Oates, Joyce Carol – Reading the Fights

Description

Oates, Joyce Carol ‘Reading the Fights’ 1988 2nd impression. 305-pages. Compilation of boxing stories by great writers. VG/VG

Book Description & Physical Specifications:
Co-edited by Joyce Carol Oates and Daniel Halpern, Reading the Fights: The Best Writing about the Most Controversial of Sports was published in May 1988 by Henry Holt & Company, New York (released under their Seaver Books imprint).
• Content: Serving as an essential literary anthology for sports history enthusiasts, this book collects 22 prominent essays, profiles, and analytical pieces from an array of intellectual giants and towering voices in American journalism. The collection balances the visceral thrill of “The Sweet Science” with its deep-seated societal horrors, featuring contributions from Norman Mailer, Gay Talese, A.J. Liebling, George Plimpton, Pete Hamill, Gerald Early, and Oates herself. It explores iconic, mythic ring clashes—such as the Dempsey-Tunney “Long Count” fight, the Ali-Frazier trilogies, and the tactical brutality of Roberto Durán—while evaluating the sport through the lenses of violence, racial politics, art, and raw human tragedy.
• Format: A standard trade octavo volume (8vo, approx. 9.25 in. x 6.25 in.) running 308 pages.
• Binding: Hardcover bound in a clean two-tone layout, typically consisting of grey or light cloth/paper boards accompanied by a sharp black cloth spine featuring silver gilt title lettering stamped horizontally or down the spine.
• Dust Jacket: Issued with a striking, highly stylized graphic dustwrapper featuring an eye-catching design (often incorporating bold primary colored accents or stylized boxer imagery typical of late-1980s trade hardcovers) with an original retail price of $17.95 printed on the front flap.