Bret "Hitman" Hart — The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be

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This article is about the autobiography. For the similarly titled WWE Home Video release, see Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be.
This article is about the book. For the person, see Bret "Hitman" Hart.
Bret "Hitman" Hart — The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be
Cover to the book, featuring Bret Hart.[1]
AuthorBret Sergeant Hart, Perry Lefko[2][3][4]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
SubjectWrestling
GenreAutobiography
Published2000[5][6]
PublisherStoddart Publishing[7], Orion Publishing Group[8]
Media typeHardcover and paperback
Pages128[9]
ISBN978-0773760950
Followed byHitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling 

Bret "Hitman" Hart — The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be is an illustrated autobiography[10] by Calgary professional wrestler Bret Hart and co-written by Perry Lefko.[11] It became a national bestseller in Canada.[12][13] The preface was written by Hart's cousin Roddy Piper.[14][15]

Background[edit]

Lefko first approached Hart's management about the book in 1998, and it went through numerous different phases until the incarnation which was eventually published.[16] Hart has expressed that he wrote the book to remind people of many of his matches which were unavailable due to them being under the ownership of WWF whom Hart was on bad terms with at the time of the book's production and release. [17]

Content[edit]

The books narrative is told majorly through images from Hart's career with text captions containing wrestling related anecdotes.[18] Due to Hart's strained relationship with WWF at the time of the book's release no pictures from his time working there are included.[19][20] There are also several family photos and features never-before-seen photos from a private collection.[21] The book also includes Hart's written tribute to his brother Owen who died in a wrestling related accident in 1999.[22][23][24]

[25]

The book features quotes and comments from Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, Sting, Hulk Hogan and Bill Goldberg.[26]

Release and reception[edit]

[27] The book has an initial printing of 150,000 copies which beat the publisher; Stoddart's previous record which was at 20,000 copies. The president of Stoddart; Nelson Doucet said: "At the sales conference, the salespeople recognized that we had a winner, and we were too conservative with our 35,000 initial printing, It became very obvious, very quickly, that we had a very successful title on our hands. The initial reaction from the market has confirmed that. The initial 150,000 print run is just the beginning. The book appeals not only to traditional market but also to specialty markets." He added that Hart is a very popular figure and that his career was filled with a lot of controversy.[28] After the release Hart went on a book signing tour.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]

Kirsty Quested of the Online World Of Wrestling stated that she believed the book did not give great intel into Hart's life and that most fans are better of waiting for Hart's following biography but also stated that the foreword by Roddy Piper was good.[40]

Follow-ups[edit]

Hart wrote a second more well received book named Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling in 2007. The book was at the time of its release one of the author Perry Lefko's two bestsellers, he would later go on to write several other books.[41]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Book index". Rockin' Robin's Wrestling Books. The Canadian Connection. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  2. ^ "Perry Lefko". Toro. Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  3. ^ "The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on June 16, 2000 · Page 41".
  4. ^ "Book index". Rockin' Robin's Wrestling Books. The Canadian Connection. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  5. ^ "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be". Dokumentation. CageMatch.net. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  6. ^ "Mediendatenbank: DVDs, CDs, Bücher, Spiele & Co". Genickbruch.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  7. ^ "PW: BEA 2000: Working the Floor". Publishers Weekly. May 19, 2000. Retrieved 2017-02-15.>
  8. ^ "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be". Dokumentation. CageMatch.net. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  9. ^ "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be". Dokumentation. CageMatch.net. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  10. ^ Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  11. ^ Oliver, Greg. "Hart bio due in March". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2016-05-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "A YEAR OF BESTSELLERS". The Globe and Mail. December 30, 2000. Archived from the original on 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  13. ^ Lefko, Perry (2005). Pinball: The Making of a Canadian Hero. 978-0470836903. p. 322.
  14. ^ McEvoy, Dermot (March 20, 2000). "Hitting to All Fields: Sports publishing brings its game to new categories and new markets". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  15. ^ Quested, Kirsty (February 1, 2005). "WRESTLING BOOKS: Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be, Review". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  16. ^ Oliver, Greg (February 11, 2000). "Bret Hart bio gets March release date". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2016-05-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ Russo, Ric (August 11, 2000). "Hart Aches for One More Shot". The Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  18. ^ "Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be". Books. Genickbruch.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  19. ^ Quested, Kirsty (February 1, 2005). "WRESTLING BOOKS: Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be, Review". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  20. ^ Huer, Otto (April 21, 2015). "Wrestling Book Reviews: Bret 'Hitman' Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be". Hack-Man.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  21. ^ Oliver, Greg (February 11, 2000). "Bret Hart bio gets March release date". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  22. ^ White, William (2000). Buyer's Guide. Bowker. p. 149. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Quested, Kirsty (February 1, 2005). "WRESTLING BOOKS: Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be, Review". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  24. ^ Oliver, Greg (February 11, 2000). "Bret Hart bio gets March release date". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  25. ^ "Bret Hart Interview". 8 May 2003.
  26. ^ "Bret Hitman Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be". Rockin' Robin's Wrestling Books. The Canadian Connection. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  27. ^ http://www.tuttowrestling.com/bre_otr.html https://archive.today/20180815172148/http://www.tuttowrestling.com/bre_otr.html
  28. ^ McEvoy, Dermot (March 20, 2000). "Hitting to All Fields: Sports publishing brings its game to new categories and new markets". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  29. ^ Shark, Marko (March 18, 2000). "COPS GOTTA HAVE HART". Toronto Sun, via Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved 2016-05-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ "Hart is promoting his new book, co-written by The Sun's Perry Lefko". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. March 18, 2016. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved 2016-05-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ "Bret Hart contemplates retirement during a book signing tour - IGN".
  32. ^ "Bret 'Hitman' Hart: The Best There is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will be | Superluchas". 17 November 2007.
  33. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article4162729/ https://archive.today/20180104180710/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article4162729/
  34. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article22402941/ https://archive.today/20180104180817/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article22402941/
  35. ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article18422306/ https://archive.today/20180104180936/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article18422306/
  36. ^ https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article1038831/ https://archive.today/20180104181034/https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article1038831/
  37. ^ https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article25458865/ https://archive.today/20180104181136/https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/the-globe-and-mails-weekly-national-list/article25458865/
  38. ^ http://www.tuttowrestling.com/bretgone.html https://archive.today/20180815164410/http://www.tuttowrestling.com/bretgone.html
  39. ^ "Dianna Hart". Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  40. ^ Quested, Kirsty (February 1, 2005). "Wrestling Books: Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be, Review". Online World Of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  41. ^ Lefko, Perry (2005). Pinball: The Making of a Canadian Hero. 978-0470836903. p. 322.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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