Seabiscuit

Author:

By Laura Hillenbrand

Awards:

William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award Winner 2001

Format:

Paperback

Availability:

In print, usually dispatched within 48 hours.

Price:

£7.99 £7.19 (Save 10%)

Tagged with:

Horse Racing, Famous Horses, Seabiscuit

Member Reviews

• Login or join us to post the first review!

You Can

• Send to a friend
• Contact us about this item

Further Details

• Published: 2nd Apr 2002
• ISBN: 1841150924
• Pages: 411
• Size: 198mm x 129mm

From Word of Sport:

The lovingly told story of Seabiscuit, that most unlikely champion, who in 1938, with the help of some apparently very unlikely backers, was transformed from an obstreperous also-ran to an international icon. Written with compelling realism and vivacity, this is both a sporting history and a masterfully woven chronicle.

From the Publisher:

The true story of three men and their dreams for a racehorse - Seabiscuit - that symbolised a pivotal moment in American history as modern America was born out of the crucible of the Depression and the dustbowl, as the 20th century's greatest nation found the courage to bet on itself to win against the odds. In 1936, the habits of 19th-century America were finally consigned to history just as Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind was published. In their place, modern America was born. But what defined this new era? Nothing more than the story of Seabiscuit, a stunted colt with asymmetrical knees that had for two years been hacked around no-good race tracks which led to permanent leg damage. Yet, by 1937, Seabiscuit could draw crowds of 60,000 and had more newspaper column inches devoted to him than Mussolini, Hitler or Roosevelt, his popularity peaking during his appearances at the Santa Anita Handicap. America had gone to the races for the first time since the Depression and fallen in love with a misshapen colt of great character. Now it wanted a winner.

"Seabiscuit" is also the story of three men: Tom Smith, a former Wild West Showman was the trainer; Red Pollard, abandoned by his poverty stricken family at a race track became the rider; and Charles Howard, a pioneer car manufacturer in San Francisco in the 1920s was the owner and financier. These three combined to create the legend of Seabiscuit and epitomise a dream for the emerging new America