Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life

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In a stunning feat of meticulous reportage, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer ultimately puts to rest the "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" question with iconoclastic bravura. In Cramer's evaluation, the hero America held onto so desperately for so long was really a creation of a nation's communal imagination. The Joe DiMaggio that America tried so hard to believe in was never really here at all.

There was, of course, a Joe DiMaggio, and he had a splendid career in Yankee pinstripes--once hitting safely in an unimaginable 56 consecutive games--and a troubled marriage with Marilyn Monroe, each augmenting the other in our national mythology. But myths tend to be skin-deep, and Cramer's biography thrives in an internal geography well below the surface. The map he charts is of a cold, small, often nasty, uncaring, resentful, self-centered man, a man of public grace and private misery who broke friendships, shunned family, and chased money with the same focused energies he once harnessed to run down fly balls. It's not a pretty picture.

Scrupulously researched and elegantly written, The Hero's Life is filled with stories and reminiscences, both on and off the field, from others--not surprisingly, DiMaggio offered no cooperation--that both illumine the man and, more fascinatingly, explain our very need for him. Amid all the success and adulation, there was little joy in DiMaggio's life, and few moments--beyond the real heartache he felt over Monroe--of connection with others beyond Joe's personal need for others to serve him. "No one really knew what it meant to have spent a half-century being precisely and distinctly DiMaggio," Cramer writes, "what we required Joe DiMaggio to be. No one knew, as he did, what it cost to live the hero's life. And no one knew, as he did, precisely what it was worth." It seems our nation turned its lonely eyes to a proud, but empty shell; Cramer's superb book helps us understand why we did, and how DiMaggio was able to take all the good will extended him and give so little back. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

Joe DiMaggio was, at every turn, one man we could look at who made us feel good.

In the hard-knuckled thirties, he was the immigrant boy who made it big -- and spurred the New York Yankees to a new era of dynasty. He was Broadway Joe, the icon of elegance, the man who wooed and won Marilyn Monroe -- the most beautiful girl America could dream up.

Joe DiMaggio was a mirror of our best self. And he was also the loneliest hero we ever had.

In this groundbreaking biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer presents a shocking portrait of a complicated, enigmatic life. The story that DiMaggio never wanted told, tells of his grace -- and greed; his dignity, pride -- and hidden shame. It is a story that sweeps through the twentieth century, bringing to light not just America's national game, but the birth (and the price) of modern national celebrity.

Customer Reviews:

Blah. Just... blah........2007-09-16

My expectations for the book were low to begin with, but if I'd known DiMaggio had anything to do with Marilyn Monroe I wouldn't have bothered. She's a hack writer/pop culture magnet of the worst sort--and well, this biography is a prime example of the resulting genre.

Half the book manages to discuss DiMaggio's baseball career, in a sort of slap-dash, free-spinning verbal assault way. I suppose if you have the attention span of a gnat this is appreciated, but this approach just makes me unhappy; skip every other sentence and it still reads the same.

The second half of the book is Marilyn Monroe (the less said about that the better), and then DiMaggio's exploitive adventures in the ultimate sucker's paradise, the filthy world of baseball memorabilia.

Given his sources I doubt any of this is told either fairly or accurately... and you know you've got a real weiner of a book when "cease and desist/no comment" letters are included as a way to show "well, I tried to portray both sides but they wouldn't let me!"

I'm sure much of it is true, and I suspect DiMaggio was used, abused, folded, stamped, sealed, delivered. (Hey, at least he wasn't cryofrozen.) I just... gotta wonder why we really need to be told every intimate personal detail about someone, 'cause much of this stuff isn't our business.

Great look at more than just statistics.......2007-07-12

I enjoyed this book very much, it was a very entertaining read, failing to get five stars from me only because the author did not provide enough documentation of his facts.

Mr DiMaggio was a divinely talented ballplayer- greatest ever - no, in fact, definitely not - but certainly among them.

Away from baseball Joe D always struck me as both egotistical and just plain goofy. I liked the way the author gave credit to Joe's skills and accomplishments, while steering clear of a simple advertisement for a man we already knew was great on a ball diamond. DiMaggio was a very complex man, who had his failures and shortcomings, the same way all of us do.

