A.J. Liebling: The Sweet Science and Other Writings

by A.J. Liebling, Pete Hamill (Editor)

For the first time in one volume, Hamill presents five great books that demonstrate Liebling's extraordinary vitality, humor, and versatility as a writer.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Sports, Essays

1050 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2009

About the author

Abbott Joseph "A. J." Liebling was an American journalist who was closely associated with The New Yorker from 1935 until his death.

Reviews

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sweet Science is a victim of overhype. It does make you want to be Joe Louis -- or at least go see a boxing match in the 50's. But it's not the greatest sports book of all time. The beginning is tremendously well-written and entertaining. The parts toward the end are more purely descriptive and leave less to the funnybone.

The Earl of Lousiiana and the Jollity Building also have their moments. Liebling really, truly believes that Earl Long was the hero of the South which is an interesting and unusual perspective.

Between Meals is kind of interesting as a mini-travelogue, but nothing that really appealed to me.

The Press is very long and sort of strange. It really is more political criticism than press criticism, which many people say, I think, is what press criticism ultimately turns out to be. His press criticism is sort of a funhouse mirror as he is astonished that there are some cities with only one afternoon paper and rails against the uniformly conservative press.

All of the book are very clearly stitched together articles which makes it a little herky jerky as a fact developed in one "chapter" gets reintrouced with a total naivete that is particularly jarring given Liebling's wiseguy narrative style.

[Bruce Paley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've already reviewed the wonderful Jollity Building separately, and can only add that Liebling was also one of the greatest American boxing writers ever, along with the likes of Jimmy Cannon, Ring Lardner, Jack London, Red Smith, Norman Mailer, and others. His Sweet Science is the best book about boxing that I've ever read, is highly regarded among those in the know, and is a genuine and deserved classic of the genre. Liebling was an astute observer of the sport and of people, he wrote with compassion and wit, and his descriptions are second to none, witness his comparison of a dull, sluggish fight between two overweight heavyweights to two hippos nuzzling one another. A knockout!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boxing is one of my secret pleasures. I was fascinated by the author's writing on boxing. I need to find something written by Pierce Egan. He was 19th century British journalist whose writings on boxing Liebling refers to often.
The Earl of Louisanna, Earl Long was a fascinating person. The author described him so well I felt like I had shaken hands with the man.

[Paul Jellinek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Liebling's writing when he's at the top of his game, which he is throughout much of this volume (especially The Sweet Science about boxing and The Earl of Louisiana about Governor Earl Long of Louisiana) but unfortunately the last section about journalism was not his best writing, and should have been left out of what would otherwise have definitely been a 5-star book.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of several of his books. The Sweet Science is the one I was interested and it was very good. It's all about boxing in the late 1950's. I tried to read parts of the others and was not interested.