Tod Sloan, by Himself

Autobiographical but not primarily an autobiography, Tod Sloan, By Himself was published in England in 1915. Tod Sloan, a brash American jockey who pioneered a new style of riding tells a story which is an apology, an explanation, an effort at vindication, a final desperate appeal against his fate. This gives the book an unusual quality of urgency and pathos, a tone very different from that of the typical athletic success story. Melancholy is always close to the surface, even in the chapters recording some of his triumphs. An insightful introduction to this unusual look at turn-of-the-century racing on both sides of the Atlantic is written by John Dezikes, Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Originally published in 1988.