Jeffries,James J. – My Life and Battles

Description

Jeffries, James J. ‘My Life and Battles. The World’s Champion. Edited & Illustrated by R. Edgren’ 1910 1st ed. large format softcover 65 pages. Ringside Publishing Company, 45 west 34th Street, New York. Bottom inch of the spine is split, else good + condition laid inside dark cloth binding of same size with “MY LIFE BATTLES” in gold lettering on front cover.

The 1910 softcover edition of My Life and Battles: The World’s Champion by former Heavyweight Champion James J. Jeffries is a rare, historically significant promotional autobiography. It was rushed into publication immediately leading up to his legendary July 4, 1910, “Fight of the Century” against Jack Johnson in Reno, Nevada.

Physical Characteristics & Background:
• Format & Size: A large-format softcover booklet consisting of approximately 65 pages. The cover features a distinctive illustrated drawing of Jeffries in a classic boxing stance.
• The Ghostwriter: While credited directly to James J. Jeffries, the book was actually ghostwritten and organized by his close friend, the prominent sportswriter and illustrator Bob Edgren. Edgren is officially credited as the “editor” on the front cover.

Content Summary & Scope:
Unlike many promotional athletic autobiographies of the era, the book is regarded by boxing historians as highly accurate because of Edgren’s deep, personal familiarity with Jeffries’ career and training methods.
• The Early Years: The memoir chronicles Jeffries’ rise from his roots working as a boilermaker (which earned him his famous nickname, “The Boilermaker”) to his athletic breakthroughs running and high-jumping.
• The Championship Reign: It covers his ascent to the World Heavyweight Title, highlighting his brutal, historic victories over legendary fighters like Bob Fitzsimmons, James J. Corbett, and Tom Sharkey.
• The Pre-Fight Perspective: Because it was published just before the 1910 match, it serves as a final, definitive statement of his undefeated legacy up to that point. It was designed to hype the public for his return from a five-year retirement to act as the “Great White Hope” against Jack Johnson.

AI Mode Conversation: Please provide a brief summary and description of the 1996 two-volume International Brotherhood of Prizefighters set published by IBOP, INC. Publishing & Tapes
Please provide a brief summary and description of the 1996 two-volume International Brotherhood of Prizefighters set published by IBOP, INC. Publishing & Tapes
The 1996 International Brotherhood of Prizefighters two-volume set, published by IBOP, INC. Publishing & Tapes, is a massive, comprehensive historical directory and reference work designed to document the fight records of professional boxers from the sport’s origins up to 1996.
Physical Characteristics & Layout
• Dimensions: Exceptionally large volumes, measuring 9″ x 14 1/4″ in a hardcover format.
• Volume 1 (A–K): Consists of 898 pages plus an additional appendix.
• Volume 2 (L–Z): Consists of 943 pages plus an additional appendix.
Content Summary & Scope
The set serves as an extensive alphabetical registry of global prizefighting history. It details career timelines, bout results, opponents, and statistics for thousands of active and historic fighters leading up to its mid-1990s publication date. Because of its immense physical scale and hyper-detailed compilation of boxing data, it is a highly specialized collector’s item and a valuable archival resource for boxing historians.
If you are looking for specific information, let me know if you would like me to help you find current pricing and availability on vintage book markets or look into details about the International Brotherhood of Prizefighters organization itself.
•
Prizefighting books
Hardback books
Charles ‘The Fights, Two volume set: A-K and L-Z. Published in 1996. Supposed to include records of all fighters up to 1996.
•
www.amazon.com
IBOP: International Brotherhood of Prizefighters. 1st … – Amazon.com
IBOP: International Brotherhood of Prizefighters. 1st Edition. Date of Publication · 1996 ; Binding · hardcover
Yes, please
Market Availability & Pricing
The 1996 International Brotherhood of Prizefighters two-volume set is a rare, out-of-print reference work that is highly sought after by boxing historians and specialized sports book collectors.
• Availability: Finding a complete two-volume set is quite difficult. When copies do surface, they are almost exclusively offered through antiquarian booksellers like AbeBooks, specialty brokers like Prizefighting Books, or collector auctions on eBay.
• Pricing Trend: Because of its immense physical scale (oversized 9″ x 14 1/4″ hardcovers) and niche printing run, a complete set in Good to Very Good condition typically commands a premium premium collector price—often ranging between $150 to $300+ USD, depending entirely on the preservation of the bindings.
About the Organization & Author
The set was compiled and authored by Elmer DeDeaux and issued through his entity, IBOP, INC. Publishing & Tapes.
• The Vision: The “International Brotherhood of Prizefighters” was not a traditional boxing sanctioning body (like the WBC or WBA) or a labor union. Instead, it was established primarily as an ambitious independent research and archival initiative.
• The Project: DeDeaux’s goal was to build a comprehensive, master-registry database to track and preserve the exact bout-by-bout records of global professional fighters—including lesser-known undercard boxers whose histories risked being lost to time before the internet age.
If you are tracking down a copy for your archive, I can set up a task to monitor inventory across major independent rare book networks and alert you if a set becomes available. Would you like me to do that?
•
Scribd
Libros Boxing y Mas | PDF | Muhammad Ali – Scribd
DeDeaux Elmer International Brotherhood of Prizefighters – Vol. I 1996 DeDeaux Elmer International Brotherhood of Prizefighters – …
•
Prizefighting books
Hardback books
Books are sorted alphabetically by author’s last name. Adler, David ‘Joe Louis, America’s Fighter’ 2005 … $15 * Ali, Hana ‘More Th…
•
AbeBooks
Shop Boxing Books and Collectibles – AbeBooks
Recommended Collections * Attic Books, ABAC, ILAB. * Old Imprints, ABAA, ILAB. * Linda’s Rare Books. * Pistil Books Online, IOBA.
Show all
Please provide a brief summary and description of the 1910 softcover book by James J. Jeffries titled ‘My Life and Battles’
The 1910 softcover edition of My Life and Battles: The World’s Champion by former Heavyweight Champion James J. Jeffries is a rare, historically significant promotional autobiography. It was rushed into publication immediately leading up to his legendary July 4, 1910, “Fight of the Century” against Jack Johnson in Reno, Nevada.
Physical Characteristics & Background
• Format & Size: A large-format softcover booklet consisting of approximately 65 pages. The cover features a distinctive illustrated drawing of Jeffries in a classic boxing stance.
• The Ghostwriter: While credited directly to James J. Jeffries, the book was actually ghostwritten and organized by his close friend, the prominent sportswriter and illustrator Bob Edgren. Edgren is officially credited as the “editor” on the front cover.
Content Summary & Scope
Unlike many promotional athletic autobiographies of the era, the book is regarded by boxing historians as highly accurate because of Edgren’s deep, personal familiarity with Jeffries’ career and training methods.
• The Early Years: The memoir chronicles Jeffries’ rise from his roots working as a boilermaker (which earned him his famous nickname, “The Boilermaker”) to his athletic breakthroughs running and high-jumping.
• The Championship Reign: It covers his ascent to the World Heavyweight Title, highlighting his brutal, historic victories over legendary fighters like Bob Fitzsimmons, James J. Corbett, and Tom Sharkey.
• The Pre-Fight Perspective: Because it was published just before the 1910 match, it serves as a final, definitive statement of his undefeated legacy up to that point. It was designed to hype the public for his return from a five-year retirement to act as the “Great White Hope” against Jack Johnson.
Collector Value
Original copies of this 1910 softcover are exceptionally scarce and highly coveted in the sports antiquarian market. Because paper covers degrade quickly, intact copies in Good or better condition easily command $500+ USD among specialized prizefighting collectors.

