Zev Eleff

The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession, by Zev Eleff, is a detailed and fun look at how and why debates about who or what is "the greatest" is such a part of American culture.

The early part of the book is largely about how the obsession took hold in the United States (and to a lesser extent elsewhere) in a wide range of fields. You'll read about many figures you know well and may meet a few you're not familiar with.

The latter part of the book contains mostly sports show more examples, which is the ideal meeting of two American obsessions, "greatness" and sports. If you follow sports at all, you know numbers alone can't be used to determine who might be the greatest, or even if a "greatest" can even be determined. The eras matter, the rule changes matter, the length of schedules matter, the changes in equipment matter. Just looking at numbers is but one of many starting points and no reasonable person stops there.

Highly recommended for those with an interest in social/cultural history and those who wonder just how we became so concerned with naming (and renaming and debating) the greatest of all time. Sports fans will likely enjoy the whole book but especially the second half.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less