Seabiscuit

An American Legend (Abridged Edition)

By: Laura Hillenbrand

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Please note: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged edition is also available.

Number-one New York Times best seller

From the author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken comes a universal underdog story about the horse who came out of nowhere to become a legend.

Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:

Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon.

“Fascinating.... Vivid.... A first-rate piece of storytelling, leaving us not only with a vivid portrait of a horse but a fascinating slice of American history as well.” (The New York Times)

“Engrossing.... Fast-moving.... More than just a horse’s tale, because the humans who owned, trained, and rode Seabiscuit are equally fascinating.... [Laura Hillenbrand] shows an extraordinary talent for describing a horse race so vividly that the reader feels like the rider.” (Sports Illustrated)

“Remarkable.... Memorable.... Just as compelling today as it was in 1938.” (The Washington Post)

©2001 Laura Hillenbrand (P)2001 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

Book Sense Book of the Year Award Winner, Adult Non-Fiction, 2002

"Campbell Scott never overplays a line, never misses a pause, never fails to punch an ending. This is a treat for the ear, an education for the mind, and a meal for the soul." (AudioFile)

“Fascinating... Vivid... A first-rate piece of storytelling, leaving us not only with a vivid portrait of a horse but a fascinating slice of American history as well.” (The New York Times)

“Engrossing... Fast-moving... More than just a horse’s tale, because the humans who owned, trained, and rode Seabiscuit are equally fascinating.... [Hillenbrand] shows an extraordinary talent for describing a horse race so vividly that the reader feels like the rider.” (Sports Illustrated)

“Remarkable... Memorable... Just as compelling today as it was in 1938.” (The Washington Post)

Where's the unabridged version?

Excellent book. Would have been 5-stars if it were UNABRIDGED!

What a great story

They always say that true life is stranger than fiction. What a wonderful and inspiring story! And I believe that a movie will soon be released, based on the book.

Thrilling story with a snappy prose

The abridged version of this book was satisfactory. Although Seabiscuit won nearly half of the races he started, this reading covered only the sensational ones. It read with poise keeping me attentive during the many play-by-play accounts. Throughout the rest of the audio there was plenty of cast-off detail about the men around Seabiscuit to make me cheer their triumphs too. This audio was well-read and inspirational.

Seabiscuit is a worthy listen

Our entire family enjoyed this book and audio. Richly written, well documented and highly entertaining. The authors work has paid off handsomely with a fantastic story. The narration is impeccable. Kudos to all involved.

A winner by a horselength

A great, fun listen--this is truly a joy.

very enjoyable

very enjoyable and well read, what a gem of a story!

Loved it

Forced in high school to read works I hated, such as "A Tale of Two Cities", I haven't read a book in twenty years. I thought I might try it again, but when looking at computers all day hard on the eyes to read at night. I tried the venue and loved it, I wish I would have had the opportunity to choose books I would have enjoyed in high school, rather than concluding for the boring stuff forced upon us that I had no desire to read as an adult.

Fabulous!

Loved the whole book! I can't even put into words what I liked about this book, it was just so good from start to finish. did not want to stop listening!

What an Audio Book Should Be

Any additional comments?

The drama and intensity was sustained, and kept building thoughout. It was much better than the movie, which was periodically broken by leftist documentaries. The book stayed focused on Seabiscuit, the men who trained and loved him, and their trials, tribulations, and fight to succeed. This focus, this not straying from the story, made it more powerful than the movie.

I am amazed at what the riders and trainer went through. They were dedicated, hard working, courageous, ambitious, rational and objective (at least in regard to horses), tenacious, and passionate. In horse racing, they were hot in their love and cold in their objectivity.

But, you might have to be interested in horses to like it, or maybe interested in reading about men who recognize and cultivate greatness vs. those who do not.

I love horses so I had an interest in listening to the book -- after I got started. I bought it accidentally. I did not want it yet; I did not think it would be that good. Boy was I surprised. Shortly after it started, I was hooked. If not for the need to sleep and work, I would have listened to it straight through.

Hillenbrand did a great job. And Campbell Scott stayed right there with her. Just what the book deserved.

Another thing that made the book great was that the horseman followed natural horsemanship, or something close to it. None of that irrational beating and mistreating of a horse that some call

Engrossing story

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and don't understand how anyone could give it less than 4 stars. If you are interested in horses and horse-racing, or even against-all-odds stories then this will not disappoint. I really feel like I was transported way back to the Depression era of racing, though I'm only 31 years young!!! Amazing book.