Four Books About Pelé, One by Him, and a Starting Lineup Action Figure.
Lot 612. Four Books About Pelé, One by Him, and a Starting Lineup Action Figure. All four books about soccer’s greatest star are from the 1970s. 1. “Pelé: A Biography” by James S. Haskins, 1976 apparent first edition hardback, ex-m book with a color photo on the cover, vg-ex dust jacket. Haskins received numerous awards for more than 100 books he wrote for adults and children. Many focus on the achievements of African Americans. Other subjects of his biographies include Hank Aaron, Julius Erving, Lena Horne and Stevie Wonder. The last two books earned the Coretta Scott King Award. 2. “Pelé” by Don Kowet, 1976 stated first edition hardback, nm book with a thin half-inch scuff along the bottom of the front cover and a vg-ex dust jacket. Kowet was once the managing editor of “Sport” magazine. His book describes Pelé’s 1975 season, on and off the field, with the New York Cosmos. 3. “Pele’s New World” by Peter Bodo and David Hirshey, 1977 stated first edition hardback, ex-m+ book, vg-ex dust jacket. This book provides the story of how Pelé came to New York to join the Cosmos and of his life before and after. Bodo and Hirshey both worked for the “New York Daily News.” Later, Bodo was a senior editor at “Tennis Magazine” and twice won the WTA Tour “Best Writer of the Year” Award. Hirshey became an editor at the “Daily News” and then was senior vice president and executive editor of HarperCollins from 1998-2016. He has written extensively on soccer for numerous publications. All three of the hardbacks are illustrated with photos. 4. “Pele” by I. Fessunenko and A. Fontan, 1975, vg-ex softcover. This book is written in Estonian. 5. Pele’s own book is a 1988 novel, “The World Cup Murder,” written with Herbert Resnicow. The hardback, an apparent first edition, is nm+ with an ex+ price-clipped dust jacket. 6. Accompanying the books is a scarce Pele Starting Lineup 1998 “Timeless Legends” action figure, mint in an original package that is bowed and has a horizontal crease. Winning Bid $20.
