George Plimpton

A brilliant and unique biography of Andy Warhol's tragic muse, the 60s icon Edie Sedgwick‘Exceptionally seductive… You can’t put it down’ LA TimesOutrageous, vulnerable and strikingly beautiful - in the 1960s Edie Sedgwick became both an emblem of, and a memorial to, the doomed world spawned by Andy Warhol. Born into a wealthy New England Edie’s childhood was dominated by a brutal but glamourous father. Fleeing to New York, she became an instant celebrity, known to everyone in the literary, artistic and fashionable worlds. She was Warhol's twin soul, his creature, the superstar of his films and, finally, the victim of a life which he created for her. Jean Stein’s classic biography of Edie is an American fable on an epic scale - the story of a short, crowded and vivid life which is also the story of a decade like no other.‘Edie Sedgwick was the spirit of the sixties, and these pages capture her power to dazzle us… This is the book of the Sixties we have been waiting for’ Norman Mailer

Using oral biography, a technique that perfectly matches the style of his subject, George Plimpton blends the voices of Capote's lovers, haters, acquaintances, and colleagues into a highly readable narrative. Here we are present for the entire span of Capote's life: his Southern childhood and his early days in New York; his first literary success with the publication of "Other Voices, Other Rooms"; his highly active love life; the groundbreaking excitement of "In Cold Blood," the first "nonfiction novel"; his years as a jet-setter; and his final days of flagging inspiration, alcoholism, and isolation. All his famous friends and enemies are here: Katherine Graham, Lauren Bacall, Gore Vidal, Joan Didion, William Styron, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer, Lee Radziwill, John Huston, John Knowles, William F. Buckley, Jr., and dozens of others.

The inside story of Hank Aaron's chase for the home run record, repackaged and with a foreword by Bob Costas and new material from the Plimpton Archives. In One For the Record, George Plimpton recounts Hank Aaron's thrilling race to become the new home run champion. Amidst media frenzy and death threats, Aaron sought to beat Babe Ruth's record. In 1974, he finally succeeded. A fascinating examination of the psychology of baseball players, One For the Record gives an absorbing account of the men on the mound who had to face Aaron. But the book's true genius lies in the portrait of Aaron himself, and his discussions on his philosophy on hitting and the game of baseball.

Updated and with a new afterword from the author, this definitive history of squash by journalist James Zug is a must-read for squash lovers and sports history buffs alike, capturing the evolution of one of America’s greatest games. Step into the fast-paced world of squash with this ultimate deep dive into one of America’s fastest-growing sports. This newly updated edition of Squash packs in fresh stories and insights, charting the racquet sport’s evolution. From its scrappy beginnings in the 1850s, when English schoolboys invented the game in alleys and yards, to its arrival on US soil in 1884, squash has grown into a global phenomenon. Award-winning journalist James Zug takes readers on a fascinating journey, exploring defining moments like the pivotal shift in the 1990s from the one court size to another, a change that propelled the US to international squash dominance. The game has over 1.6 million players in this country, a growing presence in schools and colleges, and is on the brink of its next big milestone—making its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Packed with vibrant profiles of squash legends, Zug’s narrative goes beyond the court. He uncovers the game’s rich cultural roots, tracing its elite origins and its expansion into public and commercial clubs. Along the way, he captures the passion, drama, and camaraderie that make squash so much more than just a sport. In the tradition of iconic sports histories like David Halberstam’s The Amateurs, Squash isn’t just for players—it’s for anyone who loves a great story. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or curious newcomer to the game, this is your definitive guide to the lasting legacy of squash.

