The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession

Debates over which artists, athletes, and historical figures are the best in their field reveal hidden truths about the eras in which they take place, according to this stimulating inquiry. Eleff (Dyed in Crimson), a history professor at Gratz College, recounts NYU’s failed efforts to build a Hall of Fame of Great Americans in the early 1900s and discusses how disagreement between Northern and Southern professors over whether to include Robert E. Lee showed that the legacy of the Civil War remained hotly contested. America’s bootstrapping spirit can be seen in the elevation of Mickey Mouse and Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp character to Hollywood royalty in the 1930s, Eleff suggests, contending their appeal stemmed from depicting the striving of the downtrodden during the Great Depression. Positing that character sometimes matters as much as accomplishments, Eleff argues that Babe Ruth’s reputation as a philanthropic everyman led mid-century sports pundits to anoint him the greatest baseball player of all time despite his stats not measuring up to those of Ty Cobb, whose “bully persona” alienated many. Eleff’s arguments occasionally get lost in the history, as when he details how the Beatles and Muhammad Ali went from countercultural outsiders to establishment favorites without offering a clear explanation of why that change occurred, but he otherwise succeeds in teasing out the cultural and ideological factors that shape public opinion. It’s a thought-provoking take on “greatness.” Photos. (May)