I would certainly recommend this book as an entertaining read, it's not just a stiff baseball biography, there's a lot more here than just dates and statistics.

Exhaustive Research? Hardly?.......2007-04-15

I find it fascinating that many have disussed Mr. Cramer's exhaustive resarch for this book. Most of the assertions about DiMaggio's mob connections, pettiness, cruelty, money laundering (at one point the author mentions hundreds of thousands of dollars hidden in his house in San Francisco), do not have any footnotes. We are to assume his supposed interviews with the people he cites at the back of the book are the source. But where's the source for the author's claim about the paper bags of money hidden in the house, and supposedly carried out by Joe himself after an earthquake? You can't tell us an outrageous fact like that without telling us where you got it. Also, Cramer freely quotes dialogue, supposedly said by DiMaggio, that would be impossible to have known unless he was in the room. Even people relaying what DiMaggio said 50 and 60 years later could not have provided the exhaustive dialogue on display here. I suspect it was mostly written by the author, and used to back up the cold, calculating man Cramer wanted to depict. Where Cramer succeeds is in his portrayal of how DiMaggio was driven to succeed as a ballplayer, and literally felt he could take over a game and win. Given the many personal injuries he fought through, which Cramer mentions (and were part of the public record), it's remarkable what DiMaggio's Yankees were able to acheive - 10 pennants and 9 World Championships in 13 years. And it's abundantly clear that DiMaggio's teammates felt that he was always capable of a big hit or a big play whenever it was needed. He proved it to them over and over. I agree with the reader who said this book should have ended when DiMaggio retired. Mr. Cramer obviously knew that wouldn't be enough to make it a best seller. The Marilyn Monroe segment and the end of Joe's life are unfortunately painted in a sensational way, and this is the area where it feels like the author is really playing fast and loose with the truth. That Joe DiMaggio was a shy man who was driven by demons, I wouldn't deny. His rise from immigrant roots that he was sometimes ashamed of is a classic American story. It shouldn't be told by a character assassin like Richard Ben Cramer.

One-half of a good biography.......2006-10-20

Other reviewers have mentioned in detail the facts covered in this book - DiMaggio's phenomenal beseball career, together with his often seedy and less-than-heroic private life. I would only add that I quite enjoyed the book up through DiMaggio's retirement from the Yankees. Cramer did a masterful job of portraying his subject as a complex individual and often unique talent. Above all, Cramer gives the reader insight into the motivations that drove DiMaggio in both his public and private life.

After that, however, this book is a mess. 2/3 of the section covering 1952-1962 is about Marilyn Monroe. Cramer enjoys (with questionable accuracy) psychoanalyzing her, and DiMaggio appears mostly as a one-dimensional adjunct to her neuroses. After Monroe's death, the book skips forward to 1998 with little mention of any events that took place in the interim. Given the complex personality Cramer had outlined earlier, *something* of interest must have occurred in those 30 years, but we are left to guess.

Cramer portrays DiMaggio in his last days as if the dark forces in his character had almost entirely triumphed, leaving him little but an embittered shell. If that was the case, those 30 missing years ought to help us to understand that. It's puzzling that the excellent account in the first half of this book deteriorated into such a disjointed second half. Poor editing? Publication deadline? Maybe Cramer should have been content to write an excellent book that only covered DiMaggio's baseball years.

A great insight into a great player.......2006-10-03

Never saw him play but my father did and I've heard all the stories so I recently picked up this little gem and was introduced to the story behind the legend. And its a tragic story in many ways. Cramer presents Joe D as a sad man, angry, lonely, aloof and uncomfortable in the spotlight but somehow needing the spotlight as well. Well researched and detailed "The Hero's Life" is a powerful and compelling look at what makes (and breaks) a hero. I certainly came away with a deeper respect for DiMaggio and Yankee's history. It would be great if he'd do a book on Gehrig or the Babe because few books have actually captured their lives the way this book has captured DiMaggios.

Marilyn, Joe & Me: June DiMaggio Tells It Like It Was

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Joltin' Joke
Made my Wife happy again
Quite a Fantasy!
phony baloney
What is all the bashing about?

