A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here.

What: “Wire to Wire: The Walter Merrick Story”

Author: Frank Holmes

Publisher: Loft Enterprises

Price: $19.95

Walter Merrick, born in the Texas panhandle, had to grow up fast. When he was 7, his father, John, was a victim of a flu epidemic that swept the country in 1918. John survived but was disabled, and Walter had to go to work, quitting school before he finished the eighth grade.

Merrick liked working with horses, and his first full-time job, at 15, was as a cowboy. He helped herd cattle for $45 a month.

Merrick’s story of how he overcame hardship to become a wealthy Oklahoma quarter horse breeder and a leader in quarter horse racing is told well in this 222-page soft-bound coffee table book.

The book, written by equine historian Frank Holmes, is filled with pictures of Merrick and his family and the horses he has owned and/or bred. The pictures are black and white, except for a color portrait of the Merrick-bred stallion Easy Jet on the back cover. Easy Jet is shown running at Ruidoso Downs, N.M., site of many of his triumphs, including the 1969 All-American Futurity. Easy Jet went on to sire 10 world champions.

Part of Merrick’s story is about his love of horses and horse racing. Another part is about his love of his wife, Tien. On Oct. 5, Merrick turned 90. On Oct. 6, he and Tien celebrated their 71st anniversary. They were at Los Alamitos race course Saturday night for a book signing.

The book can be ordered through https://www.quarterhorseoutfitters.com or (888) 209-8322.