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Charles Leerhsen

Biography

Charles Leerhsen

Charles Leerhsen is a former executive editor at Sports Illustrated. He has written for Rolling Stone, Esquire and The New York Times. His books include DOWN AND OUT IN PARADISE: The Life of Anthony Bourdain; TY COBB: A Terrible Beauty; CRAZY GOOD: The Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America; BLOOD AND SMOKE: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500; and BUTCH CASSIDY: The True Story of an American Outlaw. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Sarah Saffian.

Charles Leerhsen

Books by Charles Leerhsen

by Charles Leerhsen - Biography, Nonfiction

Anthony Bourdain’s death by suicide in June 2018 shocked people around the world. Bourdain seemed to have it all: an irresistible personality, a dream job, a beautiful family and international fame. The reality, though, was more complicated than it seemed. Bourdain became a celebrity with his bestselling book, KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL. He parlayed it into a series of hit television shows, including Food Network’s “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and CNN’s “Parts Unknown.” But his charisma belied a troubled spirit. DOWN AND OUT IN PARADISE is the first book to tell the true and full Bourdain story, relating the highs and lows of an extraordinary life.

by Charles Leerhsen - Biography, History, Nonfiction, Sports

Ty Cobb is baseball royalty. His lifetime batting average is still the highest of all time, and when he retired in 1928, he held more than 90 records. But the numbers don’t tell half of Cobb’s tale. Setting the record straight, Charles Leerhsen pushed aside the myths and re-traced Cobb’s journey, from the shy son of a professor and state senator who was progressive on race for his time, to America’s first true sports celebrity. In the process, he tells of a life overflowing with incident and a man who cut his own path through his times.