Little, Brown and Company Spring/Summer '12

THE ART OF FIELDING: A NOVEL

SEPTEMBER 2011 HARDCOVER

The Art of Fielding: A Novel
Chad Harbach
978-0-316-12669-4, $24.99

The anticipated debut from n+1 cofounder Chad Harbach: An unforgettable novel about the glory of youth and five lives on the brink of enormous change.

At Westish College, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for the big leagues until a routine throw goes disastrously off course. In the aftermath of his error, the fates of five people are upended. Henry’s life’s purpose is called into question. Guert Affenlight, the college’s president, has fallen helplessly, unexpectedly in love. Owen Glass, Henry’s gay roommate, becomes swept up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the team captain, realizes he guides Henry’s career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert’s daughter, returns to Westish to start a new life after an ill-fated marriage. As the season counts down to its climax, these five confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets, and help one another to find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence, and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment—to oneself and to others.

About the author: Chad Harbach grew up in Wisconsin, graduated from Harvard and received an MFA in fiction writing at the University of Virginia. He lives in Virginia.

Publicity contact: Marlena Bittner, marlena.bittner@hbgusa.com

WEST BY WEST

OCTOBER 2011 HARDCOVER

West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life
Jerry West and Jonathan Coleman
978-0-316-05349-5, $27.99

One of the greatest basketball players of all time tells—with relentless honesty—the incredible story of his life.

He is one of basketball’s towering figures: “Mr. Clutch,” who mesmerized his opponents and fans. The coach who began the Lakers’ resurgence in the 1970s. The general manager who helped bring “Showtime” to Los Angeles, creating a championship winning force that continues to this day.
Now, for the first time, the legendary Jerry West tells his story—from his tough childhood in West Virginia, to his unbelievable college success at West Virginia University, his 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his relationships with NBA legends like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Unsparing in its self-assessment and honesty, West by West is far more than a sports memoir: it is a profound confession and a magnificent inspiration.

About the Author: Jerry West has been an Olympic Gold Medalist, NBA All-Star, NBA champion, coach, general manager and executive vice president of the Los Angeles Lakers and president of the Memphis Grizzlies. He lives in California and West Virginia.

Jonathan Coleman lives in Charlottesville and is the bestselling author of At Mother’s Request, Exit The Rainmaker, and Long Way to Go.

Publicity Contact: Michelle Aielli, michelle.aielli@hbgusa.com

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE

DECEMBER 2011 HARDCOVER

Best Seat in the House: One on One with the Greats in the Game
John Feinstein
978-0-316-07904-4, $27.99

The book John Feinstein was born to write, bringing two decades of intriguing encounters with sports legends to the page.

After numerous bestselling sports books based on his own deep reporting, John Feinstein crafts a narrative of the most interesting and revealing encounters he’s had, with some of the most enduring figures in sports—from hallowed coaches such as Bob Knight, Jim Valvano, Mike Krzyzewski, and Joe Torre to beloved athletes such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Ivan Lendl, and Mary Carillo.

Here we have John Feinstein at his very best—opening up sport’s most private, closed-door places. These are the mentors and athletes who know their games the best, and the legends and legendary moments that gave inherent shape to our favorite pastimes.

About the Author: John Feinstein is the bestselling author of Moment of Glory, The Majors, A Good Walk Spoiled, and A Season on the Brink, among others. He writes for Inside Sports and Golf and commentates on NPR and CBS. He lives in Maryland.

Publicity Contact: Marlena Bittner,  marlena.bittner@hbgusa.com

THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923

APRIL 2011 HARDCOVER

The House that Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923 
Robert Weintraub
978-0-316-08607-3; $26.99

The untold story of Babe Ruth’s 1923 Yankees, their first championship season in the brand new Yankee Stadium.

Before the 27 World series wins, before Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Derek Jeter—the Yankees were new York’s also-ran franchise. They didn’t even have a stadium, renting out the new York Giants’ Polo Grounds and, embarrassingly, losing to them when it counted: in the Fall Classic. But in 1923, the Yankees played their first season on their own field, and everything changed. Babe Ruth bounced back from a contentious season to carry the team to their first title, justifying his new stadium’s nickname, “The house That Ruth Built.” This is the untold tale of the Yankees’ break-out season, filled with stories of new York and baseball in arguably their greatest eras. Robert Weintraub’s fresh reporting vividly illuminates the singular year that made the Yankees the storied franchise they are today.

About the author: Robert Weintraub is a sports columnist for Slate, contributes to the annual Football Outsiders Almanac, and has written regularly for Deadspin. com, ESPN.com, The Guardian, and Play magazine, among other media. He lives in Decatur, Georgia.

Publicity contact: Elizabeth Garriga, elizabeth.garriga@hbgusa.com

THOSE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN: Inside the World of ESPN

MAY 2011 HARDCOVER

Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
978-0-316-04300-7; $27.99

The first complete and never-before revealed history of ESPN—“the worldwide leader” and the rowdiest frat house in sports TV.

ESPN began as an outrageous gamble with a lineup that included Australian Rules Football, rodeo, and a rinky-dinky clip show called Sports Center. Today the empire stretches far beyond television into the Internet, radio, magazines, mobile phones, and more, while ESPN’s personalities have become global superstars to rival the sports icons they cover. Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, Keith Olbermann, Hannah Storm, Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Stuart Scott, Erin Andrews, Mike Ditka, Dick Vitale, and scores of others speak openly about the games, shows, scandals, addictions, bitter rivalries, and sudden suspensions that make up the network’s soaring and stormy  istory. The result is a wild, smart, effervescent oral history of triumph, genius, ego, and the rise of an empire unlike any Television had ever seen.

Tour:Author events in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC

About the authors:
James Andrew Miller was previously Sr. Executive Producer for Anderson Cooper 360 and Executive V.P. of Original Programming for USA Network. He lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Tom Shales won a Pultizer Prize for television criticism in the Washington Post. He lives in McLean, Virgina.

Publicity contact: Laura Keefe, laura.keefe@hbgusa.com

WONDER GIRL: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson

JUNE 2011 HARDCOVER

Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Don Van Natta Jr.
978-0-316-05699-1; $27.99

The exceptional life and times of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the greatest female athlete ever.

This is the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. Texas girl Babe Didrikson never found a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics. Then Babe attempted to conquer golf becoming the first woman to play against men in a PGA tour event. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: to go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world. A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, WONDER GIRL is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.

About the author: Don Van Natta Jr. is an investigative correspondent for the New York Times. He has been a member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams and is the bestselling author of First Off the Tee and Her Way. He lives in South Florida.

Publicity contact: Elizabeth Garriga, elizabeth.garriga@hbgusa.com