Odd, Gilbert – Ring Battles of The Century

Description

Odd, Gilbert ‘Ring Battles of The Century’ 1948 1st ed. 243-pages. Good condition with a good minus very worn but complete non-price clipped dust jacket. The handwritten name and book stamp of longtime South African collector J. Karel de Vries is on the frontispiece.

Ring Battles of the Century by Gilbert E. Odd is a notable work of historical boxing literature, first published as a hardcover edition in 1948 by Nicholson & Watson, London.

Book Description:
• Subject & Content: Written by prominent boxing journalist and historian Gilbert Odd, the book serves as a curated collection of dramatic fight reports and retrospective musings. It provides deep historical context for the most outstanding and colorful bouts of the early-to-mid 20th century.
• Bouts Covered: The book spans legendary matchups of the era, capturing the action of historic fights including:
• Jimmy Wilde vs. Pete Herman (1921)
• Mickey Walker vs. Tommy Milligan (1927)
• Jack Petersen vs. Jack Doyle (1933)
• Max Baer vs. Primo Carnera (1934)
• Johnny King vs. Jackie Brown (1937)
• Nel Tarleton vs. Al Phillips (1945)
• Gus Lesnevich vs. Freddie Mills (1946)
• Tony Zale vs. Rocky Graziano (1946)
• Format & Pagination: The first edition features 243 to 244 pages inside an octavo format. The text is accompanied by several glossy, black-and-white period photographic plates illustrating the famous fighters and bouts.
• Bindings & Dust Jacket: The book was originally bound in colored cloth boards (with variations including clean green cloth with black titling or red cloth with gilt lettering depending on the print run/impression). It was issued with a striking pictorial dust jacket.

Collector’s Note:
Because of its popularity among British boxing enthusiasts, Nicholson & Watson issued a Second Impression closely following the original release in 1949. Serious collectors look strictly at the copyright page to verify the 1948 first printing statement.