Biography: sport Books

Book SynopsisWith a foreword by Carl Fogarty'A worthy and fitting tribute to the King of the Roads' - Irish News Joey Dunlop's story is one of towering triumphs and desperate tragedies in almost equal measure. Born poor - dirt poor - with no running water, no electricity, he was the definition of the everyman hero, in what must be considered one of the world's most extreme sports - motorcycle road racing. He remains the most loved and most successful road racer of all time. Joey Dunlop won the hearts and minds of millions during his thirty-one-year career, culminating in the year 2000 at the Isle of Man TT when, grey-haired and bespectacled, he cemented his reputation as the greatest TT rider in history by regaining the F1 crown for the first time in twelve years. But in road racing, tragedy is never very far away. Joey lost his life in an accident in July of 2000. It was just weeks after his final TT victory. More than 60,000 people attended Joey's funeral. Over twenty years on, the sport has never truly recovered. Every motorcycling lover knows the legend of Joey Dunlop but now, for the first time, they can get to know the man himself. This definitive new biography is by turns hilarious, triumphant and tragic; it is Dunlop's story as it has never been told before - by those who were part of it.

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Book SynopsisHarry Kane: The Ultimate Fan Book takes you into the England superstar's world like no other book. Feared and respected as a goalscorer across England and Europe, Harry has been a prolific marksman where ever he has played. Born in London on 28 July 1993, he made his debut, for Tottenham on 25 August 2011, aged 18. He captained England to their first FIFA World Cup semi-final for 28 years in Russia and went onto winning the FIFA World CUp 2018 Golden Boot as top scorer with six goals. Written in a lively style and filled with fun features, fantastic photographs and enlightening quotes, Harry Kane: The Ultimate Fan Book celebrates his greatest moments and most famous goals, including the goals which have made him one of the world's most watchable superstars. Table of ContentsIntroduction • The Young Harry Kane • Growing up in a sporting family • On trial at Arsenal, aged 11 • Local boy makes good • Turning professional at Tottenham • Learning on loan • UEFA Euro U19 semi-finalist • Champions League Star • Harry Kane at Home • FIFA U20 World Cup • Harry Kane's Super Skills • Great Tottenham Goals • UEFA EURO 2016 Frustration • Training with Harry Kane • The Pride of North London • Harry Kane in Numbers • Harry's Club-mates • Harry's fans • Great England Goals • Champions League 2018-19 • Harry Kane – A Coach's Dream • Global Superstar • Footballer of the Year • Harry Kane – Record Breaker • Harry Kane at the 2018 FIFA World Cup • Harry Kane – Facts, Honours and Awards • What Next for Harry? • Harry Kane Quiz.

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Book SynopsisAlchemy reveals the bittersweet reality of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor's first management job together. The lower-league Hartlepools United are penniless, with a meddling chairman, a ramshackle ground and want-away players. Yet the management pair tackle every challenge head-on, forging a winning blueprint that later transforms unfashionable Derby County and Nottingham Forest into League and European Cup champions.Exploiting a wealth of archive newspapers, plus interviews with those present at the creation, Alchemy exposes the humble origins of Clough & Taylor's meteoric rise to the top of the football tree.

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Book SynopsisMost know Marvelous Marvin Hagler from his epic battles against Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, and his controversial split-decision loss to Sugar Ray Leonard. But it is his escape from riot-torn Newark in the late 1960s, the unbreakable bond he built with the Petronelli brothers, and his 1980 title fight against Britain’s Alan Minter—with its deep racial overtones—that tells the real story of Hagler.In Blood & Hate, New York Times bestselling author Dave Wedge tells the riveting and inspirational tale of how Hagler overcame incredible odds, joined with Goody and Pat Petronelli to rise through the rigged ranks, and morphed from a fatherless teenager in Brockton, Massachusetts, into Marvelous Marvin Hagler, one of the top boxers ever and the longest-reigning undisputed middleweight champ in history.Through exclusive interviews with Bob Arum, the Petronelli and Hagler families, and a who''s who of the boxing world, Blood & Hate reveals fascinating details about Hagler''s early life as well as the legendary Minter fight, and once and for all delivers the definitive chronicle of Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

