George Plimpton (1927–2003)

Author of Truman Capote

209+ Works 4,223 Members 54 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

George Ames Plimpton was born March 18, 1927. He was educated first at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and then spent four years at Harvard majoring in English and editing the Harvard Lampoon, followed by two at King's College, Cambridge. Before he left for Cambridge, he served as a tank show more driver in Italy for the U.S. Army from 1945 through 1948. After graduation, at about 27 years of age, Plimpton went with his friends to Paris. There they founded the Paris Review in 1953 and published poetry and short story writers and did interviews. In the '50s, Plimpton and staff came to New York, where they kept the Review going for half a century. The Review has published over 150 issues. Plimpton also served as a volunteer for Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential run and was walking in front of him as the candidate was assassinated in the kitchen of a Los Angeles hotel. Plimpton was known as a "participatory journalist". In order to research his books and articles, he quarterbacked in a pre-season NFL game, pitched to several all-stars (retiring Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn) in an exhibition prior to Baseball's 1959 All-Star game, performed as a trapeze artist for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, and fought boxers Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson. Plimpton was alson known by the nickname the Prince of Cameos for the amount of work he did in films, playing small parts and screenwriting. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2002. Within a month of the academy induction, the French made him a Chevalier, the Legion of Honor's highest rank. The Guild, an arts organization based on Long Island, gave him a lifetime achievement award. Plimpton was also a member of PEN; the Pyrotechnics Guild International; the National Football League Alumni Association; and the Mayflower Descendants Society. In 2003, Plimpton decided to write his memoirs, signing a $750,000 deal with Little, Brown and Co. Before he could finish, George Plimpton died, on September 26, 2003 of natural causes at the age of 76. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Plimpton George, George Ed Plimpton, George Plimpton ed., editor George Plimpton, et al. George Plimpton, Edited by George Plimpton, George Edited By Plimpton, George Plimpton, et al., Eds, George (ed.); et al. Plimpton

Also includes: George A. Plimpton (2)

Image credit: MDCarchives

Series

Writers at Work

Works by George Plimpton

Popular Recent

Truman Capote (1997) 418 copies

Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback (1966) 406 copies

D.V. (1984) 324 copies

Writer's Chapbook (1989) — Introduction — 213 copies

The Curious Case of Sidd Finch (1987) 201 copies

Writers at Work 02 (1963) 153 copies

Writers at Work 03 (1967) — Editor — 146 copies

The Paris Review: Women Writers at Work (1989) — Editor — 144 copies

The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour (1709) 135 copies

Out of My League (1656) 115 copies

Writers at Work 04 (1977) 97 copies

Open Net: A Professional Amateur in the World of Big-Time Hockey (1985) 94 copies

Writers at Work 05 (1784) — Editor — 87 copies

As Told at The Explorers Club: More Than Fifty Gripping Tales of Adventure (Explorers Club Classic) (2003) 85 copies

Mad Ducks and Bears: Football Revisited (1605) 83 copies

Home Run (Harvest Original) (2001) 70 copies

The Best of Plimpton (1990) 69 copies

Shadow Box: An Amateur in the Ring (1709) 67 copies

Writers at Work 07 (1986) — Editor — 64 copies

The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair: And Other Excursions and Observations (2004) 61 copies

