Biography: sport Books

Book SynopsisBy the time Giggs made his Manchester United first team debut aged just 17, many considered him to be the greatest talent in English football since George Best. He made United's left wing his own until late in his career, when Sir Alex Ferguson switched him to a deeper role in central midfield. Famed for his pace and skill on the ball, Giggs has scored many vital goals, most notably his incredible solo effort in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal. He was an integral part of the historic Treble-winning side in 1999, and is the only Manchester United player to have played in both the 1999 and 2008 Champions League victories. Having committed his entire career to United, Giggs eclipsed Bobby Charlton's record in April 2009, when he made his 800th appearance for the club. That year also brought his 11th Premier League winner's medal - he is the only player to have scored in every Premier League campaign since its inception - and the PFA Player of the Year award. Giggs has scored over 150 goals for United and his incredible record has ensured that he will go down in history as one of the club's greatest ever players.

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Book SynopsisBorn in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in 1992, Jack began his football career at Letchworth Garden City Eagles, where his drive, intelligence and competitiveness entered in to local legend. Spotted by Arsenal's chief scout Steve Rowley while playing for Luton Town youths in 2001, Jack Wilshere was signed by the Gunners at the age of nine and immediately placed under the guidance of youth coach Roy Massey at Arsenal's Hale End Academy. Nine incredible years later, Jack was lining up for England, becoming one of the youngest ever players to pull on the famous three-lions jersey; he has since become an integral part of the England setup and his presence is key in the ongoing quest for World Cup glory in Brazil in 2014. From successive years as a captain of high-school football teams, through to becoming one of the first names in Arsene Wenger's Arsenal team-sheet, Jack Wilshere's story is the stuff of football dreams, and the emergence of such a talent is a testament to English football at both grass-root and professional levels. With the heart of Vieria, the skill of Brady, the grace of Beckham, and the elegance of Bergkamp, Jack Wilshere - Arsenal DNA is a tale of true grit and determination, and a story wholeheartedly intertwined with the history of Arsenal FC and the future of English football.

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Book Synopsis'We went into the foyer to sign autographs. Well, I signed - Alex produced an ink pad and stamp marked "A Higgins". "Sorry, bade," he said between the thump of prints for 150 crestfallen fans, "I'm only stamping tonight." JOHN VIRGO There is a tribute book to be written about the nicest man in snooker - but this isn't it. Whatever else he was, Alexander Gordon Higgins wasn't nice. Unpredictable, wild, demonic and obsessive for certain. An unstoppable force who single-handedly transformed snooker from a niche sport into a gripping phenomenon.

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Book SynopsisA schoolboy prodigy, it was always clear that McCoist was destined for top flight football. At just 16 he signed his first professional contract with St Johnstone, shooting to prominence in the 1980/81 season, scoring 22 league goals and playing a starrring role for the Scottish youth team. He was soon hot property. After two years of mixed fortunes at Sunderland, McCoist returned to Scotland and signed for his boyhood heroes Glasgow Rangers. Over the next fifteen years, he established himslef as arguably the greatest goal-scorer ever to play for the club. He not only gave heart and soul for Rangers but was also capped 61 times for Scotland. An authoritative and affectionate portrait of this much-loved sportsman, Ally McCoist - Portrait of a Hero charts the highs and lows of a fascinating career, culminating in McCoist reaching legendary status. It also looks at the events that helped to shape his life - overcoming homesickness when first playing for an English club, the effects his parents' seperation had on him and how he coped when his young son had to undergo several life-saving operations. Having hung up his books, Ally's vibrant personality made him a natural for the television screen. Now, however, he has come full circle and returned 'home' to be assistant manager at his beloved Rangers. This wonderful book is a must-read for any football fan or indeed for anyone captivated by this larger-than-life character.

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A Bloody Canvas: The Mike McTigue Story tells the story of how Michael Francis McTigue left Kilnamona, Co. Clare, to seek fame and fortune in the United States, only for circumstances to bring him back to Dublin where he would win one of the strangest world title fights in boxing history. Set partly against the background of the Irish Civil War, it also tells of a bitterly divided people who managed to set aside their differences for twenty rounds of boxing before the guns started firing and the mines started exploding once more. But primarily, A Bloody Canvas is a biography. It tells how an ageing journeyman fighter found himself to be the right Irishman, in the right place at the right time. This is the saga of an underdog boxer laced with wrenching danger and a panoramic sense of life from late eighteenth-century rural Ireland to the Civil War, to the heady days of the Jazz Age in New York and the desperation of the Great Depression.

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Book SynopsisCheslin roared with happiness as the final whistle blew on the field in Japan. They were champions! Later, as his captain lifted the 2019 Rugby World Cup trophy into the air, he had never felt prouder of himself, his team and his country. Cheslin Kolbe tells the story of a kid from Kraaifontein, Cape Town, whose talent took him to international sports stardom, first to Toulouse France, and eventually to getting the call-up that would change his life forever: to play for the Springbok 2019 World Cup XV. It’s a heartwarming story of a small player with a big heart whose signature side-step helped the Springboks win the World Cup trophy for South Africa. Cheslin Kolbe is the eighth book in the bestselling ‘Road to Glory’ series, which covers some of South Africa’s sporting legends as they set out on their journeys to becoming national and international stars.

