The Greatest: My Own Story
New York: Random House, 1975. 415 pages. Thick 8vo., black cloth-backed boards, d.w. New York: Random House, 1975. Fine, large, full signature of Ali on the half-title page. A fine copy in a near fine wrapper.
BOXING
George Dixon
Very scarce unsigned original black and white photograph, c. 1915, from a cabinet card image, c. 1894, approx. 4" x 7", a full-body image of the boxer wearing black leotards with a white belt- with flat laced-up boxing shoes, striking a bear knuckle pose. Condition: Image cropped from when used for publication - but complete in itself; minor surface creasing with a clip at the top left-hand corner. Vintage fountain pen identification in an unknown hand cleanly written at bottom...
Typed Letter Signed
1928. Very scarce and important T.L.S. on personal letterhead William A. Brady, The Playhouse Theatre, West 48th Street, New York, August 6th 1928. Written to the editor of Theatre Magazine, giving his opinion on the new phenomena called "Talkies", in part: ..."In some ways "Talkies" will effect the business of the legitimate drama in other ways Talkies will be helpful to the Theatre. Sound and dialogue in the high spots of the pictures are here to stay. The great stars...
Signed Card.
Vintage signed card, 5" x 3", inscribed "To Tiny - Sincerely - Ezzard Charles", c. 1967. American Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1949-1951.
Original Signed Heavyweight Championship Ticket
Caesar's Palace: 1982. Original and complete $100 Heavyweight Championship ticket for the Holmes vs. Cooney fight at Caesar's Palace on June 11, 1982. Measures 7.5 x 3.25 inches. Don King and Tiffany Promotions. Signed on the front in blue ball-point pen by Neiman, who created the artwork for this item. Signed "Cooney" on the back in a thick, sprawling hand with a blue magic marker. Near fine condition.
Sport Drawings
McLean, VA: Percy Crosby, 1933. 49 plates, including 6 in color, hand-tipped. Folio, green cloth; light wear to spine. McLean, Virginia: Percy Crosby, (1933). Very good (+). Introduction by Walter M. Grant. Skillful and expressive drawings, watercolors, paintings, and lithographs of polo, football, boxing, swimming, riding, etc. Limited edition, number 84 of 1000 copies, with Crosby's signature at limitation page.
Signed Photograrph
1996. Excellent signed photograph -- an 8" x 10" color promotional image of de la Hoya, waist-up, in the ring, in a fighting stance. Boldly signed with outstanding contrast at the height of his dramatic career: "Oscar de la Hoya, '96." Near fine condition. American boxer who defeated 17 World Champions and won 10 World Titles in six different weight classes. He holds the distinction of generating more money than any other boxer in the history of the sport.
Signed Photograph
1954. Very attractive photograph, matte finish, sepia-tone, 8" x 10", a shoulder-up portrait shot of Dempsey dressed in a suit, boldly signed in green fountain pen: "To Richard - Lots of Luck Pal - From Jack Dempsey - 3/29/54." Fine condition with exceptional contrast. World heavyweight boxing champion who held the title from 1919 to 1926.
The Croxley Master: A Great Tale of the Prize Ring
New York: McClure, Phillips, 1907. Color frontis. 76pp., 12mo, pictorial cloth; cover illustration rubbed. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1907. A very good copy.
All-Time Ring Record Book. 1947 Edition
Norwalk: O'Brien Suburban Press, 1947. 688pp of boxing records of current fighters, complete for the year 1946. 8vo, original black-lettered red cloth (lightly edgeworn and dusty; lacking front endpaper and with inner hinge neatly repaired). Norwalk CT: The O'Brien Suburban Press, 1947. A very good(-) copy.
Black Dynamite; The Story of the Negro in the Prize Ring form 1782 to 1938. Volume I only
New York: 1938. Illus. 182pp. 12mo, orange cloth, small area of soiling on front cover, otherwise very good. New York, (1938). First Edition From the library of Jose Ferrer with his ownership signature. Nat Fleischer was editor and publisher of the boxing magazine, "The Ring". This volume ends with the year 1900.