Writers at Work 06 (1984) — Editor — 57 copies

The Paris Review: Poets at Work (1989) 51 copies

Writers at Work 08 (1686) — Editor — 50 copies

Ernest Shackleton (A&E Biography) (2003) 47 copies

The Best American Sports Writing 1997 (1997) 46 copies

The X Factor: A Quest for Excellence (1990) 42 copies

Writers at Work 09 (1884) 37 copies

Fireworks (1984) 36 copies

Hank Aaron: One for The Record (1974) 27 copies

The Paris Review Anthology (1990) 24 copies

George Plimpton on Sports (2003) 24 copies

The Norton Book of Sports (1992) 22 copies

The Paris Review 142 1997 Spring (1997) — Editor — 21 copies

One More July: A Football Dialogue with Bill Curry (1977) 18 copies

Pet Peeves: Or Whatever Happened to Doctor Rawff? (2000) 18 copies

The Paris Review 154 2000 Spring (2000) 17 copies

The Paris Review 167 2003 Fall (2003) 14 copies

The Paris Review 219 2016 Winter (2016) 14 copies

The Paris Review 150 1999 Spring (1999) — Editor — 14 copies

The Best American Movie Writing 1998 (Serial) (1998) 13 copies

The Paris Review 136 1995 Fall (1995) — Editor — 13 copies

The Paris Review 134 1995 Spring (1995) — Editor — 13 copies

The Paris Review 166 2003 Summer (1988) 13 copies

A Sports Bestiary (1982) 12 copies

The Paris Review 144 1997 Fall (1998) — Editor — 12 copies

The Paris Review 147 1998 Summer (1998) — Editor — 10 copies

The Paris Review 151 1999 Summer (1999) 10 copies

The Paris Review 128 1993 Fall (1993) 10 copies

The Paris Review 79 1981 Spring (1981) — Editor — 10 copies

The Paris Review 145 1997 Winter (1998) — Editor — 10 copies

The Paris Review 140 1996 Fall (1996) 9 copies

The Paris Review 43 1968 Summer (1968) — Editor — 9 copies

The Paris Review 146 1998 Spring (1998) 9 copies

The Paris Review 162 2002 Summer (2002) — Editor — 9 copies

The Paris Review 135 1995 Summer (1995) — Editor — 8 copies

The Paris Review 18 1958 Spring (1958) — Editor — 8 copies

The Paris Review 35 1965 Fall (1965) 8 copies

The Paris Review 159 2001 Fall (2001) — Editor — 8 copies

The Paris Review 137 1995 Winter (1996) 7 copies

The Paris Review 31 1964 Winter-Spring (1964) — Editor — 7 copies

The Paris Review 168 2003 Winter (2003) 7 copies

The Paris Review 156 2000 Fall (2000) — Editor — 7 copies

The Paris Review 158 2001 Spring-Summer (2001) 7 copies

The Paris Review 133 1994 Winter (1995) 7 copies

Sports (1978) 6 copies

The Paris Review 82 1981 Winter (1981) — Editor — 6 copies

The Paris Review 148 1998 Fall (1999) 6 copies

The Rabbit's Umbrella (1973) 6 copies

The Paris Review 78 1980 Summer (1980) 6 copies

The Paris Review 21 1959 Spring-Summer (1959) — Editor — 6 copies

The Paris Review 132 1994 Fall (1994) — Editor — 6 copies

The Paris Review 84 1982 Summer (1982) — Editor — 6 copies

The Paris Review 106 1988 Spring (1988) — Editor — 5 copies

The Paris Review 165 2003 Spring (2003) 5 copies

The Paris Review 111 1989 Summer (1989) — Editor — 5 copies

The Paris Review 141 1996 Winter (1997) 5 copies

The Paris Review 28 1962 Summer-Fall (1962) 5 copies

The Paris Review 87 1983 Spring (1983) 5 copies

The Paris Review 100 1986 Summer-Fall (2014) 5 copies

The Paris Review 22 1960 Fall-Winter — Editor — 5 copies

The Paris Review 124 1992 Fall (1992) 4 copies

The Paris Review 130 1994 Spring (1994) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 32 1964 Summer-Fall (1964) 4 copies

The Paris Review 52 1971 Summer (1971) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 120 1991 Fall (1991) 4 copies

The Paris Review 115 1990 Summer (1990) 4 copies

The Paris Review 116 1990 Fall (1990) 4 copies

The Paris Review 29 1963 Winter-Spring (1963) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 125 1992 Winter (1992) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 122 1992 Spring (1992) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 40 1967 Winter-Spring (1966) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 89 1983 Fall (1983) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 119 1991 Summer (1991) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 51 1971 Winter (1971) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 139 1996 Summer (1996) 4 copies

The Paris Review 143 1997 Summer (1997) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 149 1998 Winter (1999) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 117 1990 Winter (1990) 4 copies

The Paris Review 126 1993 Spring (1992) 4 copies

The Paris Review 37 1966 Spring — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 157 2000 Winter (2000) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 164 2002 Winter (2002) — Editor — 4 copies

The Paris Review 61 1975 Spring (1975) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 113 1989 Winter II (1989) 3 copies

The Paris Review 123 1992 Summer (1992) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 108 1988 Fall 3 copies

The Paris Review 42 1968 Winter-Spring (1968) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 138 1996 Spring (1996) 3 copies

The Paris Review 19 1958 Summer — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 41 1967 Summer-Fall (1967) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 161 2002 Spring (2002) — Editor — 3 copies

Ernest Hemingway, The Art of Fiction No. 21 3 copies

The Paris Review 13 1956 Summer (1956) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 76 1979 Fall (1979) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 155 2000 Summer — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 105 1987 Winter (1987) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 90 1983 Winter (1983) 3 copies

The Paris Review 30 1963 Summer-Fall — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 69 1977 Spring (1977) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 74 1978 Fall-Winter (1978) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 60 1974 Winter (1974) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 23 1960 Spring — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 129 1993 Winter (1993) 3 copies