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Book SynopsisGuardian's Best Sports Books of 2014SHORTLISTED FOR THE CROSS BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2015LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015In Chase Your Shadow, journalist and author John Carlin tells the gripping story of Oscar Pistorius's tragic journey from sporting icon to accused murderer. Before Valentine's Day of 2013, Pistorius was best known as an extraordinary athlete, the 'Blade Runner' who became the first amputee in history to compete in the Olympics. Everything changed after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in the early hours of 14 February. Overnight, the Olympian's status as a role model was replaced by tales of erratic behaviour and a violent dark side.With unique access to Pistorius himself, as well as to his friends and family, Carlin paints a portrait of a complex personality, a man whose heroic rise and even more dramatic fall is one of the most remarkable sports stories ever told.Trade ReviewThe strength of Carlin's superb book is that it weaves many disparate strands into a humane and sensitive overview of a case that shocked the world... The detail is fascinating... Subtle and wise -- Matthew Syed * The Times ‘Book of the Week’ *Reads like a taut courtroom drama... Vivid, gripping and illuminating... For those in search of a full rendering of the case in all its complexity, Carlin goes a long way to delivering the goods. -- Justice Malala * Sunday Times *Impressively up-to-the-minute... The Pistorius case will continue to divide opinion and Carlin's book is unlikely to be the last word on the matter. But his evident fairness, cool objectivity and robust scepticism will make it a hard act to follow. -- Simon Shaw * Mail on Sunday *Carlin's account is framed by the progress of the Blade Runner's trial, but it's also a de facto biography that exposes his psychological incongruities * Independent *The strongest of the accounts... and the best at supplying a context for what unfolded... Carlin, a fine journalist, is clearly aware of the filmic potential of the tale... and his recreation of that Valentine's Day morning has the pace and energy of a movie script * Observer *The best account we are likely to get of the tragedy and its aftermath, with proper attention to the role of the remarkable judge -- Richard Williams * Guardian, Best Sports Books of 2014 *

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Book SynopsisOne of Britain''s greatest ever footballers, Bobby Lennox epitomises an era in which Celtic were the best and most successful football club in the UK. In May 1967, he and his fellow Lisbon Lions achieved footballing immortality when they lifted the European Cup - the first British side to do so. Lennox''s 300 goals for Celtic and Scotland make him the second-highest goalscorer in Celtic''s history and the highest since the Second World War. With the Scottish national side, Lennox famously scored the second goal in Scotland''s stunning 3-2 victory over England at Wembley in 1967, when the Scots became the first country to defeat the then world champions. In this definitive autobiography, Lennox recounts with his famous dry wit and openness, his part in these extraordinary achievements, revealing aspects of his career which, until now, he has never previously made public.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of enigmatic golfer, commentator, and performer David Feherty-one of the most universally beloved figures in the game.John Feinstein, who has spent four decades finding intriguing sports characters and narratives and turning them into classic books, chronicles the life and career of David Feherty. The two have known each other for years, beginning with Feinstein''s work on A Good Walk Spoiled, researched and written at a time when Feherty was an excellent player, who won five times in Europe and was on the ''91 Ryder Cup team, but also a functioning alcoholic. In retirement from the game, Feherty has sobered up, while his golf world persona has only grown in stature. Feherty is now a grand ambassador for golf, a man who is feted by US Presidents and respected by every big name in the game.Feinstein tells hilarious true tales about Feherty''s time in the limelight and interactions with stars such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Pay

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022A SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TIMES AND THE GUARDIANThe remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath.They called him God. For his grace on a bicycle, for his divine talent, for his heavenly looks. Frank Vandenbroucke had it all, and in the late Nineties he raced with dazzling speed and lived even faster.The Belgian won several of cycling''s most illustrious races, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Nice and Ghent-Wevelgem. He was a mix of poise and panache who enthralled a generation of cycling fans. Off the bike, he only had one enemy - himself. Vandenbroucke dabbled in nocturnal party sessions mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and regularly fell out with team managers. By 1999 his team had suspended him and this proved to be the start of a long, eventful fall from grace. Depression, a Trade ReviewHow doping killed cycling's 'golden boy'. A shocking, clear-sighted and sympathetic account of a talent destroyed by drugs. -- Melanie Reid * The Times *'With his talent, Frank is the Johan Cruyff of cycling. He could win anything.' * Eddy Merckx *A stunning biography of this troubled individual. 320 pages of brilliance. * Washing Machine Post *Superb. A riveting, warts-an-all dive into a complex, deeply flawed rider and man during professional cycling's lowest ebb. * Cycling Plus *The fact that we know the tragically opaque ending of this story from the start is what lends such a devastating quality to McGrath's careful biography. Soberly told and with a clear affection for its wayward subject, McGrath's account explores the narcotically corrupting power of sport itself. -- Jonathan Liew * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisJonny Wilkinson''s career has crossed three decades and four World Cups. He has accumulated phenomenal achievements, world points records, an impressive list of broken body parts, and a drop goal that will be remembered for ever. But the peculiar calmness with which he played the game masked a very different reality. In JONNY, he reveals the extraordinary psychology that he had to tame in order to be able to dominate his sport. For most of his life, he was driven by a quest for perfection and an obsession to be the best player in the world; here he shows how these two facets of his competitive mind took such a hold of him that they sent him to the top of the world, then swept him up and dragged him down into a spiral of despair. Jonny''s career has spanned the far reaches: amazing highs and iconic moments, then a fight against injury that culminated in a battle with depression. Here he tells of the physical toll he knew his body was taking from rugby, even from his youth; he tells of h

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Book SynopsisThe legendary coach talks about his life, his players, and his winning philosophies in this bestselling autobiographyJohn Wooden's dedication and inspiration made him America's "winningest" coach. His beliefs in hard work and preparedness brought the UCLA Bruins an unparalleled 10 NCAA basketball championships. Now in this bestselling autobiography--with a Foreword by Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton--the college basketball legend reflects on his record-breaking career, his life behind the scenes, and how his top players went on to shape and change the NBA. From the everyday basics to important life lessons ("It's not how tall you are, but how tall you play"), Wooden shares his worldly wisdom on and off the court to offer a personal history of an unforgettable time in college basketball, answering the most-asked questions about his life, his career, and the players who made his teams unbeatable."They Call Me Coach is grass-roots Americana, a story bigger

