Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero

With the death of baseball legend Ted Williams on July 3, 2002, Sports Illustrated ran Leigh Montville's powerful obituary as its much-praised cover story. Williams is one of those larger-than-life figures—a man whose hold on the public's imagination goes far beyond his feats on the baseball field. Still a teen when he signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1938, he soon unleashed the raw talent that would set longstanding records in the sport. His incredible full-season .406 batting average (in 1941) has stood unchallenged for more than sixty years, and "The Splendid Splinter" is still regarded as the greatest hitter of all time.

The legend of this American hero, however, goes much deeper. Williams interrupted his baseball career not once, but twice, to serve as a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea. He missed more than eight hundred career games, making his records and accomplishments all the more astonishing. Williams's iconoclastic personality and love-hate relationship with fans and the media never dimmed the excitement he generated—or diminished the adoration that surrounded him.

Drawing on extensive interviews with those closest to Williams, Leigh Montville presents the definitive chronicle of a classic American life. With passion and precision, Montville conjures equally the powerful grace of Williams's legendary swing and his cultural aura of invincibility. He re-creates Williams's notorious public persona and opens a window into a simple, unsophisticated man whose greatest passions were hitting baseballs and going fishing. And in compelling detail, he depicts the tremendous control Williams's youngest son wielded during the legends last,illness-plagued days—and casts new light on the controversial, headline-making decision to have Williams's body frozen.

An in-depth and uncompromising look at an all-American hero, TED WILLIAMS reveals a complex figure and a man worthy of his stature. Leigh Montville uses his unique access and personal history to craft an indelible portrait.