Johnsonston, Alexander – Ten and Out! The Complete Story of The Prize Ring in America – INSCRIBED to JESS WILLARD

Description

Johnsonston, Alexander ‘Ten and Out! The Complete Story of The Prize Ring in America’ 1927 Third revised edition. 402-pages. The hardcover is in very good condition in a good worn complete non-price clipped dust jacket. INSCRIBED on the frontispiece “To Mr. Jess Willard, A great fellow, A great citizen and A great champion. In memory of our pleasant meeting in Springfield, Mass in Riverside Park July 20- 1951 from John C. Moran 1680 Main St Harford Conn.” John Moran (born John Ralph Cizek July 4, 1894 – November 4, 1966) was an American professional boxer who fought under the name Jack Moran and lived at 1680 Main St., Hartford, Connecticut. He fought for the world light-heavyweight boxing title in March 1917, losing on points to the reigning champion, Battling Levinsky. Moran had a durable but ultimately very difficult journeyman career in the heavyweight and light-heavyweight divisions, active primarily from 1911 to 1922. While his official record includes a high number of losses, he is remembered for stepping into the ring against some of the greatest legendary fighters of his era:
• Elite Competition: Aside from his title fight with Battling Levinsky, Moran fought legendary world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey in September 1918 (getting knocked out in the first round). He also fought former light-heavyweight champion Jack Dillon (who stopped him in three rounds) and fought to a draw with the famous Gunboat Smith.
• The Record: According to official data, Moran was often overmatched against top-tier talent, finishing with a lopsided record that included 17 losses (15 by knockout) and just 2 official wins, alongside several newspaper decisions.
• Later Life: After retiring from active competition following a brief one-fight comeback in 1931, Moran remained involved in the sport by working as a boxing referee.

Book Summary:
Ten—and Out! The Complete Story of the Prize Ring in America by Alexander Johnston (originally published in 1927, the third revised edition released in 1947 by Ives Washburn) is widely considered one of the foundational, classic narratives of American boxing history.

Featuring a foreword by legendary champion Jack Dempsey, the book serves as an exhaustive, thrilling chronicle of the prize ring in the United States from its bare-knuckle, illegal colonial origins all the way up through the multi-million-dollar stadium draws of the mid-20th century. Johnston tracks the technical evolution of the sport (such as the adoption of the Marquis of Queensberry rules) and delivers deep narrative profiles of the sport’s transformative eras. The book dedicates significant real estate to historic heavyweights, colorfully detailing the eras of John L. Sullivan, Gentleman Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, and importantly, Jess Willard.

Estimated Book Value:
The estimated market value for this specific inscribed copy is $250 to $400+ USD.
While a standalone 1947 third edition of Ten—and Out! in Very Good condition with a decent dust jacket typically commands a modest market value of only $20 to $40 USD, this copy holds a substantial premium strictly because of its association value. In the antiquarian book market, a book’s worth skyrockets when it physically connects significant historical figures.
• The Inscribed Provenance (Association Copy): Your book is highly unique because it functions as an “association copy”—a book owned, gifted, or signed by individuals directly related to the book’s core subject matter. Having a light-heavyweight title challenger (John C. “Jack” Moran) gifting a definitive boxing history book to a literal subject of that book—former World Heavyweight Champion Jess Willard (who famously dethroned Jack Johnson in 1915)—is a collector’s dream.
• The Narrative Detail of the Inscription: What makes your item particularly valuable is that it isn’t a generic signature. Moran provided incredible historical context: naming the specific date (July 20, 1951), his own home address (1680 Main St.), and the exact physical venue (Riverside Park in Springfield, MA). Riverside Park was a massive regional attraction hosting exhibition events, racing, and public appearances; this inscription serves as an ironclad historical record of these two aging pugilists meeting up post-career.
• Premium Condition Factors: Having the original 1947 dust jacket present, completely intact (non-price clipped), and preserved in a modern Mylar protector is optimal. It anchors the structural value of the physical book, ensuring that a sports memorabilia collector is buying a beautiful display piece for their shelf alongside the historical writing.
Because Jess Willard’s personal library items are highly sought after by advanced boxing historians and sports autograph collectors, this item would best be sold through a specialized sports memorabilia auction house rather than a general used bookstore to realize its maximum potential value.