Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion [Paperback]

B. K. Beckwith (Author), Howard Brodie (Author), Grantland Rice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion, is the first complete story of the legendary thoroughbred who captured the heart of a nation. Introduced by Grantland Rice and written by seasoned track writer B. K. Beckwith, its pages are full of unique stories about the beloved horse and the people who were closest to him. Presented in its original oversized format and featuring period photographs, a full-color painting of Seabisicuit, and specially commissioned artwork by Howard Brodie, Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion follows the thoroughbred’s illustrious career, from his humble birth in Kentucky to his remarkable string of races across the country from 1936 to 1940, and culminating in his stunning victory at Santa Anita. In researching her best-selling Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand drew on Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion, a rare contemporary account originally published in 1940 that preserves insights, anecdotes, and quotes found no where else. Beckwith’s book will delight anyone interested in seeing more and learning more about this great horse and will allow readers to experience the excitement of Seabiscuit as the story unfolded and in the words of those who were there—Charles S. Howard, Tom Smith, Red Pollard, and George Woolf.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in 1940, this oversized edition once again hits the shelves, hoping to ride the coattails of last year's Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, and this summer's movie based on the book. Written in the over-the-top style that is typical of mid-century sportswriting ("A silver sword of daylight rent the mantle which draped the furrowed contours of the Sierra Madre"), the prose is more reminiscent of 1940s newsreel voiceovers than of Hillenbrand's restrained lyricism. Beckwith's use of hyperbole and omniscient narration makes Seabiscuit's remarkable story seem more like a Greek myth than a true-life tale. For instance, Seabiscuit is described as "one whose hoofbeats will echo in the hallowed halls of time till the last post bugle has sounded, and great horses gallop no more on this earth." This unbridled passion gives today's reader some insight into just how popular this rags-to-riches, undersized horse was in his heyday. The highlight of this timely reissue is the artwork, which includes illustrations by Howard Brodie and 23 b&w photos-the latter give a glimpse of the true beauty of the champion and provide some breathtaking wire-shots from the 1937 and 1938 Santa Anita Handicaps.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The best racing book published since Hillenbrand's. . . . Beckwith was there and understood what bonded Seabiscuit to his fans." -- Paul Moran, Newsday

"The highlight of this timely reissue is the artwork. . . a glimpse of the true beauty of the champion." -- Publishers Weekly

"Those who have read Hillenbrand's book or have seen the movie will appreciate the story even more by reading this." -- Cindy Pierson Dulay, Horse-Races.net

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 66 pages
• Publisher: Westholme Publishing (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594160007
• ISBN-13: 978-1594160004
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historic Comeback!, July 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion (Paperback)

I had no idea that there was a book about Seabiscuit before Hillenbrand's, until someone told me about this reissue. The book is alive with voices and scenes from the past -- I was especially interested to read how Tom Smith actually talked, and what he had to say about the Biscuit. The description of Seabiscuit's birth is really interesting; I found out that he wasn't even named for awhile, because his original owners were too busy with their more promising-looking colts! Little did they know...

The race descriptions have a feeling of exhilaration about them, as if Beckwith can scarcely believe that he was privileged enough to see this great horse in action. And it's very touching to read what people of the time thought about Seabiscuit, and how the man in the street talked about him as if he were a well-loved personality, whose every win is celebrated, and every loss commiserated. You can really see just how important this fiesty little racehorse was to the country.

Highly recommended!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Seabiscuit, July 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion (Paperback)

Anyone interested in the actual story of Seabiscuit and racing in general should own this book. Not only is it beautifully produced, it is an authentic account of a bygone era, the "proof" for the claim that Seabiscuit was indeed immensely popular in pre-WWII America. In fact, it is only because of that World War that Seabiscuit was forgotten for so long.
This is the original story of Seabiscuit written by a track writer who knew the main characters personally, Charles Howard, Red Pollard, and especially Tom Smith. Beckwith's book is the source for many of the quotes made famous in Hillenbrand's best seller and in the movie, such as Tom Smith saying to Seabiscuit, "I'll see you again." It is great to read these quotes in context. I also enjoyed the terrific line drawings by Howard Brodie--the one of Seabiscuit sleeping on his side is priceless!
Beckwith's book was an important source of information for the story of Seabiscuit and it is so great to be able to go back in time and enjoy this moving story with all the excitement and energy of the moment it happened. Five Stars. I highly recommend it without reservation.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Surprise from the Past, July 24, 2003

By 

David Augustine (Mendham, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seabiscuit: The Saga of a Great Champion (Paperback)

With all the popular hoopla surrounding the story of Seabiscuit, this new book provides an interesting "contemporary" perspective from writers who were alive and covering this amazing story at the time of all the action. This new high quality re-print of the original book provides an insight and a "voice" to the story which is simply unavailable to any writer today. The preface by Grantland Rice is worth the entire price of the book. I highly recommend it.