I'm a Little Special: A Muhammad Ali Reader edited by Gerald Early (Yellow Jersey Press, £8 in UK)

Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) has probably been more written about than any other boxer in history, with the possible exception of Jack Johnson. The list of authors included in this anthology is impressive: A.J. Liebling, Tom Wolfe, George Plimpton, Irwin Shaw, Norman Mailer (inevitably!), former light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres, Wole Soyinka, Joyce Carol Oates et alia. Today Ali is a corpulent, stumble-tongued parody of his former self, though his superb skills, youthful looks and sheer courage are well recorded on film. (So, of course, is his gabbiness). Some of the pieces are interviews, others are on-the-spot reportage, and some are more obviously "literary" in tone and approach. In general, good value.