Marilyn, Joe & Me: June DiMaggio Tells It Like It Was
June Dimaggio , and As Told To Mary Jane Popp
Manufacturer: Penmarin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1883955637

Product Description

At long last, June DiMaggio, niece of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and a dear friend of Marilyn Monroe for 11 years, tells untold stories of the two legendary, very private stars that are insightful, fun and engaging. She also reveals what her family knew all along: Marilyn was more than a movie star and sex symbol. . . . And her death was anything but suicide. FUN. FAST. MOVING. AND RIVETING Marilyn, Joe & Me is a book no fan or curiosity seeker of Hollywood life and American royalty will want to be without. JUNE TELLS ALL The DiMaggio family was very private then, and still is today. In fact, no book has ever been written by a member of Joe DiMaggios clan until now. No other book has firsthand stories told by someone who was there June DiMaggio has been around celebrities since she was a child. A music theater star in her own right, June befriended Marilyn as well as other stars in Hollywood in the 50s. She well understood that the real light of Marilyn Monroe was much more luminous than the sexy star power promoted by Hollywood. In Marilyn, Joe & Me, we can finally see Marilyn Monroe for who she wasintelligent, warm, funny, generous of spirit, good-hearted, well-read, articulate and a delightful, loving friend. Candid and full of charm and character, June tells it the way it was: She sets the record straight, and she pulls no punches in describing Hollywood behind the glitz and glitter of the studios and cameras. IT'S ABOUT THE TRUTH Now in her late 70s, June finally reveals what the DiMaggio family knew all along: Their beloved Marilyn did not commit suicideshe was murdered. The family never discussed the subject. Junes mother went to her grave knowing the identity of Marilyns murderer sharing it with no one. An article on Marilyns death in the December 2005 issue of Playboy included an excerpt from Marilyn, Joe & Me. THE PHOTOS AND THE TREASURES Marilyn, Joe & Me is filled with never-before-published photos that capture the essence of the people and the times: exclusive pictures of Marilyn in the production of her last film, Thes Misfits, and a treasury of DiMaggio family snapshots.

Customer Reviews:

Joltin' Joke.......2007-03-19

Precious little Marilyn and Joe here, but waaay too much "me"--Joe's alleged "niece" June DiMaggio, an unknown aspiring actress of the Fifties whose unremarkable story would never have hit print were it not for her very tenuous link to her illustrious shirttail relatives (seems her mother's second husband was Joe's brother--maybe). Hard to tell whether the elderly June is suffering from a failing memory (I'm being charitable here) or (more likely) if this is just a fraudulent attempt to milk a few bucks out of a handful of old DiMaggio family photos of Monroe. But by any standards this hack job is a miserable mess.

Beyond that, a proofreader's nightmare filled with typos, misspellings and tons of information that's just flat-out wrong.

In addition to major mistakes pointed out by other readers, it's Louella Parsons (not Luella), Cobina Wright (not Cabina), Monroe film was titled Don't Bother to Knock (not Don't Bother Knocking), Gloria Swanson's Sunset Boulevard character was Norma Desmond (not Desdemona!!!), Marlon Brando did not appear in film version of The Rose Tattoo, Ann Sothern couldn't have played stage role in Barefoot in the Park in late Forties (play didn't open until '63), last name of Jeanette MacDonald's sister Blossom is Rock (not Seeley), and on and on.

Far too many goofs not to raise eyebrows and red flags with anyone remotely more familiar with this material than clueless co-writer Mary Jane Popp seems to be. (*This* error-riddled drivel is the work of an esteemed "journalist"?!!) Truly a joltin' joke.

Made my Wife happy again.......2007-03-10

My wife loves this kind of stuff and when she's happy, I'm happy.

Quite a Fantasy!.......2006-11-28

This book is absolute drivel! The ramblings & daydreams by an old woman trying to leave her last pathetic mark on this world at Marilyn Monroe's expense by re-writing history as she imagines it to have been!

A single example of the factual distortion in this book involves Marilyn's apperance at John Kennedy's birthday celebration in 1962. June "Bug" tells how Marilyn was "ordered" by 20th Centruy Fox to sing at this event. As detailed and supported by documents & interviews in the book "Marilyn The Last Take" this simply is not true as anybody willing to do a little research would know.

