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This
book about the famous bare-knuckle fight between John L.
Sullivan and Jake Kilrain is a well-researched and
well-written account that reads smoothly and is wonderfully
informative. The assortment of photos make the fight come
alive again.
Sullivan and Kilrain as well as other boxing personalities
are described succinctly and sufficiently. Various attitudes
of the people and on-going events prior to the fight are
talked about, including those of legal persons. Businessman,
sawmill owner and land owner Charles Rich's plans to handle
the contest are covered in interesting detail - construction
of the ring, transportation of fight fans to and from the
site, etc. The fight itself, The Fight of the Era, is
described round-by-round with particulars included.
There are ten chapters plus an introduction and
epilogue. The introduction sets the stage for the fight and
describes some book content and sources of data.
The epilogue discusses what happened to a number of the men
at various times following the fight. The five appendices contain such information as
the names of seconds, bottleholders, timekeepers, umpires,
backers and jurors for the trials of Sullivan and Kilrain.
Also included is a poem (LOWRY AROUSED) about Mississippi Governor Lowry
from The Pearl River News of August 22, 1889
and the Revised London Prize Ring Rules. Marvelous Endnotes
provide valuable information for further research as does
the Bibliography.
Andrew R. English received a Bachelor's degree in
History from the University of Southern Mississippi
in 1984 and a Master's degree in History from the
same institution in 1987. He is a retired Major of
the United States Air Force, a veteran of many tours
and a recipient of the Bronze Star.
His first book All Off for Gordon's
Station: A History of the Early Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Area was published in 2000.
His second book was an account of a civil war steamship.
Chasing The Fox: The
Chronology of a Blackade Runner was published
in 2004.
Here is some
comments on the book:
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"English's style is warm
and engaging. He enlivens his
book with numerous
black-and-white illustrations
and a color plate, and the
Endnotes are a goldmine for
those wishing to delve deeper
into this fascinating and
heretofore little-known chapter
of Civil War history." --
John Sledge, Mobile Register,
June 5, 2005
"Challenged by a paucity of
reliable records and the many
name changes and incorrect
reports, the author has composed
a detail-rich tale that is good
history and a cracking good
read." -- Lynda Lasswell
Crist, The Journal Of Southern
History, November 2006
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This is the
third book by Andrew R. English. It is
interesting, informative and worth
reading. Boxing fans who read this book will not be
disappointed!!!
To order, contact the author at
hattiesburg84@yahoo.com
150 pages,
softcover
Numerous photos, excellent Endnotes, appendices, bibliography
with internet sources
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