebrates a man who has transcended the role of athlete to become one of the most dynamic figures of our time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

While still a teenager, Cassius Clay approached trainer Angelo Dundee and asked for the chance to spar with one of his professional boxers. The 17-year-old entered the ring with Willie Pastrano and quickly outboxed him. Clay went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Rome. Three months later, Clay moved to Miami to train with Dundee.

Flip Schulke was an up-and-coming photographer on assignment with Sports Illustrated and Life. He went to Miami to cover this upstart boxer. Shulke took to Clay immediately: "I fell in love with the guy the minute I met him. He was so much fun." The result was a series of photographs taken over three extended periods. Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend includes dozens of these photos of the young Clay--including the famous underwater shots first published in Life. Shulke captures the boyish Clay and his bright, broad smile as well as his serious shift to the Muslim faith and his name change to Muhammad Ali. He also sheds light on the pervasive racism Ali endured: though he had won a medal for the United States, he was not allowed to try on a shirt in a Miami department store. ("Once in a while, [Blacks] could try a jacket on because they can slip that on over a shirt. But a shirt's against your skin.") The accompanying text by Matt Schudel features lengthy reminiscences from Schulke about his encounters with Ali. A warm and fitting tribute to The Greatest. --Sunny Delaney

About the Author

Flip Schulke has been one of America's premier photojournalists for more than forty-five years. He was a contract photographer for Life magazine, and his work has also appeared in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, The Saturday Evening Post, and numerous European publications. Schulke has won dozens of national photojournalism awards, including first-prize honors for Picture of the Year. In 1995 he received the Crystal Eagle Award for the National Press Photographers for his documentation of the civil-rights movement. A close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Schulke photographed King on many occasions, and has the largest independent collection of civil-rights photographs in the world.

Matt Schudel is a senior writer for the Sunday magazine of the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 113 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312203403
• ISBN-13: 978-0312203405
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,653,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( A ) > Ali, Muhammad

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the most perfect example of an athlete who ever lived, December 9, 1999

By 

Chantal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend, Miami, 1961-1964 (Hardcover)

This book is worth the price for the pictures of 19 year old Ali alone. I have been an Ali fan since I was 12, and I have never seen these pictures before! Ali was 19, and made up a story about how he worked out in a swimming pool, so that the photographer would take underwater photos. They are incredible. So is the fact that, even though he had already won a gold medal, he wasn't allowed to try on clothes in a Miami department store because he was black.There are pictures of him running 5 miles to the gym in his dress pants and work boots, because he didn't have gym clothes! I can't stop looking at these pictures, and I can't believe how brave he was and how hard he had to work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should have this book on their mantle !, December 16, 1999

By 

Sonney J. Pelham (East Orange, N.J.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend, Miami, 1961-1964 (Hardcover)

This is a book that's hard to put down. Just when you've thought you had read all you can read about Ali, a book like this comes along. The pictures make you feel as if as though you were there yourself. This was one of the best gifts I've ever received. I plan to pass this treasure on to many for Christmas.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll keep going back, December 14, 1999

By 

Margaret (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend, Miami, 1961-1964 (Hardcover)

I received this book as a gift and I find myself going back to it over and over. Like going back to a museum time and again to look at a favorite work of art. The photographs of Clay/Ali are so personal and so beautiful. Odd as it sounds, I feel grateful that Mr. Schulke has shared these photographs with me, with everyone lucky enough to discover them. I came to Amazon just now to order this book for a friend and found myself moved to write these few words. There's something about the book and about the story of Clay/Ali that wants to be shared.