Synopses & Reviews
In the mid-'60s, Plimpton joined the Detroit Lions at their preseason camp as a 36-year-old rookie quarterback wannabe, and stuck with the club through an intra-squad game before the paying public a month later. The result is a literary masterpiece about professional football that not only elevated the art of participatory journalism to an art form, but also remains one of the most insightful and hilarious books ever written on the game.
The Detroit Lions agreed to permit Plimpton wearing Number 0 to join them for four weeks of training camp, and to culminate his apprenticeship by calling a series of plays in an intra-squad game in Pontiac Stadium. No holds are barred in this memorable, on-the-field look at football and how the professionals play it. Naturally, Plimpton didn't make it as a football hero; he barely affords himself a dignified account of his performance on the field, which is just as well. What remains is an enduring classic of professional football as it looks to a first-string writer trying out as a last-string quarterback.
Review
"A continuous feast....The best book ever about football or anything!" The Wall Street Journal
Review
"A great book that makes football absolutely fascinating to fan and non-fan alike...a tale to gladden the envious heart of every weekend athlete...Plimpton has endless curiosity, unshakable enthusiasm and nerve, and a deep respect for the world he enters." The New York Times
Review
"The agility and imaginativeness of his prose transforms his account of this daydream into a classic of sports reporting." The New Yorker
About the Author
An author, journalist, editor, actor, and modern-day Renaissance man, George Plimpton (1927-2003) was perhaps best known for Paper Lion. Originally published in 1966 and today considered a classic, the book set the bar for participatory sports journalism, if not literature in general. With his characteristic insight and wit, the Harvard-educated Plimpton recounts his experiences in successfully talking his way into training camp not as a reporter but as a player with the Detroit Lions, practicing with the team, and actually taking snaps behind center in a preseason game. This special 40th anniversary edition, featuring photos not seen in any previous edition, provides a classic look at the gridiron game through the lens of a true literary giant.