Among literary journalists George Plimpton is so unusual that he marches not just to a different drummer but more nearly to a different orchestra. His reputation rests on a unique assortment of accomplishments that began in his twenties when he became editor of a literary magazine, The Paris Review, and then extended at a gentlemanly pace into book and magazine writing. Most of his books concern sports and their appeal, as do many of his articles. What makes his handling of this subject matter so unusual is his approach: that of a "professional amateur." By briefly participating in the sporting events he writes about, Plimpton is able to achieve a perspective different from that of the mere observer, an approach complemented by his droll, arch, patrician, essentially British writing style. Finally, he has achieved his widest fame via the true mass medium of the century-television-in specials aired on...