The Redskins Encyclopedia by Michael Richman
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Book Reviews of The Redskins Encyclopedia
Book Review: Lifelong Cowboys Fan Sez "Not Bad"
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Though my family's from Texas, I spent a lot of time growing up in the Washington, DC, suburbs, so I certainly appreciate the history and occasional runs of glory of the Redskins franchise and the integral role the team plays in the city's identity and sense of itself (far more than, for example, the Seahawks do here in Seattle). So from that basis, I can comfortably say that 'Skins fans of most any vintage will find a lot in this "encyclopedia" to treasure. It's a book that lends itself both to random open-up-and-reading and serious research.
The bulk of "The Redskins Encyclopedia" is a season-by-season look at the team's performance on the field. More attention is paid, naturally, to the most successful seasons, with certain specific games, including Super Bowls, analyzed in some depth. Less successful campaigns are generally given less ink, but the coverage is still satisfying. Following that are two chapters on notable 'Skins players, coaches, execs, and owners. The book concludes with an exhaustive appendix listing records, draft picks, year-by-year results, a roster of everyone ever to wear the burgundy and gold, and more.
I thought the best chapter was the one devoted to the Redskins' rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys.
At the same time, though, there are a number of important omissions.
The most obvious of these is the lack of color photographs -- or indeed, color of any kind. Apart from one small text box on page 87 discussing the origins of the Indian-head logo, there is no discussion ... and still less any depiction ... of the team's uniforms or logos over time (small print on the book's cataloguing page says "This book is not sanctioned by the NFL or its teams," so presumably the author couldn't get the rights to reproduce any of the 'Skins' livery). There is no index. And the cover is practically generic.
As you'd expect from an "encyclopedia," this is a very text-heavy, photo-light book. The sections read -- and look -- like newspaper articles, and often even have newspaper-like headlines ("Resourceful Redskins Put Muzzle on Ditka, Bears" on page 148, for example). Given Michael Richman's journalistic background, I suppose that isn't surprising, but I often found the style uninspiring. That combined with the lack of color almost led me to give this three stars instead of four.
What salvaged the four-star rating was largely the remarkable amount of information available to the reader here. I'm sure my lovely bride, a lifelong Redskins fan, and any number of football fans in general, will enjoy having this around.
Book Review: Truly a great tome for the dedicated Redskins fan.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
In DC, there are really only two sports...football and everything else. Having grown up in the area with a family of mostly guys, there was little chance that I would end up as anything other than a dedicated Redskins fan myself. So this book really was a treat for me to be able to pour over, after 30+ years of cheering this team on.
As other have stated, this is not a coffee table picture book. It is a true compendium of Redskins history up to the 2006 season. Reading through all this history and descriptions of great games was really a trip back in time for this fan, and was particularly interesting to learn more of the team's history and some of the early success. I had not known for instance, that the team began in Boston before moving to DC (where they won the league championship that year). There is so much great information in this book, it's hard to even list it all. From comprehensive run-downs of all the great games (particularly all the post-season games), profiles of all the great players (and "best of the rest" players) to an entire section on the Cowboys rivalry (truly one of the most heated in sports) to an awesome appendix with every player, coach, score, record etc. in Redskins history this is just a great book for any serious fan. The journalistic writing style of the author is easy to read with all the important nitty-gritty details without trying to over-embellish too much.
As others have mentioned, there are no color photos, which is a real shame as that would have truly capped this excellent book. Indeed, what photos it does have are often not terribly great. Still, there are some gems to be found in here...who could not help but giggle at the photo of the early cheerleaders dressed as little Indian girls (no disrespect to Native Americans intended) or Andre the Giant holding up Joe Theismann. Many of the game photos are fairly good, showing key moments in the game, but the photos in the player profile section in particular I didn't think were very good overall (for those players lucky enough to even warrant a photo).
Overally, I absolutely would recommend this for any true Redskins fan. Could it have been even better? Sure...but for what it is, I'd be hard-pressed to pass it up.
Book Review: good, but needs proofreading
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Having been a Redskins fan off and on from 1948, through many lean years and some fat years, the Redskins Encyclopedia brought back many memories--both good and bad. There's a lot in the book, and there's a lot that isn't here. If, for example, you want to see the year-by-year rushing stats of John Riggins, you'll need to go to the NFL Encyclopedia or a similar reference.