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Book SynopsisJulie Welch is the critically lauded author of Those Glory, Glory Days, 26.2: Running the London Marathon and Out On Your Feet: The World of Hundred-mile Walking.Rob White is a professional photographer. The Ghost of White Hart Lane is his first book.Trade ReviewDeeply personal - a touching, heartfelt story -- Gary ImlachA special book about a special man * Independent on Sunday *One of the most affecting sports books of the year -- Matt Dickinson * The Times *A gorgeous and moving story -- Tom English * Scotland on Sunday *Colourful and, at times, moving * Four Four Two *

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Book SynopsisThe true story of the high-flying Harlem Globetrotters -- the team that changed basketball forever.In this book you will find one-finger ball-spinning, rapid-fire mini-dribbling, and a ricochet head shot!You will find skilled athletes, expert players, and electrifying performers -- all rolled into one!You will find nonstop, give-it-all-you''ve-got, out-to-win-it, sky''s-the-limit BASKETBALL! You will find The Harlem Globetrotters, who played the most groundbreaking, breathtaking ball the world had ever seen. With rhythmic writing and dynamic illustrations, Swish! is a celebration of the greatness, goodness, and grit of this remarkable team.

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Book SynopsisThe first of The Big Three was Paul Pierce. As Boston Celtics fans watched the team retire Pierce''s jersey in a ceremony on February 11, 2018, they remembered again the incredible performances Pierce put on in the city for fifteen years, helping the Celtics escape the bottom of their conference to become champions and perennial championship contenders. But Pierce''s time in the city wasn''t always so smooth. In 2000, he was stabbed in a downtown nightclub eleven times in a seemingly random attack. Six years later, remaining the sole star on a struggling team, he asked to be traded and briefly became a lightning rod among fans.Then, in 2007, the Boston Celtics General Manager made two monumental trades, bringing Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston. A press conference on July 31, 2007 was a sight to behold: Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen holding up Celtics jerseys for the flood of media. Coach Doc Rivers made sure the team bonded over the thought of winning a title and living by

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Book Synopsis This 'love story for the ages' from a # 1 New York Times bestselling author comes an unforgettable story about basketball and the enduring bonds between a father and daughter that 'will heal relationships and hearts' (Glennon Doyle).​Kate Fagan and her father forged their relationship on the basketball court, bonded by sweaty high fives and a dedication to the New York Knicks. But as Kate got older, her love of the sport and her closeness with her father grew complicated. The formerly inseparable pair drifted apart. The lessons that her father instilled in her about the game, and all her memories of sharing the court with him over the years, were a distant memory.When Chris Fagan was diagnosed with ALS, Kate decided that something had to change. Leaving a high-profile job at ESPN to be closer to her mother and father and take part in his care, Kate Fagan spent the last year of her father’s life determined to return to him the

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Book Synopsis This 'love story for the ages' from a # 1 New York Times bestselling author comes an unforgettable story about basketball and the enduring bonds between a father and daughter that 'will heal relationships and hearts' (Glennon Doyle).​Kate Fagan and her father forged their relationship on the basketball court, bonded by sweaty high fives and a dedication to the New York Knicks. But as Kate got older, her love of the sport and her closeness with her father grew complicated. The formerly inseparable pair drifted apart. The lessons that her father instilled in her about the game, and all her memories of sharing the court with him over the years, were a distant memory.When Chris Fagan was diagnosed with ALS, Kate decided that something had to change. Leaving a high-profile job at ESPN to be closer to her mother and father and take part in his care, Kate Fagan spent the last year of her father’s life determined to return to him the

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Book SynopsisAn enthralling, eye-opening portrayal of this barrier-breaking American hero as a lifelong, relentlessly proud fighter for Black justice and civil rights.According to Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie Robinson was a sit-inner before the sit-ins, a freedom rider before the Freedom Rides. According to Hank Aaron, Robinson was a leader of the Black Power movement before there was a Black Power movement. According to his wife, Rachel Robinson, he was always Jack, not Jackiethe diminutive form of his name bestowed on him in college by white sports writers. And throughout his whole life, Jack Robinson was a fighter for justice, an advocate for equality, and an inspiration beyond just baseball.From prominent Robinson scholars Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long comes Call Him Jack, an exciting biography that recovers the real person behind the legend, reanimating this famed figure's legacy for new generations, widening our focus from the sportsman

