The Sweet Science

By: A. J. Liebling

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

This collection of A.J. Liebling's classic New Yorker pieces on the "sweet science of bruising" brings vividly to life the boxing world as it once was. It depicts the great events of boxing's American heyday: Sugar Ray Robinson's dramatic comeback, Rocky Marciano's rise to prominence, Joe Louis' unfortunate decline. Liebling never fails to find the human story behind the fight, and he evokes the atmosphere in the arena as distinctly as he does the goings-on in the ring; a combination that prompted Sports Illustrated to name The Sweet Science the best American sports book of all time.

©1951 the Estate of A.J. Liebling (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Nobody wrote about boxing with more grace and enthusiasm than Joe Liebling." (New York Times)
"In The Sweet Science, as in all his books, Liebling himself, the voice and the character, is immensely appealing." (New Yorker)

Expertly written and read- interesting window to the past

Such an interesting window into the past. I wish the author had lived long enough to give us such a nuanced and well-written view of the great fights of the 60s and 70s.

Excellent perspective on boxing during that era

As a recent convert to rabid boxing fan, I picked up this title. Liebling keeps the listener interested with his astute commentary on boxers from his era and the social factors that were influencing the sport. I looked for another of his books on audio and was disappointed not to find one. The narrator is excellent (and I consider myself picky about narrators).

Too much on the fights, not enough on the fighters

Liebling writes amazing well, but I thought I would get more on the fighters, and less on the fights. The fight analysis is interesting, but I would take Kindred's book on Cosell and Ali over Liebling's sweet science. How much of that is because I experienced both Cosell and Ali growing up, while Liebling is covering fight history, I do not know.

A compelling read on the art of boxing.

I'm not a big fan of boxing, other than as a kid watching SugarRay Jr., when I was a kid. Listening to the history of some the fighters, was interesting and the narrator made it compelling enough to listen to the whole book.

Liebling is a master wordsmith, Gardner an incredible narrator

The fighter did "not succeed in converting the Philadelphian into a horizontal, but he made him look like two sides of a triangle in search of a third."

No one writes this way anymore! AJ Liebling's analogies were the highlight of a book woven through the art of boxing, deftly narrated with an old tyme voice by Grover Gardner.

Great Listen!

Loved every bit of this book. Grover Gardner is quite possibly my favorite narrator too.

Timeless. A work of art.

they don’t write like they used to! Combined with this always exceptional narrator this is a classic that will have few rivals in sports writing.

Beautifully read

What an incredible performance! The narrator made me feel that it was the author reading his own book

A Gifted Writer Turns Boxing Into Ballet

Any additional comments?

I've listened to this book three times. I'm a boxing fan, of course, but Liebling is a gifted wordsmith. The prose he used to write the articles that make up this book is some of the best ever written in the English language. The narrator does an outstanding job too. I would not recommend this to someone who is not a boxing and/or sports fan though as much of it would not interest them. However, it is a must for the casual or devoted fan of the sweet science of bruising!

Wonderful

Great first hand account of the Golden Age. Amazing vocabulary and throw back to punchy journalism. A key subtext about being young and the fanciful nature of our memories as we compare contemporary heroes to those of our youth.

Narration is great and fits with the style of writing. If you like boxing or just good 20th century journalism this is a book for you!