Book recommendation

[-KOKid-]

I just finished reading two great books:

1.) Charley Burley - "the Life and Hard Times of an Uncrowned Champion" by Allen S. Rosenfeld. Simply brilliant! 600 pages portraying the career of the great Burley. The author also gives us a considerable amount of info on the careers of Holman Williams, Cocoa Kid, Eddie Booker, Fritzie Zivic, Billy Soose and Ken Overlin to name some. The book is excepionally well researched and includes articles and stories by boxing writers of the time.
What also becomes clear is that Boxrec's record for Holman Williams is incomplete. According to Rosenfeld, Williams engaged in well over 200 bouts.
This book is a must for all fans of boxers of the past. Those 600+ pages go so fast, you think you saw the movie.
I give this book 10/10

2.) "The Ageless Warrior" by Mike Fitzgerald. A great book on a great fighter, Archie Moore. What an eventful and amazing life this guy had, he was so much more than a fighter.
The book covers Archie's ring career in detail, you get a complete impression of every fight, the bigger ones more so.
The only thing I felt was missing was Archie's relationship with his third wife. Without it ever being mentioned, the book suddenly reads something like "Archie had two children form a previous marrige". You just get left with a "what?" feeling. I suppose there is a reason why this marrige were never mentioned before nor after.
In the end it makes little difference. The book gives you an excellent portrail og the great man and his great career. Some parts of it are also very funny. I give this book 9/10

-KOKid-

[silkov]

Have you read 'Charley Burley and black murderers row' by Harry Otty?... thats a good read but a hard to find book now... Archie Moores auto-biography is very good if you can get hold of it, he even goes into the detaols of his myterious eating habits! 8) ....

[-KOKid-]

Archie's aborigine diet is also covered in Ageless Warrior.
I usually order a bulk of books of Amazon 2-3 times a year. "Burley and Black Murderer's Row" is already in my shopping chart for my next order which I reckon getting in January. Stiff price though, £39.00.
Still, I'm getting it.

-KOKid-

[silkov]

Archie's aborigine diet is also covered in Ageless Warrior.
I usually order a bulk of books of Amazon 2-3 times a year. "Burley and Black Murderer's Row" is already in my shopping chart for my next order which I reckon getting in January. Stiff price though, £39.00.
Still, I'm getting it.

-KOKid-

If you live near London you may want to try looking in the shop 'the sports pages' I think its called as they had a copy of the Otty book going for £22... but this was about 6 months back. They are going to be collectors items as only 300 of them were printed.
I got mine on amazon about 14 months ago for £15.

[lamphey]

Archie's aborigine diet is also covered in Ageless Warrior.
I usually order a bulk of books of Amazon 2-3 times a year. "Burley and Black Murderer's Row" is already in my shopping chart for my next order which I reckon getting in January. Stiff price though, £39.00.
Still, I'm getting it.

-KOKid-

I'm pretty certain Harry Otty posts on this board.

If he reads this, he'll surely sort you a copy cheaper than that.

[lamphey]

Archie's aborigine diet is also covered in Ageless Warrior.
I usually order a bulk of books of Amazon 2-3 times a year. "Burley and Black Murderer's Row" is already in my shopping chart for my next order which I reckon getting in January. Stiff price though, £39.00.
Still, I'm getting it.

-KOKid-

£39 is way too much.

I think Harry has gone to re-print with maybe an extra chapter or something.

Contact him direct on the email at the bottom of the link below:

http://www.torabooks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html

[Boxscribe]

Thanks Silkov and Lamphey.

The Burley book is out of print and I do have a paperback version in the pipeline. The paperback has additional information on Charley's early career and some new photos. Advance orders can be made at the email address below.

The copy for sale on Amazon is a low numbered copy of a first edition, limited print run (300). People have also sold copies on ebay for upto $60.00.

The book is fairly collectable because of the limited numbers (I hand numbered every copy myself - the Burley family got the first three - speaking of which, today is Julia Burley's birthday).

I have a couple of copies in the higher numbers that I would be willing to part with for £25.00 (numbered and signed). Email me at the address below.

The main difference between my book and Mr Rosenfeld's is that mine was written with the assistance of the Burley family and Charley's friends, (I also had the pleasure of speaking with Charley on the phone several times and actually met him at his home a few weeks before he died).

It took me many years to research and is full of personal information, anecdotes, insights and vignettes that give the reader a better idea of what Charley Burley was all about. There are, of course, fight reports, records and plenty of photos.

Thanks again guys.


[email protected]

[tiredoldngrey]

I've read both of the books you speak of and you are right; both are very good.