Rummel, Jack – Muhammad Ali. Heavyweight Champion

Description

Rummel, Jack ‘Muhammad Ali. Heavyweight Champion’ 1988 128-page hardcover in very good + condition.

The 1988 first edition hardcover of Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Champion, written by Jack Rummel, was published by Chelsea House Publishers in New York and Philadelphia. Spanning 124 to 128 pages, this volume was launched as a prominent entry in the publisher’s critically acclaimed Black Americans of Achievement series, which featured introductory essays edited by civil rights icon Coretta Scott King.

Book Synopsis & Editorial Focus:
Designed primarily as educational juvenile nonfiction for young adults and student researchers, the book delivers a solid, accessible introduction to Ali’s athletic feats and profound sociological legacy. The narrative tracks Cassius Clay’s childhood in Louisville, Kentucky, his 1960 Olympic gold medal breakthrough, and his rise to the world heavyweight championship.
Rather than focusing solely on his ring strategy, Rummel highlights the unwavering personal convictions that made Ali a lightning rod for the turbulent 1960s:
• The Spiritual and Cultural Pivot: Detail is given to his conversion to the Nation of Islam and his name change, emphasizing that his faith was an expression of inner discipline rather than a mere publicity stunt.
• Draft Resistance and Exile: The biography thoroughly covers his political stance against fighting in the Vietnam War, his subsequent draft resistance arrest, and his painful multi-year exile from boxing at the absolute peak of his athletic prime.
• The Resurrection: The book explores his triumphant return to the ring, capturing his historic rivalries and how he successfully managed to lose and regain the heavyweight crown twice.

Physical Design & Series Features:
• Binding & Format: As an educational title destined for school and public library catalogs, it was issued in a robust, laminated pictorial hardcover binding (often released without a separate paper dust jacket, featuring the artwork printed directly onto the thick boards).
• Illustrations: The text block is highly visual, heavily populated with historical black-and-white archival photographs charting Ali’s bouts, press conferences, and family life.
• Backmatter Layout: Built to academic reference standards, the final pages include a detailed chronological timeline of Ali’s life, a reading list for further research, a bibliography, and an expansive index.
• First Edition Identification: The true first hardbound printing features a copyright date of February 1, 1988, by Chelsea House Publishers and carries the ISBN-10: 1555465692. (Note: A trade paperback variant was released the following year under ISBN-10: 0791002101).