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Book SynopsisFrom the daughter of Muhammad Ali comes an intimate portrait of the heavyweight boxing champion and a final love letter from a daughter to her father. Through audio journals, love letters and cherished memories, Ali''s daughter Hana tells the story of a very typical and yet fully-unique family, the rise and fall of her parent's marriage and the struggles they faced as a family surrounding Ali's loss to Larry Holmes in 1981.With the decline of Ali's voice, his recordings are important to history as they are to his personal legacy. At Home with Muhammad Ali offers a candid look at a man who was trying to find his purpose in the world as he realized he was coming to the end of his lucrative sporting career, all the while trying to balance fatherhood and his worldly and political obligations. Additionally, Hana tells of the everyday adventures that the family experienced around the housewith visitors like Michael Jackson and Clint Eastwood dropping by. And Trade ReviewThis book is an amazing insight into an incredible man * Lorraine Kelly *To millions of fans his reputation went beyond the boxing ring. In At Home With Muhammad Ali, Hana Ali tells what it was like to grow up with the most legendary name in sport. [The book] vividly evokes an Ali who is barely recognisable as the cocky, complicated boxer and incendiary political figure depicted in obituaries. Instead, Hana fleshes out the Ali of his later years... She presents her father as a funny, doting family man who looks for ways to bring joy to ordinary people. Ultimately, his final victory is his greatest: coming to terms with this illness after realising that it was the one opponent he would never beat. * The Times *Intimate... Moving... [This] memoir charts Hana's treasured memories of a man hailed as one of the first global superstars of sport. * Sunday Mirror *How wonderful, after decades of thoughtful but at-a-distance portraits of Muhammad Ali, we have this exquisite and movingly intimate one. His daughter, Hana, has permitted us all to fill out—with love—our own sense of the real man behind all the mythology. This is a hugely important addition to our understanding of the Greatest of All Time. -- Ken Burns, filmmakerA famous man will be viewed one way by the public. Another by his wife. Another by his children. Hana brings together these vantage points — and allows everyone to see Muhammad Ali in a new light. -- Larry King

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Book Synopsis“Of all the people I play against, the only one I truly fear is Larry Bird.”—Magic Johnson, from the Foreword.The heart and soul of a champion: his life, his career, his game. To understand basketball, you have to understand Larry Bird. Arguably the greatest all-around player the game has ever known, he led the Boston Celtics from the basement to three world championships, collecting three NBA Most Valuable Player awards along the way. Yet, despite these massive accomplishments, Bird has rarely talked to the press, and much about the man has remained a mystery. Now in Drive, the long-silent superstar sets the record straight, revealed a side of himself-and of basketball-you’ve never see before. Inside, you’ll learn Bird''s most private feelings about: The momentous decision to transfer from Bobby Knight’s Indiana University to Indiana State. The heartbreak of his father''s suicide and his own failed marriage. The single-minded discipline that tumed a small-town hero into a national superstar. The Boston Garden and the legendary Celtic charm. The Isiah Thomas controversy and the fierce Celtic-Laker rivalry. The great players of the NBA: including Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and Michael Jordan, and much more. here is the book that puts a basketball legend-and his game-on the line. And scores!

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Book SynopsisA long-overdue full-length biography of one of England's timeless greats

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to the reveal the complex personality behind the public image that is Ivan Mauger, the dedicated and often ruthlessly efficient speedway multi- World Champion. Driven by uncompromising determination and naked ambition he became, to terrace fans and on-track rivals alike, a virtual sporting automaton. His motorcycle racing achievements - 15 world titles on speedway and long track - are testament to his pursuit of excellence. He elevated a minority sport to a new and higher dimension with professionalism that made him at once envied and feared, admired and hated. And it launched him from the obscurity of his small-town New Zealand origins to worldwide acclaim, which continues to enjoy. Here, renowned speedway historian and journalist John Chaplin reveals, through the words of opponents, friends, enemies, business associated, fans, rivals and his own family, the real Ivan Mauger... the man behind the myth.

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Book SynopsisBill Struth is the most celebrated Manager in the history of Rangers Football Club. In his 34 year tenure, he led the club to 30 major trophies and nurtured many of the club''s greatest players. To them, he was simply ''Mr. Struth'' - a father figure who guided them with the principle that, ''... to be a Ranger is to sense the sacred trust of upholding all that such a name means in this shrine of football.''If these words set the ideals for his players to attain, his own personal life was clouded by moments of indiscretion which were to influence the course of his life and career. Drawing on family accounts and Rangers archives, the book explores his early life in Edinburgh and Fife, as well as his celebrated years in Glasgow. It recounts his career in professional athletics and in football with Heart of Midlothian, Clyde and ultimately, Rangers. It reflects on the legacy of the Struth era and his influences that remain at Ibrox today.

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Book SynopsisA biography of Eddie Collins, one of baseball's most consistently good batters, its best bunter and hit-and-run man, one of its craftiest base runners and finest defensive second basemen. It tells how, during his career, he was repeatedly referred to as the game's smartest player, both on and off the field.

