Stu Hart: Lord of the Ring [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Marsha Erb (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Stu Hart, the patriarch of modern-day wrestling, has battled, innovated, and entertained for more than half a century. This no-holds-barred account offers an insider's look at the first family of wrestling, from Hart's days in the ring to the careers of his sons Bret, now rising to the pinnacle of sports entertainment, and Owen, whose horrific accidental death in the ring led to a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Some of the most formidable names in wrestling have begun their careers under Hart's tutelage, including Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Lance Storm. This biography explores the highs and lows of one of wrestling's most colorful and remarkable figures.

About the Author
Marsha Erb is a journalist and longtime Hart family confidante. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press; illustrated edition edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550225081
• ISBN-13: 978-1550225082
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,596,115 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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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 Amazing Life, Amazing Story!!!, May 28, 2002

By	Mr. JKW "jkw" (Honolulu, Hawai'i) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"Stu Hart: Lord of the Ring" by Marsha Erb is the biography of wrestling legend and Hart Family patriarch Stu Hart. It chronicles Stu Hart's life from childhood up to the recent (November, 2001) passing of his wife Helen. In addition to chronicling his life, the story also chronicles a near 60 year history of professional wrestling, Canadian athletics and Canadian history. Overall, this book will appeal to wrestling fans, particularly fans of the Hart family, Stampede wrestling as well as fans of a great life's story. The travails and tribulations that Stu Hart overcame throughout his life, including his humble beginnings on the uncharted prairies of Western Canada are inspirational.

Among the topics covered in Stu's biography:

1. His childhood growing up as a pioneer farmboy on the prairies of Western Canada is a cold tent with his parents and two sisters.

2. His beginnings as an athlete as a teenager.

3. His time spent as an airplane mechanic and as a navy athletic director during WWII.

4. Tons of great stories about old-time wrestling and boxing greats as Stu moves to New York as a young man.

5. Stu's courting of Helen.

6. How Stu and Helen developed the Stampede territory.

7. Raising the 12 Hart kids from birth to adulthood and everything in between.

8. The tragedies of the Hart family.

9. The schism that divides the Hart family today.

Overall, the book is a great chronology of not only Stu's life, but the history of the Hart family, the Stampede territory as well as the history of modern pro-wrestling as well as a history of the development of modern Canada as seen through the eyes of this great, accomplished man Stu Hart. Erb gives a great account of the development of Stu's life from his pioneer days with his parents, through WWII and throughout the mid to late 1900s as he and his family developed Stampede wrestling. The book gives GREAT anecdotes about the HUNDREDS of great wrestlers that trained and/or worked Stu's territory of the years. Wrestling fans will appreciate this book.

In all, Erb weaves Stu Hart's illustrious life story into a great tale starting off from his humble beginnings and ending with one of his greatest accomplishments, being awarded the prestigious Order of Canada award. Stu Hart's life story will leave you amazed. He lived a full life. Amazing story.

Highest Recommendation

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Writing doesn't match the subject, November 22, 2002

By	Victor Catano (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been a fan of the Hart family wrestlers since I was a kid. I have fond memories of watching the Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart on Maple Leaf Wrestling. The story of the Hart family is the story of modern day wrestling. From the small, regional promoters to the advent of the WWF to the steroid abuse to the over the top stunts that got tragically out of hand, there is no aspect of professional wresling that hasn't impacted directly on Stu Hart and his extended family.

His life makes for a fascinating story. It's a shame that Martha Erb's prose is not half as interesting as Stu Hart.

I found her writing style to be overly drawn out and somewhat flat. Too often, I found myself struggling to get through chapters that ought to have been riveting. It would have been much more entertaining if she had simply recorded a few hours of Stu Hart talking and then transcribed it to the page.

Overall, this is a good book, but not as good as it should be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Story of a Legendary Man, November 5, 2003

By	Mikk LaWatchdog (Kanata, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Although the WWE has become somewhat redundant and rather boring nowadays, I have to admit that there was a time that I followed professional wrestling quite seriously.

One of my favourite athletes of all time was Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a hero and a role model to a whole generation of wrestling fans, and at one time, the pride of Canada in the squared circle. His brother, Owen, was also amazing in his own right, and I'll never forget the time in 1993 at the Winnipeg Arena when, dressed as the Blue Blazer, he slapped me five as he made his way to the ring. These are some of the reasons I was especially intrigued to learn the story of the patriarch of Canada's first family of wrestling, Stu Hart.

The author, <i>Marsha Erb</i>, a former journalist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph Journal, did an excellent job of telling the story of the unique life and times of this legend.

Stu's life has not been an easy one, from his childhood, where, at times, he was living in a tent in the dead cold of the prairie winters, to his rise to becoming one of the most prominent figures in the wrestling business, to the loss of his youngest son, Owen, his story has just about everything. It is truly an inspirational story of the power of will and determination.

It also documents the less uplifting side of Stu Hart's story, which are the problems that come with living a public life. A lot of the dirt on the infighting within the Hart family, and the tough times they have been through are also documented in this book.

The only real weakness in this book is the fact that the stories sometimes feel a bit rushed, but I would imagine that they would most likely have to be, considering all the tales that a man like Stu would have to tell if only we had the time.

Unfortunately, the book ends on a rather gloomy note, which I will not give away, but some that know the story of the Hart family may have a good guess.

Through and through, this book is enlightening, well put together, entertaining, and should not be seen as something that is written just for sports entertainment fans. It would make a great read for just about anyone.