The heart of this book is a season-by-season narrative. There are usually one to five or more double-column pages (with pictures) on each season, and there are often highlights, such as the Skins' 72-41 victory over the Giants, and lowlights, such as Marshall's refusal to sign minority players for fear of alienating his largely southern audience. I also enjoyed (morbidly) the narrative for the 1961 season (1-12-1 wins-losses-ties) in which the placekicker made 5 field goals in 28 attempts. The book is not concerned with being "make-nice" to the team owners: "1993-2006: Mediocrity, Redskins Style" is the title of the final season narrative. Dan Snyder does not come across very favorably. It's a tough love. There is also a lengthy biographical section on the Skins best-known figures.
I would have liked to see color photos--the only one here is an abstraction on the dust jacket. There are also some rather egregious errors which should have been caught by proofreaders. Having a few errors in individual stats would be understandable--but there are some real whoppers. In the famous (or infamous) title game loss to the Bears in 1940 by the score of 73-0, the Skins' are given the Bears' team stats, and vice versa. Surely someone would have noticed that in a 73-0 loss the Skins are credited with 382 yards rushing and the Bears had 8 passes intercepted. If someone had told you that in yesterday's NFL game the Skins had picked off 8 interceptions, had benefitted from 9 turnovers while only giving up 1, and had rushed for 382 yards to the opponents' 22, you wouldn't expect the final score to be 73-0 in the opponents' favor! There are other errors, but this one certainly stands out!
So--a good read for Redskins fans.
Book Review: Must For Redskins Fans
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Just about everything you'd want to know about the Redskins is here - from the fact that the team entered the NFL in 1932 as the Boston Braves, and stayed in Boston through 1936 to the year-by-year draft picks of the Braves and Redskins, from 1936 on (my guess is that 1936 was the first year of the NFL draft). Since I'm a Bears fan rather than a Redskins fan, I'm going to confine myself (mostly) to an objective summary of what's here and what isn't.
What's here:
A narrative of every season from 1937 through 2006
A list of Redskins greats, from (alphabetically) George Allen to Charley Taylor, with at least one page on each one
A list of Redskins near-greats, from John Adams to Pete Wysocki, with about half a page on each one
All-Time Franchise team, individual, and opponents' records
An all-time alphabetical roster, showing each player's college and years of service
Career records for each head coach
An alphabetical list of assistant coaches
The Redskins' win-loss-tie record vs. every other NFL team, with every game listed
The first player chosen by the Redskins in every draft, by year
A complete draft history, by year
All-time Pro Bowl players from the Redskins, by year
Year-by-Year results, with every game listed
Monday night results
The Redskins' ring of fame
What's not here, and would have been nice (the reasons for not giving five stars):
Year-by-year rosters
Year-by-year statistics for individual players
An index
I'm guessing that these omissions were the result of a decision to limit the size of the book. While I might have made somewhat different choices, I can't say that the choices made are wrong. I think that every serious fan of the Redskins will want this book.
Book Review: Redskins fans should like this
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Okay, let's get something out of the way right now:
I am not a Washington Redskins fan. I'm not even a football fan. What the heck? Why beat around the bush? I don't know a damn thing about football except that it's a sport involving a ball (perceptive, am I not?), and the wearing of padding and helmets. I wouldn't recognize a touchdown if I saw one. I am aware of something called the Super Bowl but I have never watched it and probably never will. I admit it: I'm a wimp, the kind of guy who, as a kid in gym class, was the last one selected for any team and then only after a lot of audible grumbling from my reluctant teammates.
So what am I doing reviewing "The Redskins Encyclopedia" by Michael Richman???
As a member of the Amazon Vine program, I receive a monthly newsletter with various new products, one of which I can have sent to me at no cost providing I agree to review it. More often than not, the items that interest me are long gone before I get a chance to choose them, and I'm left with slim pickings, leftovers like "The Redskins Encyclopedia." What the hell? I'll take it, and after skimming its pages and writing a review, I'll pass it on to someone I know who likes football.
I've skimmed it and admit that I'm completely baffled by the statistics and football terminology that permeates every page. But I think I can safely say that a true blue fan of the Redskins will find this book sufficiently fascinating and informative. It includes profiles of notable Redskins personnel, both on and off the field (yes, I am aware that football is played on a field), plenty of black-and-white photos, and tons of facts and figures, none of which I understand but which anyone who knows and likes the game will likely appreciate.
So there. For what it's worth, I recommend "The Redskins Encyclopedia."
Brian W. Fairbanks