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Book SynopsisHere are the best of the best: the stars of the dominant U.S. national team - like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, and Rose Lavelle - and their top competitors from around the world, like Sam Kerr of Australia, Lucy Bronze of England, Wendie Renard of France, and Marta of Brazil. This lively book features short biographies of 28 athletes in all, illustrated with colour photographs of the stars in action. Revised and updated from cover to cover, Stars of Women's Soccer is sure to whet the appetite of young fans who are eager to see the titans of the women''s game battle it out (finally) at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Madeleine Blais, the dramatic and colorful story of legendary tennis star and international celebrity, Alice Marble In August 1939, Alice Marble graced the cover of Life magazine, photographed by the famed Alfred Eisenstaedt. She was a glamorous worldwide celebrity, having that year won singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles tennis titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open, then an unprecedented feat. Yet today one of America’s greatest female athletes and most charismatic characters is largely forgotten. Queen of the Court places her back on center stage. Born in 1913, Marble grew up in San Francisco; her favorite sport, baseball. Given a tennis racket at age 13, she took to the sport immediately, rising to the top with a powerful, aggressive serve-and-volley style unseen in women’s tennis. A champion at the height of her fame in the late 1930s, she also designed a clothing line in the off-season and sang as a performer in the Sert Room of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York to rave reviews. World War II derailed her amateur tennis career, but her life off the court was, if anything, even more eventful. She wrote a series of short books about famous women. She turned professional and joined a pro tour during the War, entertaining and inspiring soldiers and civilians alike. Ever glamorous and connected, she had a part in the 1952 Tracy and Hepburn movie Pat and Mike, and she played tennis with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, and her great friends, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. However, perhaps her greatest legacy lies in her successful efforts, working largely alone, to persuade the all-white US Lawn Tennis Association to change its policy and allow African American star Althea Gibson to compete for the US championship in 1950, thereby breaking tennis’s color barrier. In two memoirs, Marble also showed herself to be an at-times unreliable narrator of her own life, which Madeleine Blais navigates skillfully, especially Marble’s dramatic claims of having been a spy during World War II. In Queen of the Court, the author of the bestselling In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle recaptures a glittering life story.

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Book SynopsisPhysical Strength Can Only Take You So Far Reigning CrossFit World Champion Rich Froning is The Fittest Man on Earth. He's fast. He's strong. And he's incredibly disciplined. But it takes more than physical strength to compete and win at an elite level. It takes incredible mental and spiritual toughness as well. And it is the precise balance of all three that makes Rich Froning a champion. In First, readers come alongside Rich as he trains for and competes in back-to-back-to-back CrossFit World Championships. Along the way, Rich shares invaluable training tips, motivational techniques, and spiritual insights that, in keeping with the CrossFit philosophy, will prepare you to respond to any real-life physical, mental and spiritual challenge.

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Book SynopsisDon't let diabetes send you to the bench. These motivational stories of top athletes with diabetes will inspire you to live your best life. Shortlisted for the American Book Fest Book Award in Health: Diet & Exercise by the American Book FestAn ultra-marathoner, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a major league pitcher, and an NFL star. What do these elite athletes have in common? They reached the top of their fieldall while living with diabetes. Essential reading for people who have diabetes and their families, Winning with Diabetes highlights the challenges, perseverance, and successes of sixteen elite athletes living with the disease. From mountain climber Will Cross, to college softball champion Kylee Perez, to NBA legend Dominique Wilkins, and many more, these are the real-life stories of diagnosis, adapting new day-to-day routines, finding support, training, competing, and connecting with communities of other people living with diabetes. The book features advice for facing comTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. The Diagnosis of Diabetes: Why me?2. Learning about Diabetes: Where did it come from?3. Living with Diabetes: How will I manage day-to-day?4. Self-care in Diabetes: How can I prevent complications?5. Finding Support: What will other people think?6. Winning with Diabetes: Can I accomplish my life goals?7. Building a Community: How can I give back?Author BiosIndex

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Book SynopsisThe intimate biography of the charismatic Tour de France winner Marco Pantani, now updated to include the 2014 and 2015 investigation into Pantani''s death.National Sporting Club Book of the YearShortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award ''An exhaustively detailed and beautiful book . . . a fitting, ambivalent tribute - to the man, and to the dark heart of the sport he loved'' IndependentOn Valentine''s day 2004, Marco Pantani was found dead in a cheap hotel. It defied belief: Pantani, having won the rare double of the Giro d''Italia and the Tour de France in 1998, was regarded as the only cyclist capable of challenging Lance Armstrong''s dominance. Only later did it emerge that Pantani had been addicted to cocaine since 1999.Drawing on his personal encounters with Pantani, as well as exclusive access to his psychoanalysts, and interviews with his family and friends, Matt Rendell has prodTrade Review[Rendell's] not inconsiderable acheivement is to convey the sordid reality of the Tour while simultaneously adding to one's yearning for its lost idealism - THE TIMESSuperficially [Pantani] appears to be a familiar type of sporting self-destructor. Like George Best, Diego Maradona, Alex "Hurricane" Higgins, and so on, he was prodigiously gifted; like them, he couldn't handle success and its aftermath. But, if Rendell is right (and the evidence does seem conclusive), unlike them, he was a pharmaceutical creation almost from the beginning. He was "cycling's greatest cheat" . . . It is the pursuit of this revelation that makes the . . . book so readable - NEW STATESMANAn excellent book about the life and death of il Pirata, the Pirate, as Pantani was known. Rendell has interviewed dozens of those closest to Pantani to paint an intimate and sympathetic - if unsentimental - picture . . . this is also a work of meticulous investigative journalism that shatters whatever doubts anyone could still have about systematic doping in cycling - OBSERVER SPORTS MONTHLYAn account of a journey into the depths of drugs in sport (and drugs in life) becomes a parable of modern sport and celebrity - SUNDAY TIMES

