"For more than sixty years--from the 1890s to the 1950s--boxing was an integral part of American popular culture and a major spectator sport rivaling baseball in popularity. ... In the period from 1901 to 1939, 29 Jewish boxers were recognized as world champions and more than 160 Jewish boxers ranked among the top contenders in their respective weight divisions. Stars in the Ring, by renowned boxing historian Mike Silver, presents this vibrant social history in the first illustrated encyclopedic compendium of its kind."--;Bare-knuckle bruisers -- The melting pot sport -- Pioneers of pugilism: the early Queensberry era, 1892-1919 -- Golden age gladiators: 1920-1940 -- War and peace: 1941-1963 -- Not your grandfather's sport: boxing from the 1960s to the present -- Appendix [tables].