The Legend of Mick the Miller: Sporting Icon of the Depression

by Michael Tanner (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $3.25

  Paperback edition of the highly-acclaimed biography of sporting icon Mick the Miller, the best known and best loved dog in British history. Mick's story amounts to a fairy tale. Bred by a gambling-mad priest, Mick emerged from the backwoods of Ireland to sweep all before him. As a youngster he survives a killer disease to win Derbies and break records at will; as a veteran he fights back from injury to bow out before 70,000 adoring fans with victory in the St Leger over a distance considered inappropriate for an ageing greyhound. Mick was a freak of nature. He won by cunning and brainpower more than raw speed. In retirement he capitalises upon this intelligence and becomes a role model for Red Rum and Desert Orchid by earning a living on the celebrity circuit, even meeting the King and Queen. But Mick goes one better, starring in his own feature film - which he steals from the 'real' actors.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $3.25

  Imagine Rin-Tin-Tin and Lassie rolled into one, plus a dash of Botham and Beckham and you get an idea of Mick the Miller's status as a public idol during the grim Depression years of the 1920s and 1930s when two millon were unemployed and the country yearned for something to brighten its daily routine. Bred by a gambling-mad priest, Mick emerged from the backwoods of Ireland to sweep all before him. As a youngster he survived a killer disease to win Derbies and break records at will; as a veteran he fought back from injury to bow out before 70,000 adoring fans with victory in the St Leger over a distance considered inappropriate for an ageing greyhound. In retirement he capitalized upon his intelligence and became a role model for Red Rum and Desert Orchid by earning a living on the celebrity circuit, even meeting the King and Queen. But Mick went one better, starring in his own feature film - in which he stole scenes from the real actors.