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Book Synopsis How do you invent an Olympic sport? For Katharine Whitney Curtis, it took the right idea, great talent, some good timing, and the determination to make it happen. The originator of synchronized swimming as we know it today, she even wrote the first book on the subject in 1936. But there was much more to her life and career. After the start of World War II, Curtis became a recreational director in the American Red Cross and followed the troops wherever the course of war took them, serving under Generals Patton and Eisenhower, before becoming a director of travel for the U.S. Army in Europe during the Cold War. Unbound by fear or the narrow expectations of society, this was a woman who lived ahead of her time, making things happen along the way. As her first biography, this book generously features Curtis''s own words, selected from more than 2,000 pages of letters, and contextualized by her surviving friends and family members.

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Book Synopsis While many of his peers began their careers as farmers and factory workers, Leo Florian Houck became a boxing sensation at age 14, enabling him to support his mother and six siblings after his father''s death. Houck''s career really took off in 1911 with a 20-round victory over world-class welterweight Harry Lewis in Paris. During 1913 Leo became the leading middleweight contender in America. This biography details Houck''s early years in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, his long career in the ring--including 200 fights--and his 27 years as Penn State''s legendary boxing coach.

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Book SynopsisWhen Leigh Perkins bought the Orvis Company in 1965, the fly-fishing and bird-hunting outfitter was a sleepy business with annual sales that had leveled off at $500,000. Over the next thirty years Perkins built Orvis''s annual sales to $100 million by revolutionizing the catalog retail industry and reshaping the company''s tradition-bound culture. He achieved this by blending his love of nature with his business acumen and bringing the commonsense approach he learned in the streams and on his hunts to his boardroom decision making.The basic principles he used to run his business include: The Customer Is Always Right. . . Even When You Know Damned Well He''s Wrong: Perkins put such a high priority on customer service that he would personally man the phones at the height of the holiday season each year to keep in touch with his customers.Product Excellence: Perkins made sure that everything Orvis sold was of the highest qTrade Review"Few have done so well in business--and even fewer can say they enjoyed it as much."--William E. Simon, former Secretary of the Treasury"Leigh Perkins has combined a life of hunting and fishing with a notable career as CEO of Orvis. How he did this is a remarkable tale."—former President Jimmy Carter

