In 1959, Life magazine hired Ernest Hemingway to report an extraordinary event, a series of bullfights that pitted two of Spain's greatest matadors, Manolette and Antonio Ordonez, against each other in a series of matches.

It was a classic plot: a legendary champion coming out of retirement to face a young challenger. Hemingway traveled with the contenders as a member of their circle. His report became this book, one of his finest.

"Completely engaged in his task, living in the moment, Hemingway faithfully recreates the drama of the bullfight and gives us inferentially a portrait of the author at his most appealing." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)