The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America

by Elliott J. Gorn

Book Overview

"It didn't occur to me until fairly late in the work that I was writing a book about the beginnings of a national celebrity culture. By 1860, a few boxers had become heroes to working-class men, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801495822
• ISBN13: 9780801495823
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 4.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent and Superior

Title says it all... The Manly Art reads like a brutal trip through time, extraordinarily well researched and written. I can't speak highly enough of this exquisite work which enthusiastically drew me up to scratch from first page to last. History as it should be written i.e. I'll never look at a boxing match the same way again. A true pleasure, and a well deserved 5 stars.

A Masterpiece

This is book is a masterpiece, one of the best books ever written on American sports.

The Bible of the Early American Prize Ring

The most scholarly treatise of the early prize ring in America that has ever been written. Elliott Gorn picks up where Pierce Egan and Nat Fleischer left off as the premier chronicler of boxing's illustrious past. This book covers every facet of bare-knuckle prizefighting during the days when men such as "Yankee" Sullivan, John Morrissey, and John L. Sullivan ruled the ring. From "The First American Champions" and "The Meanings of Prizefighting" to "Triumph and Decline" and "The End of the Bare-Knuckle Era": this great work describes what boxing was really like when men fought to a finish and many fights were winner take all.

The Manly Art is first rate.

This is an excellent, well researched piece that historians will enjoy. Lots of detail, all well placed in the context of the times.

Fascinating History of 19th century Bare-Knuckled Fighting

This book not only reports on facts (like dates, fighters, places, etc.), but also on the whole milieu of bare-knuckled prize fighting. It helps to explain what would drive men to participate in a pastime that was both brutal and outlawed. A great read for history buffs as well as boxing fans. I highly recommend it