Heinz,W.C. – The Professional

Description

Heinz, W.C. ‘The Professional’ 1958 1st edition. 338 pages. VG in a good minus complete non-price clipped dust jacket.

Summary of The ProfessionalPlot:
The novel follows Eddie Brown, a 29-year-old middleweight boxer, and his veteran manager/trainer, Doc Carroll, as they spend a month in a training camp preparing for a world championship fight.

Perspective: The story is told through the eyes of Frank Hughes, a magazine writer embedded in the training camp.

Themes: It provides a realistic, gritty look at the boxing world—including its promoters and hangers-on—and explores the deep, respectful bond between a dedicated fighter and his honest manager.

Legacy: Ernest Hemingway famously praised it as “the only good novel I’ve ever read about a fighter and an excellent novel in its own right”.

Estimated Value Factors:
First Edition Status: True first editions published by Harper & Brothers in 1958 (often with late 1957 code marks) are scarce and sought after by collectors. Dust Jacket: Because your jacket is complete and not price-clipped (retaining the original $3.95 price), it holds significantly more value than price-clipped or jacketless copies, despite the minor chipping and tears at the extremities. Condition: “Very good” book condition paired with a “good minus” jacket places realistic market value in the mid-hundreds, as pristine or fine copies command $450+.

AI Overview: A 1958 first edition hardcover of W.C. Heinz’s The Professional in very good condition with a complete, non-price-clipped dust jacket showing minor wear is estimated to be worth between $200 and $350.