The studio absolutely forbade Marilyn from attending this affair because of her many absences from the filming of "Something's Got To Give" which was now running behind schedule! Her insistance on making the trip to New York was the "last straw" and this actually started action toward her dismissal from Fox.

This book does however, contain some rare private/personal color snapshots from 1954 of Joe DiMaggio's father's birthday celebration which Marilyn attended. These alone are certainly worth the price of this rather poorly written, vague work of fantasy disguised as a memior.

As an added bonus you'll get to look at loads of photos culled from June DiMaggio's "career" that would have never peen published unless they were peddled under Marilyn's name!

phony baloney.......2006-11-28

This woman was only related thru marriage and has built a whole senario how she was MM's best friend but no one has heard of her until 44 yrs. after Monroe's death. Maybe she met the screen legend at some point but most of her bablings seem to be the work of an over active imagination and possibility senility or the chance to get rich. She was not at the funeral, she did not have MM's real belongings (as stated at an exhibit that was closed down) and she was surely not even a friend. No pictures of herself and the screen idol? Hooey!

What is all the bashing about?.......2006-11-17

I found Marilyn, Joe and Me to be a delightful read. I don't understand what all the bashing is about! The book is about family, love, friendship and courage. June DiMaggio is a woman to be admired. She talks about joining the USO during WWII at the age of seventeen. I had no idea that the 'Suicide Squad' existed, and talking to more and more women of June's era, I am finding out what a tremendous amount of courage those women had, something we don't hear enough about! June talks about her heartbreaking romances,losing the people she loved and perservering in spite of everything. June takes us through the trials and tribulations of her career, sharing personal artifacts and keepsakes. She talks about a special friendship, giving us the pleasure of knowing Marilyn Monroe as the warm human being that she was. The photos are wonderful and the recipes at the end of the book are a very generous gesture given by a generous heart.
We live in a society where it is easier to believe the 'dirt' about someone, rather than the good. It makes it a lot harder to accept the truth when it's put out there. I recommend that you read the book before passing judgement!

Joe DiMaggio: Young Sports Hero (Childhood of Famous Americans)

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The Talented and Great Joe Dimaggo
The Talented and Great Joe Dimaggio
The Talented and Great Joe Dimaggio
"It was sad when he left his family to play for the Yankees"

Joe DiMaggio: Young Sports Hero (Childhood of Famous Americans)
Herb Dunn
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689831862

Book Description

Joe DiMaggio was a star centerfielder for fifteen years, helping the Yankees win the pennant in his rookie year. He played in ten World Series and in eleven All-Star Games. The image of American achievement and dignity, DiMaggio isn't just a sports legend, he is a true American hero.

Customer Reviews:

The Talented and Great Joe Dimaggo.......2006-02-17

This book was great! It tells the story of the immortal Joe Dimaggio,the Yankee Clipper. It begins with Joe's childhood, growing up in San Francisco, California. Joe's family was very poor so he did not have a lot of the things other kids had. he became interested in baseball because it didn't cost anything to play. Joe and the other kids in the the neighborhood would have pick up games and Joe soon found he was a very good baseball player. he decided that if he was going to be great he needed to practice more. In school all Joe could think about was baseball. Then in October,1929 the stock market crashed and Joe quit school to help support his family. It was during this time that Joe joined a neighborhhod baseball team called Rossi Olive Oil Company. Soon he was being noticed by major league scouts who were impressed with the 15 year old. By the time Joe was 18 years old he was playing with the minor league Seals and had a hitting streak of 48 games to tie the minor league record. The New York Yankees took notice of the talented young player and decided to sign him to major league contract in 1936.Joe played for the Yankees for 15 years and had the memorable and historical 56 game hitting streak that still stands today. Joe was a 3 time MVP and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. In 1969 Joe was voted the greatest living ball player. Joe was also honored in 1976 with the Medal of Freedom by President Ford. Joe died in 1999 at age 84 in Hollywood, Florida.