”Den viktigaste talangen för en begåvad författare är en inbyggd, stötsäker, skitdetektor.” – Ernest HemingwayEn av det tjugonde århundradets mest inflytelserika litterära ikoner avslöjar mer av sig själv än någonsin tidigare i denna omfattande samling samtal från hela hans karriär. Här talar Hemingway ur hjärtat om kärlek, krig, berömmelse, fiske och om den lidelsefulla disciplin som drev hans skrivande framåt. Samtalen ger en fascinerande inblick i det liv och de verk som har behållit sitt grepp och sitt inflytande över generationer bokälskare, drömmare och äventyrare.” Ernest … har en gnista av genialitet i sig som gör det möjligt för honom att klara av extraordinära saker med lätthet.” – F. SCOTT FITZGERALD”En av de modigaste och bästa, med de hårdaste principer, den allra strängaste utövaren av författarhantverket, orubblig i sin hängivenhet till arbetet … Till de få som kände honom väl var han en nästan lika bra människa som böckerna han skrev. Han är inte död; ännu inte födda unga män och kvinnor med författardrömmar kommer att vederlägga att det ordet används om honom.” – WILLIAM FAULKNER”Den mest enastående författaren sedan Shakespeare gick ur tiden … Alltid farlig. Alltid där med den där högern redo. Äkta vara.” – JOHN O’HARA”Han åstadkom det som få konstnärer i vår tid, eller någon tid, lyckats med: den nästintill omöjliga bedriften att förkroppsliga sitt verks betydelse – som människa, i åsynen av världen och i den tid han levde i.” – TENNESEE WILLIAMS RÖSTER OM BOKEN:"Jag har alltid betraktat författare som pratar, eller ännu värre skriver, om sitt eget skrivande och läsande med skepsis. Det är tröttsamt med författare som har pretentionen att övertyga omgivningen om sin bildning. Det är därför jag med viss tveksamhet närmar mig Ernest Hemingway - den sista intervjun och andra konversationer. Fyra intervjuer senare, två från 1954 och två från 1958, vill jag tacka Sjösala förlag och översättaren Daniel Martinez för läsfesten." - ÅSA LINDERBORG, AFTONBLADET KULTUR

In the mid-1960s, George Plimpton talked his way into the Detroit Lionsâ?? pre-season training camp and in doing so set the bar for participatory sports journalism.

From the author of Paper Lion What happens when a weekend athlete â?? of average skill at best â?? joins the professional golf circuit?

From the author of Paper Lion Stepping into the ring against light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore, George Plimpton pauses to wonder what ever induced him to become a participatory journalist.

From the author of Paper Lion Following his turn as a Detroit Lions rookie in Paper Lion, George Plimpton returns to the field of American football and focuses on the careers of his Lions teammates, Alex 'Mad Duck' Karras and John 'the Bear' Gordy.

The original foray into participatory journalism that started it all, Out of my League announced George Plimpton as a giant of sports journalism, able to penetrate deep into the very spirit of sport, with his characteristic wit, charm and grace.

After forays into American football, golf and the world of professional boxing, George Plimpton accepts his riskiest assignment yet: taking to the ice as goalie for his beloved National Hockey League team, the Boston Bruins.

This baseball classic that Ernest Hemingway called beautifully observed and incredibly conceived includes a foreword from Jane Leavy and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton archives. The first of Plimpton's remarkable forays into participatory journalism, Out of My League chronicles with wit, charm, and grace what happens when a self-professed amateur has the chance to answer every fan's question: could he strike out a major league star? Plimpton's inspired idea -- to get on the mound and pitch a few innings to the All-Stars of the American and National Leagues -- begins as a fun-filled stunt and comes to a deeply hellish, nearly humiliating end. This honest and hilarious tale features Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Whitey Ford, Ralph Houk, and other baseball greats and is a baseball book such as no one else ever wrote, and one of the best ever.-New York Herald Tribune

The book that made a legend -- and captures America's sport in detail that's never been matched, featuring a foreword by Nicholas Dawidoff and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton Archives. George Plimpton was perhaps best known for Paper Lion, the book that set the bar for participatory sports journalism. With his characteristic wit, Plimpton recounts his experiences in talking his way into training camp with the Detroit Lions, practicing with the team, and taking snaps behind center. His breezy style captures the pressures and tensions rookies confront, the hijinks that pervade when sixty high-strung guys live together in close quarters, and a host of football rites and rituals. One of the funniest and most insightful books ever written on football, Paper Lion is a classic look at the gridiron game and a book The Wall Street Journal calls "a continuous feast... The best book ever about football -- or anything "

George Plimpton takes to the ice with the Boston Bruins in this memorable portrait of the rough-and-tumble world of professional hockey, repackaged and featuring a foreword from Denis Leary and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton Archives. In Open Net, George Plimpton takes to the ice as goalie for his beloved Boston Bruins. After signing a release holding the Bruins blameless if he should meet with injury or death, he survives a harrowing, seemingly eternal five minutes in an exhibition game against the always-tough Philadelphia Flyers. With reflections on such hockey greats as Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Eddie Shore, Open Net is at once a celebration of the thrills and grace of the greatest sport on ice and a probing meditation into the hopes and fears of every man.

George Plimpton's follow-up to Paper Lion, one of his personal favorites among his classic books -- repackaged and including a foreword from Steve Almond and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton archives. In Mad Ducks and Bears, George Plimpton's engaging companion to Paper Lion, Plimpton focuses on two of the most entertaining and roguish linemen and former teammates -- Alex Karras ("Mad Ducks") and John Gordy ("Bears"), both of whom went on to achieve brilliant post-football success. A more reflective, less madcap book than Plimpton's other work, Mad Ducks and Bears is no less truthful and searching. In this fond exploration of football's values and follies, Plimpton rejoins his two teammates to discuss their careers in this brutal but captivating game. The result is an astute exploration into the fascinating lives and motivations of the players at home, in the locker room, and on the field.