Sockers in Sepia; A continuation of the drama of the Negro in pugilistic competition
New York: 1947. Illus. 250pp. 12mo, red cloth. New York, (1947). First Edition. Very good From the library of Jose Ferrer with his ownership signature. Nat Fleischer was editor and publisher of the boxing magazine, "The Ring". Black Dynamite Boxing Series, Volume V.
Let George Do It!
New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2005. Illustrated by Whitney Martin. Slim 4to, pictorial glossy boards, dust wrapper. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, (2005). First edition. Near fine. Boldly inscribed by Foreman on the title page: "To Gary Best Wishes George Foreman."
Smokin' Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, Smokin' Joe Frazier
New York: Macmillan, 1996. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. 213 pages. 8vo, black cloth-backed boards. New York: Macmillan, (1996). First edition. A fine copy in a very good dust wrapper. Signed by Frazier and his co-author on the title page.
Signed induction program of the World Featherweight Champion
1976. This program honors Garcia as an incoming member of the California International Shrine of Boxing and Wrestling. 4 pages, each measuring 8.5 x 7 inches, September 30, 1976. Inscribed on the cover: "To Robert Smith, Salud, Frankie Garcia, 10-7-56 (sic). Very good(+) condition. Garcia was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1975.
The Manly Art; Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America
Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1986. Illus. 8vo, green cloth, d.w. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, (1986). Near Fine.
Wise Guy; James J. Johnson: A Rhapsody in Fistics
New York: Vanguard Press, 1933. Foreword by Damon Runyon. 8vo, green cloth, spine ends and corners lightly worn, corners bumped, a few pages with a small amount of foxing. New York: Vanguard Press, (1933). From the library of Jose Ferrer with his ownership signature. Also from the library of Victor Jory with his bookplate.
Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. 544 pages (slight separation at the top of the publisher's logo page; otherwise near fine), 8vo, black cloth-backed boards, dust wrapper in a mylar sleeve. New York: Simon & Schuster, (1991). A very good copy in a very good dust wrapper. Signed presentation copy from a book party (on June 5, 1991), accompanied by four color photographs taken at that event.
Hurricane; The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Illus. 8vo, 1/2 black cloth, d.w. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Very good.
Signed Religious Brochure with Boxing Photos
1965. 6 pages (front and back), each three-page spread measuring 5.75 x 9.5 inches, no place, no date, circa 1965. The brochure has two photos of Huffman in a boxing pose, one as a young fighter and another as an older man, with his vertical signature nearby. The brochure, captioned "Former Champion of U.S. Navy Freed!" above the photos, focuses on Huffman's life with an evangelical theme. Fine condition. Huffman was a boxer who fought in the service and was...
The Million Dollar Gate.
New York: Macmillan, 1966. Illus. 8vo, red cloth, d.w. New York: Macmillan, (1966). Very good.
Signed Photograph
1995. 10.25 x 8 inches, no place, no date, circa 1995 -- a color image of Leonard in the ring, hands at his sides, gazing into the distance just past the camera. Boldly signed in full with "Best Wishes" written underneath. Near fine condition. American boxer who was the first to earn more than $100 million in purses and win world titles in five weight divisions. He was unanimously voted "boxer of the decade" for the 1980s by Ring Magazine.
Signed Photograph
1995. Outstanding color photograph signed, "Best wishes, Lennox Lewis" -- an 8" x 10", heavy cardboard stock promotional image by acclaimed photographer Sam Teare, imprinted: "LENNOX LEWIS - GREAT BRITAIN," depicting the boxer bare-chested with one of his hands taped up. No place, no date, circa 1995. Boldly signed with good contrast.
My Life Story
New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1947. 188 pages plus a section of black-and-white photographs, 8vo, green cloth (corners rubbed; light staining, front endpapers heavily toned from an old newspaper clipping). New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, (1947). First edition. Very good(-) condition. Signed in full on a tipped-in leaf between the dedication and title page.
Redemption Song; Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties.
London: Verso, 2000. 12mo, pr. wrs. London: Verso, (1999). Fine.