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Book SynopsisFrom Babe Ruth to Michael Phelps, Billie Jean King to Tony Hawk, American athletes have been a source of pride and accomplishment throughout the nation’s history. While there have been plenty of athlete biographies, sports profiles, and behind-the scenes looks at various professional sports, no book has attempted to rank the greatest American athletes of all time. Until now. In The 100 Greatest American Athletes, Martin Gitlin ranks the best of the best using a point system to assess each individual’s achievements, versatility, and athleticism, as well as the physical requirements of the sport or sports in which they participated. The final tally of these points provides the ranking for each athlete in the book, which is sure to spark lively conversation. Some of the most iconic names in sports history can be found here, including Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Larry Byrd, LeBron James, Mickey Mantle, Joe Montana, Jesse Owens, Mark Spitz, Tiger Woods, and Babe Didrikson Zaharias. It can be difficult to compare bobsledders to boxers, figure-skaters to football players, shot-putters to skiers. This book, however, attempts to do just that in an accurate, fair manner that honors those who made valuable contributions to American sports and culture. Sports fans will undoubtedly enjoy debating the ranking of these remarkable individuals, making The 100 Greatest American Athletes a must read.Trade ReviewHaving known Martin Gitlin for many years, provocative is not a word I would use to describe him. But provocative is the best word to describe his latest work. What a great read. -- Tony Grossi, NFL and Cleveland Browns analyst for ESPN Cleveland and 850 WKNR radio, voting member of the Pro Football Hall of FameTable of ContentsIntroduction 1: Jim Thorpe: The Sports Conqueror 2: Michael Jordan: His Airness 3: Bob Mathias: The Manchild 4: Jim Brown: The Indestructible 5: Michael Phelps: The Baltimore Bullet 6: Deion Sanders: Prime Time 7: LeBron James: The Chosen One 8: Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Magnificent Heptathlete 9: Rafer Johnson: Renaissance Man 10: Muhammad Ali: The Louisville Lip 11: Willie Mays: The Say Hey Kid 12: Babe Ruth: The Sultan of Swat 13: Ashton Eaton: Wheels 14: Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Master of All 15: Wilt Chamberlain: Wilt the Stilt 16: Jackie Robinson: The Barrier Breaker 17: Rickey Henderson: The Man of Steal 18: Bo Jackson: The Freakish Talent 19: Jesse Owens: To Hell with Hitler 20: Henry Aaron: Hammerin’ Hank 21: Tom Brady: Tom Terrific 22: Lawrence Taylor: L.T. 23: Carl Lewis: King Carl 24: Reggie White: The Minister of Defense 25: Bruce Jenner: Bruiser 26: Ray Robinson: Sugar 27: Don Hutson: The Alabama Antelope 28: Bob Hayes: Bullet Bob 29: Bill Russell: Mr. 11 Rings 30: Deacon Jones: The Secretary of Defense 31: Sandy Koufax: The Left Arm of God 32: Mickey Mantle: The Mick 33: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The Big ‘A’ 34: Lou Gehrig: The Iron Horse 35: Emlen Tunnell: Offense on Defense 36: Jerry West: Zeke from Cabin Creek 37: Anthony Munoz: The Great Protector 38: Oscar Charleston: The Black Ty Cobb 39: Earvin Johnson: Magic 40: Joe Louis: The Brown Bomber 41: Kobe Bryant: The Black Mamba 42: Serena Williams: Momma Smash 43: Honus Wagner: The Flying Dutchman 44: Julius Erving: Dr. J 45: Gale Sayers: The Kansas Comet 46: Mary Wambach: Abby 47: Jerry Rice: Flash 80 48: Pete Sampras: Pistol Pete 49: Eric Heiden: The Record Breaker 50: Shaun White: The Flying Tomato 51: Simone Biles: Simoney 52: Stan Musial: Stan the Man 53: Willie Pep: Will ‘o the Wisp 54: Walter Payton: Sweetness 55: Althea Gibson: The Tenacious One 56: Henry Armstrong: Homicide Hank 57: Joe Montana: Joe Cool 58: Mike Tyson: The Baddest Man on the Planet 59: Dick Butkus: The Maestro of Mayhem 60: Tracy Caulkins: The Medley Sensation 61: Michael Johnson: The Duck 62: Bob Beamon: Leap of a Lifetime 63: Oscar Robertson: The Big O 64: Mike Schmidt: Iron Mike 65: Larry Bird: The Hick from French Lick 66: Lindsey Vonn: Kildon 67: Karl Malone: The Mailman 68: Mike Trout: The Millville Meteor 69: Cheryl Miller: Big Sister 70: Mark Spitz: Mark the Shark 71: Tony Hawk: The Bird Man 72: Joe DiMaggio: The Yankee Clipper 73: Peggy Fleming: The Steel-Nerved Skater from San Jose 74: Walter Johnson: The Big Train 75: Barry Sanders: The Little Fella 76: Ty Cobb: The Georgia Peach 77: Bonnie Blair: The Blue 78: Secretariat: Big Red 79: Rocky Marciano: The Brockton Blockbuster 80: Red Grange: The Galloping Ghost 81: Chris Chelios: The Godfather of USA Hockey 82: Chris Evert: The Ice Maiden 83: Al Oerter: He-Man Heave Man 84: Mary T. Meagher: Madame Butterfly 85: Lisa Leslie: Smooth 86: O.J. Simpson: The Juice 87: Billie Jean King: The Male Chauvinist Pig Tamer 88: Wilma Rudolph: The Tornado 89: Kelly Slater: King Kelly 90: Johnny Unitas: The Golden Arm 91: Ted Williams: The Splendid Splinter 92: Greg Louganis: Dynamite Diver 93: Josh Gibson: The Legend 94: Edwin Moses: The Bionic Man 95: Jack Nicklaus: The Golden Bear 96: Rogers Hornsby: The Rajah 97: Florence Griffith Joyner: FloJo 98: Gabby Douglas: The Flying Squirrel 99: Lynette Woodard: The Globetrotter 100: Eldrick Woods: Tiger Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisPalmer, a long-time friend of Bruce Lee and one of his youngest martial arts students, recounts Lee’s early years, when he would train a multicultural group of local toughs in empty parking lots and backyards around Seattle. Palmer spends a summer with Lee and his family in Hong Kong and provides fascinating insight into Lee’s personality, from his silly sense of humor and love of practical jokes to his uncanny ability to learn from different fighting traditions to hone his skills. Palmer’s stories paint a picture of a fun-loving, intense young man who worked hard to excel at his craft.

