| Seabiscuit: An American Legend | |
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The cover of the paperback version |
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| Author(s) | Laura Hillenbrand |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publication date | 2001 |
| Media type | Various |
| Pages | 416 (hardcover) 399 (softcover) |
| ISBN | ISBN 9780375502910 (hardcover) ISBN 9780449005613 (softcover) |
| OCLC Number | 46369186 |
| Dewey Decimal | 798.4/0092/9 21 |
| LC Classification | SF355.S4 H56 2001b |
Seabiscuit: An American Legend is a non-fiction book written by Laura Hillenbrand published in 2001 about the thoroughbred race horse, Seabiscuit. It won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and was made into a feature film in 2003. It has also been published under the title: Seabiscuit - The True Story Of 3 Men & A Race Horse. The author has been praised for her ability to recreate historical events at which she was not present.[1]
Contents |
Seabiscuit: An American Legend enjoyed near universal acclaim, with most praise centering around the compelling nature of the story and the thorough research and expert storytelling of Hillenbrand. Publishers Weekly said that "Gifted sportswriter Hillenbrand unearths the rarefied world of thoroughbred horse racing in this captivating account of one of the sport's legends."[2] Praising her accounts of the races, Sports Illustrated writer Ron Fimrite said "She writes about the confusion, turbulence and artistry of a race with the same grasp of sound and movement that Whitney Balliett brings to jazz in his New Yorker profiles [...] no mean accomplishment."[3] Economist found "the research is meticulous, the writing elegant and concise, so that every page transports you back to the period,"[4] and Jim Squires of the New York Times likewise called her research "meticulous."[5] Newsweek noted that "what chiefly distinguishes this account is the straightforward pleasure Hillenbrand takes in the accomplishments of her heroes, two-footed and four-footed alike."[6] People magazine said that "Hillenbrand's jargon-free language makes the races--and the period--exhilarating."[7] More conservatively, Karen Valby with Entertainment Weekly found "Hillenbrand's account ... saddled by loosely connected anecdotes and confused scene-setting," finally giving the book a grade of a "B".[8]