But as Gary Giddins amply demonstrates in his biography “Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years, 1903-1940,” Bing was an instant hit on records and radio, and in the movies.

The Early Years, 1903-1940. By Gary Giddins. Little, Brown, $30. FOR nearly two decades, from 1935 to 1955, Bing Crosby was the most popular entertainer in America, perhaps in the world.

It’s been almost 18 years since the publication of “Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams,” Gary Giddins’s intelligent and formidably well-informed biography covering the entertainer’s life ...

A&E Books Biographer Gary Giddins shines light on Bing Crosby’s ‘War Years’ Sun., Oct. 28, 2018 ...

Crosby especially enjoyed playing in England, Ireland and Scotland. In fact, the Bing Crosby Trophy, a tournament he started in 1972, is still played at St. Andrews in Scotland.

At the same time, books such as “Bing Crosby: The Hollow Man” (1981) by Donald Shepherd and Robert F. Slatzer and Gary Crosby’s “Going My Own Way” (1983, written with Ross Firestone ...

(The book ends with “Road to Singapore,” Bing’s first movie with Bob Hope; volume two will cover the big movie years, “White Christmas,” his second family and charges of son-whupping ...