Dempsey, Jack – Round by Round, an Autobiography

Description

Dempsey, Jack ‘Round by Round, an Autobiography’ 1940 1st edition. 283-pages. VG in a good complete brightly colored non-price clipped mylar protected dust jacket with a couple chips to the lower spine as pictured. There’s a nice-looking book stamp of a former owner named John P. Mulvany pasted on the inside of the front cover. The inside flap of the dust jacket reflects the $2.50 price of the initial run.

‘Round by Round’ is the official autobiography of Jack Dempsey, the legendary heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1919 to 1926. Written in collaboration with sportswriter Myron M. Stearns, the book serves as both a personal memoir and a practical guide to the sweet science.
🥊 Key Elements of the Book:
* The Rise of “The Manassa Mauler”: Dempsey details his grueling early life, from his humble beginnings in Colorado and Utah to his days riding the rails as a hobo. He candidly describes fighting in rough western mining towns and saloon backrooms for a few dollars just to buy food.
* The Path to the Championship: The narrative tracks his rise through the boxing ranks under the guidance of his legendary manager, Jack “Doc” Kearns. It culminates in his historic, brutal victory over the giant Jess Willard in 1919 to capture the heavyweight crown, alongside accounts of his famous bouts with Georges Carpentier and Luis Ángel Firpo.
* The Dempsey Style and Philosophy: Beyond the biographical details, a significant portion of the book is dedicated to Dempsey’s personal philosophy on physical fitness, mental toughness, and the mechanics of fighting. He breaks down his aggressive, relentless boxing style, emphasizing the importance of the offensive attack and the “drop-step” punching technique.
* Life Outside the Ring: Dempsey reflects on the fame, the controversies (including his criticized absence from military service during WWI), his Hollywood marriages, and what it was like to transition away from the spotlight after his famous “Long Count” loss to Gene Tunney in 1927.
The book is celebrated by sports historians because it was published while Dempsey was still highly active in public life as a restaurateur and referee, offering a relatively fresh, firsthand perspective on the “Golden Age of American Sports.”