The Paris Review 112 1989 Winter — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 38 1966 Summer (1966) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 68 1976 Winter 3 copies

The Paris Review 94 1984 Winter (1984) 3 copies

The Paris Review 127 1993 Summer (1993) 3 copies

The Paris Review 163 2002 Fall (2000) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 46 1969 Spring (1969) — Editor — 3 copies

The Paris Review 16 1957 Spring-Summer (1975) 2 copies

The Paris Review 93 1984 Fall (1984) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 153 1999 Winter (1999) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 20 1958 Fall-Winter (1958) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 59 1974 Fall (1974) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 50 1970 Fall (1970) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 98 1985 Winter (1985) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 92 1984 Summer (1984) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 56 1973 Spring (1973) — Editor — 2 copies

PAPER LION by GEORGE PLIMPTON POCKET BOOKS PAPERBACK 1966 1967 2 copies

The Paris Review 48 1969 Fall (1969) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 49 1970 Summer (1970) 2 copies

The Paris Review 39 1966 Fall (1966) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 96 1985 Summer (1985) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 27 1962 Winter-Spring (1962) — Editor — 2 copies

AMERICAN JOURNEY : THE TIMES OF ROBERT KENNEDY ; INTERVIEWS BY JEAN STEIN (1970) 2 copies

The Paris Review 86 1982 Winter (1982) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 152 1999 Fall 2 copies

The Paris Review 24 1960 Summer-Fall — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 75 1979 Spring 2 copies

The Paris Review 109 1988 Winter — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 102 1987 Spring (1987) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 57 1974 Spring — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 70 1977 Summer (1977) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 55 1972 Fall 2 copies

THE AMERICAN LITERARY ANTHOLOGY / 2 The second annual collection of the best from literary magazines (1969) 2 copies

The Paris Review 103 1987 Summer — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 80 1981 Summer (1981) 2 copies

The Paris Review 71 1977 Fall 2 copies

The Paris Review 95 1985 Spring (1985) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 121 1991 Winter — Editor — 2 copies

The American literary anthology 2 copies

The Paris Review 81 1981 Fall — Editor — 2 copies

Oakes Ames: Jottings of a Harvard Botanist (1980) 2 copies

The Paris Review 99 1986 Spring (1986) — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 64 1975 Winter — Editor — 2 copies

The Paris Review 34 1965 Spring-Summer — Editor — 2 copies

Writers At Work, Fourth Series 1 copy

The Paris Review 5 1954 Spring — Editor — 1 copy

The Writer's Chapbook: A Compendium of Fact, Opinion, Wit, and Advice from the 20th Century's Preeminent… 1 copy

The Writer's Chapbook: A Compendium of Fact, Opinion, Wit, and Advice from the Twentieth Century's Preeminent Writers 1 copy

The Paris Review 14 1956 Fall — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 53 1972 Winter 1 copy

The Paris Review 65 1976 Spring (1976) — Editor — 1 copy

Paper Lion and Veeck- as in wreck- Slip Cased Set (Autographed Sports Classics) (1966) 1 copy

The art of fiction no. 149: John Le Carre 1 copy

The Paris Review 12 1956 Spring 1 copy

The Paris Review 10 1955 Fall — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 114 1990 Spring (1990) 1 copy

The Paris Review 6 1954 Summer — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 107 1988 Summer 1 copy

Rare -George Plimpton THE BOGEY MAN First ed! SIGNED! Golf Pro Circuit Memoir Nice! HC [Hardcover] George Plimpton 1 copy

Sports Illustrated Baseball 1 copy

American Masters: Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself 1 copy

The Paris Review 101 1986 Winter — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 66 1976 Summer (1976) — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 45 1968 Winter — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 85 1982 Fall 1 copy

The Paris Review 62 1975 Summer — Editor — 1 copy

The Hamptons : Long Island's East End 1 copy

The Paris Review 118 1991 Spring — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 91 1984 Spring (1984) — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 83 1982 Spring — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 77 1980 Winter-Spring 1 copy

The Paris Review 88 1983 Summer (1983) 1 copy

The Paris Review 4 1953 Winter — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 44 1968 Fall — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 17 1957 Fall-Winter — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 26 1961 Summer-Fall (1961) — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 36 1966 Winter — Editor — 1 copy

The Best of Bad Hemingway, Volume Two (1991) 1 copy

The Paris Review 33 1965 Winter-Spring — Editor — 1 copy

How to make a speech 1 copy

The Paris Review 25 1961 Winter-Spring — Editor — 1 copy

The Third American Literary Anthology (1970) 1 copy

Sports Classics 10-Volume Hardcover Boxed Set: Paper Lion; The Glory of Their Times; Farewell To Sport; Veeck - as in… (1970) 1 copy