The Talented and Great Joe Dimaggio.......2006-02-14

This book was great!Joe went threw alot of hard times when he was a kid.Joe always wanted to be a great ball player when he grew up.He would always play pick up games with the neighbor hood.He was very poor,all he could afford was fish for dinner.Joe was very good at baseball.When he grew up he was one of the greatest Yankees.I found this book helpful because it has all the information you probally could get on Joe Dimaggio.Also at the end there was a timeline you could use it for a report.Also there was a stat chart of all of the stats that Joe Dimaggio had like how many home runs and hits and all stuff like that.Thats how i found it helpful and why you should read this book! By Griffin

The Talented and Great Joe Dimaggio.......2006-02-14

"It was sad when he left his family to play for the Yankees".......2001-11-03

This was just one of the facts my son spontaneously shared. This was the first book in the series that my almost 8-year old read. He was enthused about sharing what he learned about young JD and his family. He is asking for more titles from this series for his upcoming birthday.

Streak: Joe DiMaggio and the Summer of '41

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A fascinating look at "The Streak"
A SOLID BOOK WITH A TON OF FACTS

Streak: Joe DiMaggio and the Summer of '41
Michael Seidel
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life

ASIN: 0803292937

Book Description

Streak vividly and poignantly tells the story of "Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio's legendary fifty-six-game hitting streak and the last golden summer of baseball before America was engulfed by the maelstrom of the Second World War. That long-lost summer also witnessed other unforgettable events: Ted Williams's quest to bat 400 and Lefty Grove's pursuit of his three-hundredth victory; a sizzling, epic race between the Dodgers and the Cardinals for the National League pennant; and Mickey Owen's infamous passed ball in the fourth game of the World Series.

Featuring complete box scores for each game, Streak showcases DiMaggio's crowning achievement, commemorates a baseball season like no other, and invites us to an America in the last moments of its innocence.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating look at "The Streak".......2007-01-09

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 has long been one of sports most hallowed accomplishments, and one which it seems may never be equalled. Author Michael Seidel examines the streak game-by-game, detailing not just the exploits of DiMaggio, but also the events of the world at that time, especially the escalation of World War II. From the news of the sinking of the Egyptian steamer Zamzam with 138 Americans aboard to violinist Fritz Kriesler walking for the first time since being hit by a car to numerous other news stories of the time, the stories that go along with the chronicling of the streak make this book a unique and totally enjoyable read. To make the book all the more desireable for baseball fans and statisticians, the appendix of the book has complete box scores for each of the games. A great book that would fit nicely in the collection of any baseball trivia buff or fan of Joe DiMaggio and the New York Yankees.

A SOLID BOOK WITH A TON OF FACTS.......2003-02-03

THIS IS ABOUT THE LONGEST HITTING STREAK IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASBALL HISTORY AND SOME OF THE EVENTS DURING 1941. THE AUTHOR GIVES US A GOOD LOOK AT EACH GAME DURING THE STREAK AND A GREAT DEAL OF DETAIL CONCERNING THE EVENTS LEADING TO WORLD WAR II. HE DOES A VERY GOOD JOB AND KEEPS MY INTERST WHEN HE STICKS TO THE STREAK AND WHAT DIMAG DID DURING EACH AT BAT. BUT HE ALSO INCLUDES TOO MUCH DETAIL ABOUT WORLD EVENTS WHICH BECOME TEDIOUS AND REPETITITVE. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR HISTORY BUFFS OF BASEBALL.

Joe DiMaggio: An American Icon (Daily News Legends Series)

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A Superb Look at the Yankee Clipper
Excellent compilation of a fantastic career.

Joe DiMaggio: An American Icon (Daily News Legends Series)

Manufacturer: Sports Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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DiMaggio: Setting the Record Straight

ASIN: 1582612986

Book Description

No other man represents baseball's Golden Age better than the Yankee Clipper. No other source can better capture the glory of those days than the Daily News. From the very beginning of Joe DiMaggio's career to his passing in 1999, the Daily News was there to cover his life and career. This book covers Joe's entire career, plus the public aspects of his relationship with Marilyn Monroe, his family, and his life after baseball.

Customer Reviews:

A Superb Look at the Yankee Clipper.......2006-12-09

This is my favorite book on the legendary Joe DiMaggio. Part of the Daily News Legends Series it is chock full of the newspaper stories that covered Joe DiMaggio's career and life on and off the field. The stories reflect not a retrospective look at DiMaggio like most books, but rather the events as they were viewed at the time, in the language of the time. A delightful read that is accompanied by a good many photos (mostly black and white) and is sure to please any baseball fan.