George Plimpton chronicles his month spent on the PGA tour in The Bogey Man, repackaged and including a foreword by Rick Reilly and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton Archives. What happens when a weekend athlete -- of average skill at best -- joins the professional golf circuit? George Plimpton, one of the finest participatory sports journalists, spent a month of self-imposed torture on the tour to find out. Along the way, he meets amateurs, pros, caddies, officials, fans, and hangers-on. In The Bogey Man, we find golf legends, adventurers, stroke-saving theories, superstitions, and other golfing lore, and best of all, Plimpton's thoughts and experiences -- frustrating, humbling and, sometimes, thrilling -- from the first tee to the last green. This intriguing classic, which remains one of the wittiest books ever written on golf, features Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Walter Hagan, and many other golf greats and eccentrics, all doing what they do best.

The book that made a legend -- and captures America's sport in detail that's never been matched, featuring a foreword by Nicholas Dawidoff and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton Archives. George Plimpton was perhaps best known for Paper Lion, the book that set the bar for participatory sports journalism. With his characteristic wit, Plimpton recounts his experiences in talking his way into training camp with the Detroit Lions, practicing with the team, and taking snaps behind center. His breezy style captures the pressures and tensions rookies confront, the hijinks that pervade when sixty high-strung guys live together in close quarters, and a host of football rites and rituals. One of the funniest and most insightful books ever written on football, Paper Lion is a classic look at the gridiron game and a book The Wall Street Journal calls "a continuous feast... The best book ever about football -- or anything "

The complete essays and journalistic works of George Plimpton, prefaced by Plimpton himself, is the best way to rediscover one of the great voices of American New Journalism. Especially renowned for his sports reporting and "participatory journalism," he brought readers onto the field and into the ring. Also included are several of Plimpton's celebrity portraits, including John F. Kennedy and his family, Muhammad Ali, and Hunter S. Thompson.

This definitive history of squash by journalist James Zug is a must-read for squash lovers and sports history buffs alike, capturing the evolution of one of America’s greatest games. Step into the fast-paced world of squash with this ultimate deep dive into one of America’s fastest-growing sports. This newly updated edition of Squash packs in fresh stories and insights, charting the racquet sport’s evolution. From its scrappy beginnings in the 1850s, when English schoolboys invented the game in alleys and yards, to its arrival on US soil in 1884, squash has grown into a global phenomenon. Award-winning journalist James Zug takes readers on a fascinating journey, exploring defining moments like the pivotal shift in the 1990s from the one court size to another, a change that propelled the US to international squash dominance. The game has over 1.6 million players in this country, a growing presence in schools and colleges, and is on the brink of its next big milestone—making its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Packed with vibrant profiles of squash legends, Zug’s narrative goes beyond the court. He uncovers the game’s rich cultural roots, tracing its elite origins and its expansion into public and commercial clubs. Along the way, he captures the passion, drama, and camaraderie that make squash so much more than just a sport. In the tradition of iconic sports histories like David Halberstam’s The Amateurs, Squash isn’t just for players—it’s for anyone who loves a great story. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or curious newcomer to the game, this is your definitive guide to the lasting legacy of squash.

Every year millions of people flock to New York City, drawn to its unparalleled theaters, museums, restaurants, and sights. While much has been written about these topics, one of the city's greatest attractions has gone largely unheralded: its characters. Among the masses, there are some who stand out from the crowd, a special group of New Yorkers who give the city its flavor and make it a vibrant, exciting, and unique place. New York Characters is a tribute to these people. Celebrated in both photographs and words, Gillian Zoe Segal's subjects include neighborhood fixtures, prominent celebrities, famous personalities, and the truly eccentric. Among the extraordinary New Yorkers you'll meet are Guardian Angel founder Curtis Sliwa; Ken Krisses, the president of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club; the "real" Kramer, on whom the Seinfeld character is based; sports fanatics Dancin' Larry and Fireman Ed; restaurateurs Elaine Kaufman and Sylvia Woods; Dr. Jonathan Zizmor, the "subway" dermatologist; and Jimmy Breslin, the legendary newspaperman. Segal has photographed sixty-six such characters in their own distinctive environments. Accompanying the striking portraits are colorful profiles of each individual. The foreword by George Plimpton, a "New York character" himself, is a tribute to Segal's extraordinary work and her fascinating collection of New Yorkers.