By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Some collectors are referring to Gary Hart's "My Life in Wrestling ..." as the "holy grail" of wrestling books.

When the biggest draw in the history of pro wrestling gives your book a glowing endorsement, a lot of fans listen.

Call it the Steve Austin Effect.

Austin spent several weeks singing the praises of Gary Hart’s "My Life In Wrestling...With A Little Help From My Friends” on the Steve Austin Show. He discussed the book with guests who knew Hart over the years, including WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross and Court Bauer, a jack-of-all-trades in the wrestling industry who was a protégé of Hart’s and a former WWE Creative Team member.




Austin isn’t alone in his enthusiasm for Hart’s book. Go to just about any website offering reviews, and “My Life in Wrestling” has received almost universal acclaim. It tops many readers’s lists of must-read wrestling books.

“My Life in Wrestling” was originally published in 2009 and, unfortunately for most wrestling fans, is now out of print. Hart’s autobiography has been a hot seller ever since the first two printings sold out. But prices have really jumped in recent months thanks to the nod from Austin, and it has been the hottest wrestling book on the secondary market.

Amazon sellers are asking in excess of $1,200 per copy. While there probably aren’t many selling at that price, there has been a bidding frenzy on eBay, with copies of the book selling anywhere from $130 to $265. No other unsigned wrestling books are selling anywhere near that.

Bidding activity has been frenetic whenever a copy of the book pops up on auction. One copy of the book, which sold on auction for $200 on June 29, had 41 bids. A copy that sold for $265 on July 1 had 28 bids, and a copy that sold on July 13 for $162.50 had 26 bids.

One copy of the book that was scheduled to end on July 18 was at $310 before the seller ended it early. The only copy currently offered on eBay has a Buy it Now of $750 or best offer.

PWTorch Collectibles Specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MmooreWriter .

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