Excellent compilation of a fantastic career........1999-03-20

If you are a baseball fan, then this compilation as put together by the N.Y. Daily News is a must have.The depth of their files, as shown in this book, comes through to allow those fans of Joe D. to relive both the good and not so good times of a grand career. With his passing, a certain style and grace was lost to us all. This book will go a long way in helping us remember it.

I Remember Joe Di Maggio: Personal Memories of the Yankee Clipper by the People Who Knew Him Best (I Remember Series)

Average customer rating:

Terrific portrayal of Joe D

I Remember Joe Di Maggio: Personal Memories of the Yankee Clipper by the People Who Knew Him Best (I Remember Series)
David Cataneo
Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Terrific portrayal of Joe D.......2001-08-23

Unlike the Cramer book, this book relies heavily on firsthand anecdotes offered by people who knew Dimaggio. And it pretty much covers every aspect of his adult life. I loved it, and it allowed me to get to know the Yankee Clipper pretty well without author conjecture and hyperbole.

Joe Dimaggio (Sports Heroes and Legends)

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Joe Dimaggio (Sports Heroes and Legends)
Kevin Viola
Manufacturer: Lerner Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0822530813

Joe DiMaggio: A Biography (Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters)

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Joe DiMaggio: A Biography (Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters)
David Jones
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313330220

Book Description

Immortalized in song and story, Joe DiMaggio is one of baseball's most accomplished players--and also one of its most enigmatic stars. DiMaggio's life is often seen as embodying the American Dream. The son of Sicilian immigrants, he rose from an unexceptional childhood in San Francisco to stardom on the national pastime's greatest stage--Yankee Stadium. As a player, DiMaggio fought off injuries and earned a reputation for unyielding excellence, exemplified by his Major-League-record 56-game hitting streak. DiMaggio's celebrity and sense of style and grace transcended the game, and his brief marriage to America's sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, remains the stuff of legends. But "Joltin'Joe" struggled with the attention and scrutiny that came with fame, and he became increasingly reclusive in later life. In this concise biography, David Jones offers a complex new look at the man who was once voted baseball's greatest living player. It has been said that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in professional sports. Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters presents biographies on Greenwood's selection for the 12 best hitters in Major League history, written by some of today's best baseball authors. These books present straightforward stories in accessible language for the high school researcher and the general reader alike. Each volume includes a timeline, bibliography, and index. In addition, each volume includes a "Making of a Legend" chapter that analyses the evolution of the player's fame and (in some cases) infamy.

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Joe Dimaggio (Baseball Legends)
Martin Appel
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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What a life!

Joe Dimaggio: The Yankee Clipper
Beckett Publications
Manufacturer: Beckett Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life

ASIN: 1887432604

Amazon.com

The most elegant Yankee of them all, DiMaggio's been baseball's virtual bridge between the era of myth and the dawn of the 21st century. As a ballplayer, his magical feats speak for themselves; as a man, he's defined by an aloofness that only cements his legend. DiMaggio doesn't set out to tell the complexity of DiMaggio's story; it is more of an affectionate scrapbook crammed with commemorative photos and celebratory prose.

The pictures extend from his minor-league days with the San Francisco Seals through his Yankee years of glory and military service, his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, and his postbaseball status as both icon and eminence grise. The accompanying essays are quite good, particularly Dwight Chapin on DiMaggio's Seals' career, Harold Rosenthal on his arrival in New York, Leonard Koppett on his All-Star Game appearances, and Marty Noble on DiMaggio's status as linchpin in the chain of Yankee excellence. Memorabilia buffs should relish the section on DiMaggio collectibles. Baseball buffs will relish the rest. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

Reminisce as Joe Dimaggio: The Yankee Clipper, through accounts by former teammates, an inspiring photo essay, a gallery of artwork, and more - offers a most comprehensive look at baseball's enduring superstar.

Customer Reviews:

What a life!.......1999-10-01

I have an original copy 1943 "lucky to be a Yankee" published and autographed by Joe Dimaggio himself. What in a round about value am i looking at? If you can tell me I'd really apprciate it. thanx!!!

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