<DIV><P>One of America's most acclaimed writers and journalists, Gay Talese has been fascinated by sports throughout his life. At age fifteen he became a sports reporter for his Ocean City High School newspaper; four years later, as sports editor of the University of Alabama's <I>Crimson-White</I>, he began to employ devices more common in fiction, such as establishing a "scene" with minute details—a technique that would later make him famous.</P><P>Later, as a sports reporter for the <I>New York Times</I>, Talese was drawn to individuals at poignant and vulnerable moments rather than to the spectacle of sports. Boxing held special appeal, and his <I>Esquire</I> pieces on Joe Louis and Floyd Patterson in decline won praise, as would his later essay <I>"Ali in Havana,"</I> chronicling Muhammad Ali's visit to Fidel Castro. His profile of Joe DiMaggio, <I>"The Silent Season of a Hero," </I>perfectly captured the great player in his remote retirement, and displayed Talese's journalistic brilliance, for it grew out of his on-the-ground observation of the Yankee Clipper rather than from any interview. More recently, Talese traveled to China to track down and chronicle the female soccer player who missed a penalty kick that would have won China the World Cup.</P><P>Chronicling Talese's writing over more than six decades, from high school and college columns to his signature adult journalism— and including several never-before-published pieces (such as one on sports anthropology), a new introduction by the author, and notes on the background of each piece—<I>The Silent Season of a Hero</I> is a unique and indispensable collection for sports fans and those who enjoy the heights of journalism.</P></DIV>