The Paris Review 11 1955 Winter 1 copy

The Paris Review 47 1969 Summer — Editor — 1 copy

The Paris Review 131 1994 Summer 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

Edie: An American Biography (1982) — Editor — 774 copies

Baseball: A Literary Anthology (2002) — Contributor — 337 copies

The New Journalism (1973) — Contributor — 334 copies

The Paris Review Book of Heartbreak, Madness, Sex, Love, Betrayal, Outsiders, Intoxication, War, Whimsy, Horrors, God,… (2003) — Introduction — 326 copies

Red-Dirt Marijuana and Other Tastes (1967) — Introduction, some editions — 278 copies

The Best American Sports Writing of the Century (1999) — Contributor — 191 copies

An American Album: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Harper's Magazine (2000) — Contributor — 133 copies

Best Of Bad Hemingway: Vol 1: choice entries from the harry's bar & american grill imitation hemingway competition (1989) — Introduction, some editions — 99 copies

Above New York: A Collection of Historical and Original Aerial Photographs of New York City (1988) — Introduction; Introduction — 98 copies

Rio Lobo [1970 film] (1970) 86 copies

The Signet Book of American Essays (2006) — Contributor — 36 copies

When We Were Kings [1996 film] (1997) 34 copies

How to Use the Power of the Printed Word (1985) — Author — 30 copies

Christopher Felver: The Importance of Being (2001) — Contributor — 22 copies

Nero Wolfe: The Complete Second Season (2004) — Actor — 21 copies

Baseball, the Perfect Game : An All-Star Anthology Celebrating the Game's Greatest Players, Teams, and Moments (2005) — Contributor — 19 copies

Wonders: Writings and Drawings for the Child in Us All (1980) — Contributor — 18 copies

American Experience: The Donner Party [1992 TV episode] (1992) — Voice — 16 copies

I'm a Little Special (1999) — Contributor — 15 copies

Iron Mike: A Mike Tyson Reader (2002) — Foreword — 7 copies

Paper Lion [1968 film] (1968) — Original book — 2 copies

Tagged

1960s (48) 20th century (42) American (27) American literature (53) Andy Warhol (27) anthology (185) art (31) authors (33) autobiography (45) baseball (215) biography (388) DVD (32) essays (154) fashion (55) fiction (179) football (85) George Plimpton (30) golf (29) history (44) humor (59) interviews (165) journal (35) journalism (115) Library of America (29) literary criticism (47) literary journal (67) literature (136) memoir (81) non-fiction (354) Paris Review (45) photography (30) poetry (86) read (49) short stories (88) sport (27) sports (274) to-read (165) unread (27) writers (62) writing (212)

Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Plimpton, George
Legal name: Plimpton, George Ames
Birthdate: 1927-03-18
Date of death: 2003-09-25
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
Place of death: New York, New York, USA
Cause of death: heart attack
Places of residence: New York, New York, USA
Education: Harvard University (BA|1950)
University of Cambridge (BA|1952)
Occupations: journalist
actor
editor
writer
Relationships: Plimpton, Taylor (son)
Organizations: American Academy of Arts and Letters (Literature ∙ 2002)
United States Army (WWII)
The Paris Review
Sports Illustrated

Members

Reviews

The Writer's Chapbook: A Compendium of Fact,… by The Paris Review

FUN FUN FUN, writers answers on various topics about process, technical matters,form and their writing lives

Flagged

betty_s | Sep 10, 2023 |

The Curious Case of Sidd Finch by George Plimpton

Very interesting read. Fact blended with fiction. I really don't even know how to review it. I enjoyed it thoroughly, literally laughing out loud at some parts, but also quickly skimming other parts that got just too in depth. I really want to pick up a copy of the original Sports Illustrated article and read that. Very enjoyable for any sports fan I'd say, and it didn't hurt for me that it was based around the Mets!

Flagged

MrMet | 2 other reviews | Apr 28, 2023 |

The Paris Review 18 (Spring 1958) by George A.Plimpton; Peter Matthiessen; Donald Hall; Robert B. Silvers; Blair Fuller

Scarce early issue of this essential postwar literary magazine, includes an interview with Ernest Hemingway, a portfolio of graphic work by Vali Myers, a story by Philip Roth, drawings by Giacometti, and work from a roster of important contributors.

Flagged

petervanbeveren | Mar 13, 2023 |

Paper Lion by George Plimpton

Good nonfiction about an amateur who was allowed to play with the Detroit Lions for a short time. George Plimpton is a good writer. I like how he tried so many things and then wrote about them.

Flagged

kslade | 9 other reviews | Dec 8, 2022 |

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