I'll just put it out there now, I'm not a book reviewer or anything. But when I see something cool, I'll tell you how cool it is. An example of something really cool is this book above, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Complete Illustrated History. by Chicago-area sportswriter Lew Freedman.

They asked me to take a look at this thing what seems like forever ago. Of course, I see the word Steelers and I'm immediately drawn in. And then I see that lifelong Steeler-Dick Hoak wrote the forward. Dick's no writer, but it's hard to ignore a local legend recounting his memories.

Freedman, who also penned another Pittsburgh-based book about legendary loser Harvey Haddix, gives you everything you'd expect from the title. All Steelers, from the beginnings of the franchise to the most recent Super Bowl. It's nothing overwhelming, so anyone from new fans to diehard Stillers supporters would enjoy it.

If you're anything like me, you don't get bored by the tales of the early days. I could listen to the same stories about a young Art and the original Pittsburgh Pirates football team any day. But usually in the overall history of the club, there's much more press and recognition from the 70s-onward...when the team was actually good. Freedman devotes the first 40% of the book or so to lean pre-1969 Steelers...I'm all for that. And each page is littered with a variety of high profile and rarely-seen pictures of the team.

Oh and at the end is the appendix, which is just the Steelers record book. Like did you know the most fumbles the Steelers had in a game was 10, back in 1943? Rashard Mendenhall is all, "See, guys?"

Whatever, this book was sweet, it would make any of your coffee tables that much harder and is well worth your time and attention.

I don't even know if they wanted a link to the Amazon page, but here you go. I'm cool like that.

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