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Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand

Statistics:
Copyright 2001
399 pages
ISBN: 0375502912
Non-Fiction Narrative
In Print
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Horse connection:
(racing) An American horse racing legend.

Description:
Seabiscuit was a great handicap racehorse born in 1933. Although of reasonably noble birth, he did not thrive in the hands of the top trainers who began his racing career. He only came into his own with the help of an underrated trainer, Tom Smith, self-made owner Charles Howard, and down-on-his-luck jockey Red Pollard.

While this book is about a horse, it is as much about the times he lived in. Charles Howard's rise in the early 1900s and his successful bet on the automobile is chronicled, as is the tough life (and slipshod labor practices) endured by jockeys of the era. Horse racing was very popular among the public, and Seabiscuit (a California-based horse) became a huge celebrity, drawing crowds that overwhelmed roads and racetracks.

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painfully inaccurate   [login to vote]   detailed and exquisitely accurate

4.77 Rating, 13 Votes

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minimal or background   [login to vote]   horsey

4.31 Rating, 13 Votes

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waste of time   [login to vote]   worth a worldwide search

4.18 Rating, 11 Votes

Ratings Key

Good horse reading, by bhutchinson on October 21, 2005

I have to admit that it took me a little bit to get into this book. The buildup was understandable as the author wanted to give background, but I just didn't find it that interesting. I kept reading tho as I'd heard it was a good book and it didn't disappoint. About a third of the way through, I really started enjoying it.

Get the special edition, by ponydom on June 19, 2003

If you haven't purchased a copy already, go for the special collector's edition, which has the same text but more pictures. The original edition has a few pictures, but you're always hoping for more.

Seabiscuit is always described as homely, but that's not apparent from the pictures. I guess no one wanted to photograph the "bum" leg.