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Book SynopsisFrom legendary Ball Four author, Jim Bouton, comes the behind-the-scenes story of Bouton's valiant and determined efforts to save Wahconah Park. For the first time in two decades, enjoy Foul Ball as never before with freshly edited content and a new foreword from Jim Bouton's wife, Paula. With his trademark wit and distinctive voice, Bouton recounts his battle against the local elites' efforts to replace one of the oldest parks in the United States against the wishes and votes of local citizens. But Foul Ball is more than just a lively romp about saving an old ballpark near Bouton's home in Massachusetts. In a detailed diary–his first since Ball Four–Bouton takes us along on his wild ride, into the teeth of corporate malfeasance, anti-democratic processes, the tyranny of a one-newspaper town, and the real reason why the good old boys wanted to build a new stadium.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisMara Yamauchi is a two-time Olympian, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, and the UK's second-fastest female marathon runner ever with a personal best of 2:23:12. But there is much more to Mara than just running fast. This book of 42.195 insights-the number of kilometers in a marathon-distills the wealth of wisdom and experience Mara has gained as a world-class athlete. From planning training, optimizing nutrition, and preparing effectively for racing to coping with disappointments and struggles with mental illness, Mara shares everything she has learned-good and bad-as one of the world's top marathoners. Still, she does not spoon-feed her readers with training plans; instead, she encourages them to think critically to understand how to improve and set their own goals. This book also takes the reader into the revered world of distance running in Japan, one of the world's marathon superpowers. It has something for everyone, from beginner runners to competitive athletes and those aspiring to the very top. Mara's insights are also applicable beyond running and are meant for anyone who wants to realize a dream or achieve a lifetime goal in whatever field is special to them.Trade Review"Mara's book is about making the most of what you've got, discipline, having faith in yourself and learning, principally about who you are. But mostly it's about doing the hard yards. A very enjoyable book, which you can dip into whenever you have ten minutes to spare. A lovely template for success in any walk of life." DALEY THOMPSON CBE, Two-time Olympic decathlon champion

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Book SynopsisMiguel Indurain is Spain’s greatest cyclist of all time and one of the best Tour racers in history. He is the only bike rider to have won five successive Tours de France, as well as holding the title for the youngest ever race leader in the Tour of Spain. This is his story. As the all-conquering hero of the 90s, Indurain steadfastly refused to be overwhelmed by fame; remaining humble, shy and true to his country roots. Along with his superhuman calmness, iron will-power and superb bike handling skills, he was often described as a machine. Yet 1996 saw Indurain, the Tour’s greatest ever champion, spectacularly plummet, bringing his career and supremacy to an abrupt end.In Indurain, Alasdair Fotheringham gets to the heart of this enigmatic character, reliving his historic accomplishments in vibrant colour, and exploring how this shaped the direction taken by generations of Spanish racers - raising Spanish sport to a whole new level.

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Book SynopsisThe Joshua Files traces the story of Britain's latest heavyweight hero from the building site to the top of the boxing world and beyond. Anthony Joshua's fight with Wladimir Klitschko, in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, transformed the fighter not only into a national hero but also a global star. Having worked as a boxing journalist for almost 30 years for Boxing News, Boxing Monthly and Sky Sports, Matt Bozeat was perfectly placed to follow Joshua from a ringside seat from the very start of his professional career. Joshua turned pro soon after winning gold at the London Olympics in 2012, and has since surpassed all expectations, going on to dominate the division with a 100 per cent KO record. The Joshua Files tells exactly how he fought his way to the top, through revealing and insightful interviews with the fighter himself, as well as with the boxing experts, trainers, sparring partners and opponents who have the closest insider knowledge of Anthony's incredible rise.

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Book Synopsis'He's here, he's there, he's every-f*cking-where, Gerry Gow, Gerry Gow' was an anthem that could often be heard reverberating around Ashton Gate in the 1970s as Bristol City climbed towards the first division. Gow was one of football's original cult heroes that emerged throughout the seventies and eighties; often sporting long hair and bushy moustaches. Gow pulled off both with style during spells at Bristol City and Manchester City. Written with the help of the Gow family, He's Here, He's There: The Gerry Gow Story celebrates the career of the Ashton Gate 'Enforcer'. It provides a fascinating insight into a player that fans of a certain vintage consider the greatest to wear the red of Bristol City. With fresh insight from Gerry's family, friends, team-mates and opponents, including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Peter Reid and Chris Kamara, this is a captivating insight into a cult hero, a football hardman, a Bristolian icon; but also Gerry the man, and a man sorely missed but still loved by so many.

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Book SynopsisWhen Muhammad Ali died, many mourned the life of the greatest sportsman the world had ever seen. In Redemption Song, Mike Marqusee argues that Ali was not just a boxer but a remarkable political figure in a decade of tumultuous change. Playful, popular, always confrontational, Ali refashioned the role of a political activist and was central, alongside figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, to the black liberation and the anti-war movements. Marqusee shows that sport and politics were always intertwined, and this is the reason why Ali remained an international beacon of hope, long after he had left the ring.Trade ReviewA beautiful book. -- Arundhati RoyAmong the slew of recent Ali books, here's one that returns the political sting to 'The Greatest' ... As Marqusee portrays him, Ali is still the righteous outlaw, as badass as ever and still in the eye of a global storm. * Time Out *A thrilling book about a true and enduring hero ... Mike Marqusee has done him, and us, proud. -- John PilgerExcellent ... Reminds us just how explosive and divisive a figure Ali was. * Independent on Sunday *Fascinating, well-written, entertaining and significant. Redemption Songprovides rare and important insights into Muhammad Ali and his immense global impact on a turbulent and ground-breaking era. -- Leon GastAs Marqusee charts how Ali helped create a global consciousness, he succeeds in knocking Ali off the respectable pedestal on which American culture had placed him, resurrecting him as the radical figure he truly was ... a vibrant historical essay. * Publishers Weekly *

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