Mathewson, one of the towering figures in baseball history, won 373 games in 17 seasons, all but one of those victories for the New York Giants. After his playing career, he was a manager, army officer and baseball executive, played a role in the unraveling of the Black Sox, and fought a courageous battle against tuberculosis. A man with a keen sense of honor and responsibility for both private and public obligations, he was adored by the public as a real-life Frank Merriwell. In the decades since his death, the perception of Mathewson has changed remarkably little.

This biography documents in great depth his life on and off the baseball field, and draws from sources, old and new, to let Mathewson's life speak for itself. Not many sports figures can withstand such scrutiny.