Ice Cream: Thirty of the Most Interesting Skaters in History

The skaters included in this book all made a strong impression on the skating world, contributing to the development of the sport through commanding athletic prowess, unusual aesthetic characteristics, or sheer force of personality. They reflected and illuminated their times and environments. Certainly none of them could be called boring, the deadliest sin in Toller’s lexicon. In many cases they are skaters who elevated figure skating to an art form, but some altered the course of the sport in a way that may have been negative.

Each chapter starts with a short biography and then Toller contributes his well-honed and very personal assessment. Finally, Toller brings the book right up to date with his Epilogue: A Salt Lake City Retrospective.

Readers and fans are aware of Toller Cranston’s way with a quip, his flamboyant personality, and his outspoken opinions. In Ice Cream, they will also learn more about his deep knowledge of skating, his sensitive artistic judgement, and his acute observations of fellow skaters. But make no mistake, the Toller we all know is here in spades.