John Eisenberg
Hardcover | Pages: 272 pages Rating: 4.07 | 60 Users | 6 Reviews
Define Out Of Books The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
| Title | : | The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle |
| Author | : | John Eisenberg |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 272 pages |
| Published | : | May 5th 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Sports. Horse Racing. History. Animals. Horses |
Representaion Supposing Books The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
History meets horse racing in this grand, galloping story about what happened when the greatest horse from the North met the greatest horse from the South.In the early 1800s, the notion of sport was still quite new to America, unless you counted cockfighting, chasing foxes, or hunting stags. But on a bright afternoon in May 1823 a horse race held at the Union Course on Long Island changed everything. Astonishingly, sixty thousand people attended -- a number equal to roughly half the population of New York City at the time. Two horses -- the best from the North and the best from the South -- battled it out in three grueling heats, the equivalent of nine Kentucky Derbys, in only a couple of hours. And the whole thing was based on an outrageous dare.
In a fast-paced narrative -- colorful, rich, and full of record-setting performances and towering personalities -- John Eisenberg chronicles the story of the year in which two horses were seen as embodying a nation racing inevitably toward civil war. Eclipse was the majestic champion representing the North’s evolving industrial machine, and Henry was an equine arriviste embodying southern perceptions of superiority. Their thrilling match race would come to represent a watershed moment in American history, crystallizing the differences that so fundamentally divided North and South. Along the way, we come to know millionaire industrialists, broken-down jockeys, tobacco planters, politicians, and slaves -- not to mention two amazing horses.
A unique blend of horse racing, history, and good old-fashioned storytelling, The Great Match Race provides a telling glimpse of a nation dividing, some forty years before the Civil War; a fascinating look at the early heritage of the American thoroughbred; and the first example of the sports spectacle as we know it.
Details Books Concering The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
| Original Title: | The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle |
| ISBN: | 0618556125 (ISBN13: 9780618556120) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Out Of Books The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
Ratings: 4.07 From 60 Users | 6 ReviewsRate Out Of Books The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
So exciting! I think this should be the next racing movie, it would surely be great.
John Eisenberg is one of the countrys most acclaimed sportswriters. A native of Dallas, Texas and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he started out covering the Friday Night Lights for the now-defunct Dallas Times Herald in 1979. After rising through the ranks to cover pro basketball, he joined the staff of the Baltimore Sun in 1984. For the next 23 years he wrote columns in the Sun aboutVery interesting story of the horse race between the North's Eclipse and the South's Sir Henry in 1823. This was the first big sporting event of the New Republic. Eisenberg gives the history of horseracing in America and the events leading up to the race. The background of the horse owners, jockeys and others involved in the event adds to the build-up. The best part of the book is the thrilling race itself, three heats of four miles each - quite the endurance test for the horses. I didn't like
Racy writing, a great yarn, and a telling look at the differences between Ways of Life that led to the Civil War. Setting up a grudge race between the best horses the South could summon and the great unbeaten Eclipse, New York's hero. Each side's story is told warmly and sympathetically and if you don't know your history, it's also a nail biter. Which side will win? Expecting a rather large turnout, all of America saw the biggest crowd it had ever experienced. Great book for all sorts of
Anyone who has an interest in horse racing should read this book which traces the origins of thoroughbred racing in this country up through the great match race of 1823 which was the first great sports spectacle of any kind in this country attracting over 50,000 fans.
Has there been a movie made based on this book? If not, why not? There was a movie made on the 1970s racing filly Ruffian and we all know how THAT one turned out. ("We" being a subjective term, but anyway, on with the review --)This horse race was the most famous of its day and yet maybe ten people living in the country knew about it before this book was published. It makes a good case that this match race of a Northern champion (American Eclipse) against a Southern rising star (Sir Henry) was
Very interesting story of the horse race between the North's Eclipse and the South's Sir Henry in 1823. This was the first big sporting event of the New Republic. Eisenberg gives the history of horseracing in America and the events leading up to the race. The background of the horse owners, jockeys and others involved in the event adds to the build-up. The best part of the book is the thrilling race itself, three heats of four miles each - quite the endurance test for the horses. I didn't like
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