George Plimpton. First edition, early printing, with 1066 on the front flap. C-R on the copyright page. Dust Jacket: Very Good+ A price clipped jacket. Has "YA" and DOP as 1066 on bottom inside flap. Hardcover: Very Good + New York: Harper and Row, 1966. Blue cloth with silver football helmet on cover and lettering on spine. No markings or writing in the book, 362 pp. With 16 captioned black-and-white photos.
Author George Plimpton's second book is about his short time spent playing football in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. His first book was similar but playing baseball in the major league with insightful writing on both playing fields. Plimpton went to Harvard and was a life long athlete. He was the editor of the Paris Review who did one of the best interviews on Ernest Hemingway.
in the summer of 1963, the author goes to the Detroit Lions training camp and tries out for quarterback. While blessed with ideal height for an NFL QB, the then 36-year-old Plimpton doesn't snatch a roster spot from Earl Morrell or beat Night Train Lane deep. But he survives long enough to gather a terrific story. The book has long been considered one of the best sports books ever written. This was actually one of the first books I ever read as a young kid and loved it.
"Paper Lion is the best book about football I've ever read." ~W.C. Heinz, author, The Professional, with Vince Lombardi, Run to Daylight!
