Ty Cobb Biographies: Opinions Please!

[cardsfan73]

I just finished Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy (great read in my opinion) so I am in need of a new baseball book to read!

I am wanting to pick up one of the Cobb biographies but not sure which one to get. Right now I am leaning towards War On The Basepaths by Tim Hornbaker (I have read a few of his previous books and really like his work).

I would love to get your opinions on which of the Cobb biographies is the best?

Thanks for your input!

Scott

[Bliggity]

I haven't read WOTB, but I did just finish A Terrible Beauty, and really enjoyed it. It's definitely written with a certain slant - a repudiation of Stump and a rehabilitation of Cobb - but it's a very good read. It had a lot of very good insight, and includes some interesting research that shows that many of the horror stories about Cobb cannot have been true. It was a good mix of biography and baseball storytelling.

[Jantz]

Not really a biography, but I have a copy of Ty & the Babe if you would like to borrow it.

[clydepepper]

You need to read our own Hank Thomas's biography of his grandfather, Walter Johnson- Very well written!!!
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[earlywynnfan]

I think Charles Alexander does a pretty fair job with all his subjects.

[Joshchisox08]

I agree with Dan.

A Terrible Beauty.

No Stump, no Alexander. I read them both they're more or less identical to each other and didn't keep my attention as much as A Terrible Beauty did.

[clydepepper]

After reading Hank Thomas's great biography of his grandfather, Walter Johnson, I jumped at the chance to give Herschel Cobb equal time on his grandfather Ty.

However, I did not complete the task as I grew weary of the authors vivid descriptions of his parents' shortcomings which dominated the pages.

He did have great love and affection for grandpa whose visits were portrayed as 'rescues' from the bleak life with his parents.

While hearing about that side of Ty Cobb was refreshing, it could not overcome the shear volume of horrible stories attributed to the author's parents.

I guess you have to be in the mood to read such a book...clearly, I was not.
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[cardsfan73]

Thanks for all the input guys! I am still leaning towards the Hornbaker book I think. Based on what I have seen it looks like it paint the most credible portrait of Cobb.

I'll def. be adding the Johnson Bio to my list of books to read!

Scott