The Pats: An Illustrated History of the New England Patriots

by Glenn Stout, Richard A. Johnson

A New York Times and Boston Globe bestseller!              A gift for every The definitive narrative history of the New England Patriots, illustrated with more than 200 photographs and including original sidebars and essays by Patriots chroniclers Leigh Montville, Upton Bell, Howard Bryant, Lesley Visser, and more.

The New England Patriots have become a dynasty, though it didn't begin that way. Love 'em, hate 'em, the Pats have captured this country's attention like no other franchise. From two award-winning authors this is the first complete story of a legendary team and its five trophies. 
 
In the tradition of their celebrated illustrated histories of some of sports' most iconic franchises, Stout and Johnson tell the history in full and in colorful detail. This is a lavishly illustrated tale full of larger-than-life characters - from founding owner Billy Sullivan, early stars like Syracuse running back Jim Nance and beloved wide receiver turned broadcaster Gino Cappeletti, to Hall of Famers and stars like John Hannah, Russ Francis, and Steve Grogan through to present-day stars like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and owner Bob Kraft.
 
Featuring essays by Richard Johnson, Upton Bell, Leigh Montville, Lesley Visser, Howard Bryant, Ron Borges, and more, The Pats is a must-have gift for fans, old and new, and an indelible portrait of the most talked about team in NFL history.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published November 20, 2018

About the author

Author of the Jazz Age true crime yarn Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid: America's Original Gangster Couple (2021), NY Times bestseller The Pats: An Illustrated History of the New England Patriots (2018) The Selling of the Babe (2016), Fenway 1912 (2012) and Young Woman the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World (2009) currently set up and in development as a major motion picture for Disney +. (ETA 2021). Since becoming a full-time writer in 1993, Glenn Stout has written, ghostwritten or edited 100 books representing sales in excess of two million copies. Stout is also author of The Cubs, The Dodgers, Nine Months at Ground Zero, Yankees Century, Red Sox Century, and has served as Series Editor of The Best American Sports Writing since its inception. Glenn also consults on a variety of writing projects (books, proposals, Longform narratives). He has won both the Seymour Medal and Ritter Award (twice) by the Society for American Baseball Research, and Yes Se Can! made the 2012 Amelia Bloom list for feminist content. He lives in Vermont.

Reviews

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of the the best team to ever play in the NFL. As a lifelong fan, it brought back lots of memories.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

With any book like this, you always take a risk that you're ending right before something important occurs or before something that invalidates the thesis of the ending of your book. In this case the book ends with the 2017-2018 season, in which the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Eagles in a sloppy game plagued by a still-unexplained personnel decision. Much of the final chapter is spent debating whether the recent dynasty ended with that game. Of course, the following season the Patriots would go on to win the Super Bowl again over the Rams. The year after that, the Patriots would start 10-0 before collapsing down the stretch and losing their first playoff game. And in the ensuing offseason, Tom Brady would leave as a free agent. That would seem like a natural breaking point to write the definitive history of the Patriots franchise up to that point (either that or waiting for Bill Belichick to retire), so in some respects the author just got unlucky. It was great to read once again about the 28-3 comeback against the Falcons, but everything involving still-active players necessarily pales in accuracy to the pre-Belichick (or at least pre-2010) years when the facts are more fixed and analysis can be more exhaustive. My only other quibble with the book is that, while I did appreciate that it featured full-color photos throughout (rather than just in a section in the middle), the photos often didn't correspond with the action being described on their page. Instead, photos would be of things that happened pages earlier or later. All in all, this was an enjoyable read during the long, dark offseason.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book received courtesy of the author~~Glenn Stout

I could barely get this book away from my kid long enough to skim/read it! He kept asking, "Are you done yet?", so obviously he has the book!

This is another one of Glenn's meticulously researched books that is a marvel to me. Starting at the beginning of The Patriots' organization and going all the way through the present Tom Brady era, this must have been a labor of love. The photos are incredible and do much to add to the story.

I'm a fan of Glenn's work and apparently we've added a new generation to that!

[Gig Wailgum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read! Enjoyed reliving many of the Pats early years of which i was not born yet, too young or had forgotten. Some scratch your head, laugh out loud moments in the early years. The book now needs a new chapter for the Pats 6th Super Bowl victory!