Taub, Michael – Jack Doyle. Fighting for Love.

Description

Taub, Michael ‘Jack Doyle. Fighting for Love.’ 1990 1st ed. Publisher: Stanley Paul. 370-pages. VG with a VG non-priced clipped dust jacket. Also has the handwritten name and book stamp of longtime South African boxing collector/historian J. Karel de Vries on the frontispiece.

Jack Doyle: Fighting for Love is a masterfully written, critically acclaimed sports biography that chronicles the larger-than-life story of the infamous Irish heavyweight contender, crooner, and playboy. Written by sports journalist Michael Taub, this 370-page volume was a runner-up for the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award upon its release. Published in 1990 by Stanley Paul (under the parent umbrella of Century Hutchinson/Cornerstone), this version is the true hardcover first edition.

Book Description:
Taub captures the tragic, high-flying, and self-destructive arc of Jack Doyle, often called “The Gorgeous Gael”.
• The Man: Standing 6’5″ with model good looks and a powerful right hand, Doyle was a sensational box-office draw in 1930s Britain and America. He combined a professional boxing career with a parallel life as a dramatic opera tenor and Hollywood film actor.
• The High Life: The narrative thoroughly charts his chaotic personal life, most notably his high-profile romance and marriage to Mexican film star Movita Castaneda (who later married Marlon Brando). Taub paints a picture of a couple whose mid-century global fame rivaled Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
• The Downfall: Rather than focusing purely on inside-the-ring statistics, the biography acts as a profound cautionary tale. It follows Doyle as he earned and squandered multiple fortunes on alcohol, gambling, and women, culminating in his tragic decline and death in poverty in 1978.

First Edition Specifications
• Publisher: Stanley Paul (London)
• Publication Date: September 20, 1990
• Binding: Hardcover cloth boards with bright gilt stamping on the spine.
• Page Count: 370 pages
• ISBN-10: 0091743680 / ISBN-13: 9780091743680