Between the Covers

Hardcover. Bound manuscript. Introduction by Muhammad Ali. Quarto. Unpaginated. Typed carbon copies on pink and yellow carbon paper. Contemporary full cloth stamped in gilt with the title and author and: "Original Manuscript. March 16, 1973. To Sally... With Love." Dampstain mostly visible only on the front fly, a single word also on the front fly, else very good or better. Inscribed on the title page at a later date: "To Joe McMahon from Muhammad Ali 6-4-89." The carbon manuscript displays corrections in type and some penciled corrections, including the addition of Sugar Ray Robinson to the contents and a typed-in addition of José Torres. A cursory comparison to the printed book reveals a multitude of changes from this manuscript version. The book consists of interviews with Jack Dempsey, Mickey Walker, Pete Herman, Gunboat Smith, Fidel LaBarba, Tommy Loughran, Jack Sharkey, Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta, Carmen Basilio, Joe Louis, Willie Pep, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, José Torres, Emile Griffith, Floyd Patterson, Archie Moore, and several others. The recipient of the book was Sally Drell, whom the author referred to in the acknowledgments: "And finally my thanks to Sally Drell, for coming into my life... and for bringing with her the title for this book." Joe McMahon is presumably a collector who sought out Ali at a later date. Regarded by many to be among the best books on boxing, this is a unique copy.

Item #364462