The Best of Plimpton

Editor, essayist, sportswriter, adventurer--George Plimpton perhaps needs less introduction than any figure of contemporary American letters. Whether quarterbacking with the Detroit Lions, playing percussion with the New York Philharmonic, or on the ice with the Boston Bruins, Plimpton is best known for gamely entering any arena and surviving to write about his experience--with grace, urbanity, and considerable good humor.But such classics as Paper Lion and Open Net are only the most visible instances in a body of writing as remarkable for its breadth and diversity as it is for its elegance. Plimpton takes us into worlds most people only dream of entering-on a movie set with Warren Beatty (who always greets George with the cryptic line "Is this the man who's never eaten an olive?"), in Muhammad Ali's dressing room before his bout with Jerry Quarry, or at Camp David with President Bush pitching horseshoes. Wherever he brings us he is the consummate guide, affable, perceptive, informed. With a keen eye and a knack for the vernacular, he makes the unapproachable approachable, familiar, and human. What he has done for sports figures he has also done for such celebrities as John F. Kennedy, Marianne Moore, and Ernest Hemingway--providing us with rare, intimate glimpses into the lives of some of the major cultural icons of our time.The Best of Plimpton collects for the first time the work of a distinguished thirty-five-year career. Including profiles, essays, articles, and such classic inventions as "The Amazing Story of Sidd Finch" and "The Snows of Studio 54," the book is a rich mix from one of America's most talented and unique literary personalities. A native of New York City, George Plimpton has degrees from Harvard University and King's College, Cambridge University. He is the co-founder and editor of The Paris Review. His hobbies include birdwatching and fireworks (he is the fireworks commissioner of New York City).