Robert “Bob” Wadsworth Edgren (1874–1939) was one of the most unique, trusted, and influential figures in early 20th-century sports journalism. He didn’t just report on the golden age of boxing—he was deeply embedded in the culture as an elite athlete, a pioneering sports cartoonist, and an ultimate arbiter of the sport.
1. The “Hands-On” Journalist & Sparring Partner
Unlike traditional writers who watched fights strictly from the press row, Edgren was a powerhouse athlete. He was a champion weight-thrower at UC Berkeley and competed in the shot put and discus for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1906 Athens Games.
Because of his 6-foot, 225-pound frame and immense athletic ability, he routinely stepped into the ring. Edgren acted as a sparring partner for legendary heavyweights like James J. Corbett, Jack Dempsey, James J. Jeffries, and Bob Fitzsimmons. This firsthand tactical knowledge gave his boxing analysis an unmatched level of technical authority.
2. The Unofficial Decision Maker
During the early 1900s, New York and several other states operated under the “Frawley Law” and similar statutes that prohibited official ring decisions to curb gambling and corruption. Fights that went the distance were officially recorded as “No Decision.”
To resolve wagers, the sporting public and bookmakers needed an arbiter of absolute integrity. Edgren, writing as the sports editor for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York Evening World, became that voice. His post-fight column assessments were so respected for their accuracy and fairness that the boxing world universally accepted “Edgren’s Decisions” to settle bets.
3. Visual Storytelling and Caricature
Edgren was a pioneer of the syndicated sports cartoon. Through his widely read column, “Miracles of Sport,” he combined written reporting with vivid, action-packed illustrations.
• He was famous for using humor to illustrate his own mishaps while sparring with champions like Bob Fitzsimmons.
• He heavily popularized the trend of caricaturing Fitzsimmons’ trademark freckles.
• His background as an investigative illustrator—having famously snuck out 500 photos of war atrocities during the Spanish-American War to present to U.S. Congress—meant his sports illustrations were tightly bound to stark, uncompromising realism.
4. Photographic Documentation of the “Fight of the Century”
Edgren’s role in documenting the historic 1910 Jack Johnson vs. James J. Jeffries bout extended past ghostwriting Jeffries’ autobiography. Edgren took forty on-site photographs of the fight. In an era where motion picture films of Johnson’s victory were being heavily censored and banned across America, Edgren transformed his photographs into magic lantern slides. These slides were exhibited in movie houses and theaters nationwide, providing thousands of Americans with their only visual record of the monumental event.
Later in life, his unrivaled expertise culminated in his appointment to the California Boxing Commission, where he continued to shape and regulate the sport until his health declined in the 1932.

Collector Value:
Original copies of this 1910 softcover are exceptionally scarce and highly coveted in the sports antiquarian market. Because paper covers degrade quickly, intact copies in good or better condition easily command $500+ USD among specialized prizefighting collectors.