John Lardner Reader

John Lardner (1913–60), the son of legendary humorist Ring Lardner, was a columnist for Newsweek; a frequent and much-honored contributor to the New Yorker, True, and Sport; and the author of It Beats Working, Strong Cigars and Lovely Women, and White Hopes and Other Tigers. John Schulian's work has been included in Best American Sports Writing and Sports Illustrated's Fifty Years of Great Writing. His Twilight of the Long-ball Gods: Dispatches from the Disappearing Heart of Baseball is available in a Bison Books edition. Dan Jenkins is the author of Jenkins at the Majors: 60 Years of the World's Best Golf Writing, from Hogan to Tiger.

"If this collection of 49 sports pieces is a true measure of John Lardner's talent, it's almost scandalous that the work of Ring's oldest son has not appeared in book form for some 50 years. . . . A collection well worth the wait."—Alan Moores, Booklist "In these days of chest-thumping anthropoids on ESPN, it does one's heart good to read Lardner (son of Ring) once again and to be reminded that there really was a golden age of sportswriting."—Henry Kisor,The Recluctant Blogger "Fortunately for us, John Schulian, a distinguished sportswriter in his own right. . . has put together an invigorating sample of Lardner's best sportswriting, [The John Lardner Reader is] a generous and representative blend of Lardner's Newsweek columns, newspaper stories and freelance magazine pieces."—Alex Belth, SI.com "While his fellow sportswriters were perfecting new techniques in the line of hero worship, Lardner was exploring sporting celebrity as performance, a way of hiding private obsessions and defeats, and a love, above all, of money and the high life. That he wrote about what he saw with such a light, clean touch doesn't diminish the basic darkness of his vision. Lardner, his mind on a time already past, saw LeBron James, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Alex Rodriguez coming. He was appalled."—Tim Marchman, Wall Street Journal "Lardner, who unfortunately died 50 years ago a couple of calendars short of his 50th birthday, fortunately has Schulian in his corner and reintroducing his work to a generation of scribes who could benefit from the opportunity to step back and reassess their craft."—Tom Hoffarth, Los Angeles Daily News "The John Lardner Reader is a terrific book because the best of John Lardner is extraordinarily good. And nobody should dismiss even the worst of him. . . . It is a great joy to see his work recollected and republished."—Bill Littlefield, Boston Globe

• Foreword by Dan JenkinsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction by John SchulianPart 1. In a Class by ThemselvesDown Great Purple Valleys"The Haig": Rowdy Rebel of the FairwaysPart 2. Bats and BrawlsBabe HermanGood-by to All ThatMemoirs of Old SatchMost Blood for Your MoneyThe Home of the Bean and the KidThe World's Richest Problem ChildHard-way Bill on the MississippiThey Walked by NightBaseball EyePassing of an Unlicensed HeroThe All-American RookieBall Fans and Other PrimatesMemoirs of a Mild FanaticRazor Blades AmokThe Space RevolutionPart 3. Cauliflower AlleyMorgan on JawsBag Hits BaerThe Boy BanditUpsy DownsyDeath of a Simian and a ScholarThe Case of the Chilly GiantMr. PercentageLife with EddieThe Sweet and the ToughJohn Arthur JohnsonFun at the ScalesNow Pitching for Bartlett'sWhen in Doubt, Hang the JudgeNo Scar, No MemoryPart 4. Cautionary TalesThe Life and Loves of the Real McCoyMysterious MontagueBattling SikiPart 5. Other PrecinctsThe Roller DerbySleeper for 44The Old Postgraduate TryRooney's RideAn Angel on HorsebackLittle BillStrong Cigars and Lovely WomenWhat Was That Again?Mr. Jacoby and the National FollyThe Best of the BrowsersMaybe in MemoriamThe Life of T-ts Sh-rWhat Price Olympic Peace?Part 6. Two for the MoneyTitanic ThompsonThe Sack of Shelby