Description
Hirsch, James S. Hurricane: The Life of Rubin Carter, Fighter. London: Fourth Estate, 2000. First UK Edition. 358 pp. Illustrated softcover wrappers in Very Good condition (retaining front cover “Personally Autographed” sticker). Boldly signed by Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in black marker on the half-title page. Comprehensive biography of middleweight contender Rubin Carter, chronicling his boxing career, his wrongful 1967 triple-murder conviction, nineteen years of imprisonment, and his 1985 exoneration.
Book Overview & Content:
• Biography & Wrongful Conviction. Hirsch chronicles the full life of middleweight contender Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, from his troubled youth in Paterson, New Jersey, and rise to the top of the middleweight rankings to his wrongful 1967 triple-murder conviction.
• Imprisonment & Exoneration. The narrative details Carter’s nineteen years behind bars, the 1970s protest movement championed by figures like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Bob Dylan, and the eventual legal breakthrough led by Brooklyn teenager Lesra Martin and a group of Canadian supporters that overturned his conviction in 1985.
• Cover & Signature Details (Your Copy). The pictured first UK softcover printing features an orange-and-red tinted halftone photograph of Carter in training gear with the cover quote “RUBIN CARTER, A GREAT MAN UNJUSTLY IMPRISONED” — MUHAMMAD ALI & JOE FRAZIER, 1975 and a “PERSONALLY Autographed” sticker. The second photo shows Carter’s large, bold autograph (“Rubin Hurricane Carter”) written vertically in black marker across the half-title page beneath the printed title “HURRICANE”.
Estimated Value ($85–$135 USD). Unsigned copies of the 2000 Fourth Estate softcover sell for $5 to $20, whereas books signed by Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (who passed away in 2014) carry strong collector demand across both boxing and social-justice memorabilia markets. Signed U.S. hardcovers of this title typically retail between $135 and $250 on AbeBooks; because this copy is a trade softcover with light corner and edge wear rather than a hardcover, its realistic retail value sits between $85 and $135 USD.
