Sheed,Wilfred – Muhammad Ali. A Portrait in Words anhd Photographs

Description

Sheed, Wilfred ‘Muhammad Ali a portrait in words and photographs’ 256-pages. An Alskog Book. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. First Printing. No dust jacket. Wear to head and foot of the spine, else good condition.

Muhammad Ali: A Portrait in Words and Photographs by Wilfrid Sheed, produced as an Alskog Book and published by the Thomas Y. Crowell Company, is a landmark biographical and photographic profile of the iconic heavyweight champion.

The books is inscribed to Angelo Dundee’s son, Jimmy, on the title page as follows: “8-15-94. Jimmy, Ron found this book years ago. It was in a pile of books on the street near _______ library. We fgure someone bought some books at one of the book sales and maybe left them on the top of their car??? Ron saved this one for ______ this king it would be of interest to you and your Dad. ____ discovered this book last weekend while cleaning the garage. Thinking of you, Ron and Dee Davis.”

Also laid inside the book is a copy of a letter that Jim Dundee gave to me with each of the books he sold me that reads: “All of these books are part of the Angelo Dundee collection. The Ring Books have been in his possession since 1948. All the books come from his office.” Signed by both Angelo and Jim Dundee.

Book Description:
Released in late 1974/early 1975 to capitalize on the massive global momentum following Ali’s historic “Rumble in the Jungle” victory over George Foreman, the book stands out for its high production value:
• The Prose: Written by acclaimed essayist and former Sports Illustrated contributor Wilfrid Sheed, the text departs from a standard biography. It instead functions as a sharp, deeply analytical character portrait examining Ali’s socio-political impact, religious convictions, and his transition from a polarizing figure into a global spiritual leader.
• The Visuals: As an Alskog media production, the book is built heavily around an extraordinary visual archive. It features iconic, high-fidelity sports photography primarily captured by legendary photographer Neil Leifer, showcasing vivid color and black-and-white spreads of Ali’s most legendary bouts, training camps, and intimate off-duty moments.

First Edition Identification:
Thomas Y. Crowell Company followed a clear standard to denote the very first press run of this specific volume. You can verify a First Edition, First Printing by cross-referencing these precise key indicators on the copyright page:
1. The Date Placement: The specific presence of “November 1974” printed beneath the publisher’s imprint to the left indicates the original typesetting and approval run. Later printings or book club editions often strip this specific date layout or shift the copyright baseline entirely to 1975.
2. The Number Line / Printing String: Thomas Y. Crowell books from this era traditionally feature a sequence of numbers (e.g., 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10). For it to be a true first printing, the number “1” must be present in that sequence. Subsequent printings would have the “1” (and successive numbers) struck from the plate.
3. Absence of Book Club Indicators: Ensure there is no blind-stamped small square, circle, or indentation on the lower right corner of the back cover cloth, and no “Book Club Edition” text printed on the inner dust jacket flap.

Book Specifications:
• Author: Wilfrid Sheed
• Principal Photographer: Neil Leifer
• Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell Company / Alskog, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover with Dust Jacket (often featuring a maroon cloth or leatherette interior board structure)
• Page Count: 255 pages
• Dimensions: 9.25 x 11.25 inches (Large coffee-table format)
• ISBN-10: 0690009585