McFarland Announces Publication Of ‘Jim Londos: The Golden Greek of Professional Wrestling’
Jim Londos will be highlighted in a new book.
Jim Londos will be highlighted in a new book.
“Golden Greek” Jim Londos is a legend in the wrestling world, as he was a top star in the 1930s and 1940s. He wrestled in 32 countries and won multiple titles. Among other classic matches, he and Ed “Strangler” Lewis fought to a two-hour draw. Londos also defeated Bronko Nagurski in another memorable match. In his post-wrestling career, Londos was renowned for his philanthropic efforts. Now, his remarkable story will be the subject of a new book by Steven Johnson, and it will be published by McFarland.
From McFarland:
McFarland, a leading independent publisher of academic and general-interest nonfiction books, has announced publication of Jim Londos: The Golden Greek of Professional Wrestling.
Authored by award-winning journalist Steven Johnson, the book takes readers on the amazing journey of a pro wrestler who rode a steamship across the Atlantic as a chubby 15-year-old, only to become the most well-known active athlete in the world during the Depression years.
Combining an Old World work ethic with a flair for the dramatic, Londos was pro wrestling’s greatest world champion, an international celebrity who walked with presidents, prime ministers and mayors. He revived the soiled sport during the Depression and represented achievement to ethnic, blue-collar and female fans, culminating in a historic match that drew 90,000 fans to the ancient Olympic stadium in Athens and the hillsides around it.
More than a wrestling book, The Golden Greek sheds new light on a neglected aspect of athletic entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s when wrestling ranked alongside baseball, prizefighting and horse racing as dominant forms of sports activity in the country. It traces the trying circumstances in Greece that led to Londos’ emergence as a national idol and his determination to win the approval of his father, who disowned him because he wanted to wrestle for a living.
Former world champion John “JBL” Layfield, a businessman, commentator and member of the WWE Hall of Fame, wrote the foreword. Londos is the one wrestler that Layfield wishes he could have fought. “Not because I thought I could beat him, but because he was the greatest this business has ever seen.”
Jim Londos: The Golden Greek of Professional Wrestling is available through McFarland’s website at McFarlandBooks.com, which ships internationally, as well as other retailers. The McFarland site offers a 20% off discount through Dec. 31, 2024 through code HOLIDAY24.
McFarland’s website does not list an on-sale date for the book, but it is available for pre-order at this link.
Figthful will provide more information as it becomes available.
In other wrestling book news, Karrion Kross is set to release a memoir. More information is available here.
