An edition of Bang the drum slowly (1956)

Bang the drum slowly

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  • 5.0 (1 rating) ·
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Last edited by ImportBot
December 19, 2023 | History
An edition of Bang the drum slowly (1956)

Bang the drum slowly

  • 5.0 (1 rating) ·
  • 7 Want to read
  • 2 Have read

The second of four novels that chronicle the career of baseball player Henry W. Wiggen -- a set of books many consider the finest novels ever written about baseball -- Mark Harris' Bang the Drum Slowly, published in 1956, is a simple and moving testament to the immutable power of friendship. The title page announces that it is "by Henry W. Wiggen / Certain of His Enthusiasms Restrained by Mark Harris," a charming touch that lets the reader know that a genial, conversational first-person voice will tell the story.Wiggen is a gifted pitcher in the major leagues, playing for a team that also includes a mediocre catcher named Bruce Pearson, a slow-talking Georgia boy who tries the patience of most of the team. Pearson has a terrible secret -- he has been diagnosed with Hodgkins' disease, which threatens not only his life but a career in baseball he desperately wants to have. When Wiggen finds out about Pearson's illness, the casual acquaintance deepens into a profound friendship. Not only does Wiggen fight heroically to keep Pearson on the team, saving him from being sent down to the minors, the pitcher rallies their teammates to the cause. The miracle is that Pearson is transformed into a better ballplayer, but it is only a brief miracle -- too late for man whose time has simply run out.In what could in lesser hands be cloying and sentimental, Harris' Bang the Drum Slowly has a gentle, unassuming dignity in its freewheeling colloquial style, verging at times on stream of conscious. Wiggen is an engaging and decent character, and his observations are lucid and refreshing. The characters are wonderfully realized through, from the drawling Pearson to manager Dutch Schnell and all the members of the team. Perhaps Bang the Drum Slowly is a great sports novel because it is not a sports novel, per se, but a warm and moving human comedy (despite the tragic turn of events) set in the magical world of baseball.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
243

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Bang the drum slowly
Bang the drum slowly
2003, University of Nebraska Press
in English
Cover of: Bang The Drum Slowly
Bang The Drum Slowly
2002, RosettaBooks
E-book in English
Cover of: Bang the drum slowly
Bang the drum slowly
1984, University of Nebraska Press
in English
Cover of: Bang the drum slowly
Bang the drum slowly
1962, Doubleday
in English
Cover of: Bang the drum slowly
Bang the drum slowly
1956, Knopf
in English - [Book Club Ed.]
Cover of: Bang the drum slowly
Bang the drum slowly
1956, Knopf
in English - [Book Club Ed.]
Cover of: Bang the drum slowly
Bang the drum slowly
1956, Knopf
in English - [1st ed.]

Add another edition?

Book Details


Edition Notes

Published in
Lincoln
Genre
Fiction.

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
813/.54
Library of Congress
PS3515.A757 B3 1984

The Physical Object

Pagination
243 p. ;
Number of pages
243

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL3174563M
Internet Archive
bangdrumslowly00harr_0
ISBN 10
0803272219
LCCN
83016922
OCLC/WorldCat
9943762
Library Thing
171824
Goodreads
1958047

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
December 19, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
August 1, 2020 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
July 22, 2019 Edited by MARC Bot remove fake subjects
October 24, 2012 Edited by ImportBot Added subject 'In library'
December 9, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page