Hall of Famer Charles Albert Bender has been the subject of renewed interest in recent years, as researchers have usefully described his experiences as an American Indian who dominated a game played mostly by whites. Lost in much of the discussion, however, has been Bender's steady excellence on the mound, where, year in and year out, he was one of the great pitchers in an age famous for pitching.

This biography puts the emphasis squarely on Bender the player, and in particular on the more than 330 regular-season starts in his 16 year major league career, which began and ended in the deadball era. New attention is also given to his time in the minors and to his days after major league stardom, when he worked as a coach and a scout.