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Book SynopsisWritten by the late, great boxing broadcaster, Reg gutteridge, this is the inside story of Mike tyson, the most explosive and controversial World heavyweight boxing champion of all time.

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Book SynopsisJohn Gill: Master of Rock is a captivating look into the life, achievements and ethos of boulderer John Gill. This new edition of the classic title is complete with photographs, personal impressions of Gill from climbers such as Yvon Chouinard, and an enlightening interview with Gill himself.Hailed the father of modern bouldering, John Gill is an awe-inspiring climber with enigmatic talent. His techniques have been likened to poetry and are almost ‘spiritual’ in nature. Famous for his dynamic approach to bouldering and his impressive physical accomplishments, such as the one-arm front lever, Gill is an inspiration to climbers around the world.Written by Gill’s friend and fellow climber, Pat Ament, John Gill: Master of Rock pays homage to this influence. Delving deeply into not only the fascinating life of Gill, but the very raw essence of what it means to boulder, this intimate biography is both intriguing and informative.'Bouldering is the poetry of mountaineering … As with good poetry, good bouldering comes from within. It is derived from an inner eye, then refined.'At its core, John Gill: Master of Rock illustrates the humbling relationship between Gill and those who admire him – as Ament details first-hand, Gill is never egotistical, nor elitist; instead he is approachable, passionate and refreshingly independent.This staple climbing read is a real must-have for those with an interest in pioneers of the bouldering scene. The exploits and adventures contained within will appeal to devotees of the sport and to anyone seeking insight into the triumphs of a master.Table of ContentsIntroduction. 1 - The Thimble. 2 - A Face in a Photograph. 3 - A Profiled Position. 4 - The Poetry of Mountaineering. 5 - The Juggernaut . 6 - Deliberating Poses. 7 - Whispers of a Legend. 8 - A Pair of Long Legs by Dave Rearic. 9 - That Morning by Paul Mayrose. 10 - Zen and the Art of Rock Climbing by Yvon Chouinard. 11 - A Visit to Red Cross Rock by Jim Erickson. 12 - Credence by Steve Wunsch. 13 - Miscellaneous Interchange. 14 - A Chat with John Gill .

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Book SynopsisIn the 1980s and early 1990s, David Campese thrilled spectators both in Australia and overseas with his footloose, crazy-brave style of free running. This book tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to the very top of a global sport. As a rugby player, David Campese seemed to operate on cross-grained pure instinct, one that left many a defender clutching at him in vain, stranded in the slipstream of his audacity. Hailed as the ‘Bradman of rugby’ by former Wallaby coach Alan Jones, and the ‘Pele’ of rugby by others, Campese was a match-winner. The refrain ‘I saw Campese play’ now speaks to much more than wistful reminiscences about a player widely regarded as the most entertaining ever to play the game of Rugby Union. It has come to represent a state of chronic disbelief that the Wallaby ascendancy of Campese’s era has been seemingly squandered. Campese occupies a unique intersection in rugby’s history: one of its last amateurs, and one of its first professionals. He had shown, too, that coming from outside the traditional bastions of rugby — the private schools and universities — was no barrier to reaching the top. Indeed, he challenged that establishment and unsettled it, warning in the early 1990s that the code risked ‘dying’ if more was not done to expand its appeal. David Campese revolutionised how the game was played and appreciated. His genius, most visibly manifest in his outrageous goosestep, captured the national and sporting imagination. The rigid, robotic rugby of today appears incapable of accommodating a player of his dash and daring.Trade Review‘Campese … is an intelligent and deeply felt meditation on the rugby player's genius, as well as an erudite analysis of Campese's complex position in the wider context of Australian sport … the book is an immense success. Unlike Campese's on-field opponents, Curran, a historian, sociologist and passionate rugby fan, is able to understand this quixotic sportsman.’ -- Barnaby Smith * Australian Book Review *‘Curran is not so much interested in Campese’s life… but with the aesthetics of his play, analysing it as you might a poem or mythology. The result - astute, imaginative and very accessible - is the kind of superior sports writing that comes along rarely. You don’t have to be a rugby fan to appreciate it.’ -- Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen * The Sydney Morning Herald *‘A smart writer pursues one of Australia’s most elusive and enigmatic champions. The result is shrewd, measured, evocative, and, at times, transporting.’ -- Gideon Haigh, author of On Warne‘David Campese could impact a rugby field like a shooting star in the night sky, and James Curran’s masterful account lifts us into that stratosphere … As a rugby entertainer and show stopper, Campese was simply the best. Finally, here is a book that does this one-off player justice.’ -- Gordon Bray, veteran sports commentator

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