Sport Books

Book SynopsisThe Olympic Games have had two lives - the first lasted for a millennium with celebrations every four years at Olympia to honour the god Zeus. The second has blossomed over the past century, from a simple start in Athens in 1896 to a dazzling return to Greece in 2004. Onward to the Olympics provides both an overview and an array of insights into aspects of the Games' history. Leading North American archaeologists and historians of sport explore the origins of the Games, compare the ancient and the modern, discuss the organization and financing of such massive athletic festivals, and examine the participation ,or the troubling lack of it, by women. Onward to the Olympics bridges the historical divide between the ancient and the modern and concludes with a thought-provoking final essay that attempts to predict the future of the Olympics over the twenty-first century.Trade Review``Schaus and Wenn have managed to put in the hands of any interested reader a collection of articles between two covers that deal with both ancient problems and modern issues. How can anyone interested in the study of ancient athletics resist at least skimming through an article with a title like: `Duke Kahanamoku--Olympic Champion and Uncle Sam's Adopted Son: The Cultural Text of a Hawaiian Conqueror' by Jim Nendel...or `Carl Diem's Inspiration of the Torch Relay? Jan Wils, Amsterdam 1928, and the Origin of the Olympic Flame' by Robert Barney and Anthony Bijkerk.... These, and many others in Part II, are important papers, especially for classicists like me who regularly teach an `Ancient Sport' course especially popular with non-classics majors.'' -- Michael Carter, Brock University -- Bryn Mawr Classical Review, January 2008, 200802``[T]he authors are experts ... and the book is well edited. It will certainly please those fascinated by the Olympics.... Recommended.'' -- D.W. Hill, University of North Texas -- CHOICE, September 2007, 200709Table of ContentsTable of Contents for Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games , edited by Gerald P. Schaus List of illustrations Preface Introduction | Gerald P. Schaus List of abbreviations Part I: The Olympics in Antiquity An Overview The Ancient Olympic Games through the Centuries | Nigel B. Crowther Origins Politics and the Bronze Age Origins of Olympic Practices | Senta C. German Pindar, Heracles the Idaean Dactyl, and the Foundation of the Olympic Games | Thomas K. Hubbard The First Olympic Games | Max Nelson The Transformation of Athletics in Sixth-Century Greece | Paul Christesen Ideals and Losers The Ancient Olympics and Their Ideals | Nigel B. Crowther Olympic Losers: Why Athletes Who Did Not Win at Olympia Are Remembered | Victor Matthews Details of the Festival Judges and Judging at the Ancient Olympic Games | David Gilman Romano Heroic and Athletic Sortition at Ancient Olympia | Aileen Ajootian Fabulous Females and Ancient Olympia | Donald G. Kyle The Halma : A Running or Standing Jump? | Hugh M. Lee Another View of Olympia Connections between Olympia and Stymphalus | Gerald P. Schaus Commemorative Cash: The Coins of the Ancient and Modern Olympics | Robert Weir Works Cited in Part I Part II: The Modern Olympics An Overview The Olympic Games in Modern Times | Robert K. Barney The Olympics Before World War II Duke KahanamokuâOlympic Champion and Uncle Samâs Adopted Son: The Cultural Text of a Hawaiian Conqueror | Jim Nendel Carl Diemâs Inspiration for the Torch Relay? Jan Wils, Amsterdam 1928, and the Origin of the Olympic Flame | Robert K. Barney and Anthony Th. Bijkerk The Great Progression: A Content Analysis of the Lake Placid News and the Los Angeles Timesâ Treatment of the 1932 Olympics | Jonathan Paul The Olympics After World War II Womanizing Olympic Athletes: Policy and Practice during the Avery Brundage Era | Kevin B. Wamsley The Bridge to Change: The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, South African Apartheid Policy, and the Olympic Boycott Paradigm | Courtney W. Mason Splitting Hairs: The Struggle between the Canadian Federal Government and the Organizing Committee of 1976 Torontolympiad Concerning South African Participation | David A. Greig Juan Antonio Samaranchâs Score Sheet: Revenue Generation and the Olympic Movement, 1980-2001 | Stephen R. Wenn and Scott G. Martyn The Future of the Olympic Games Olympic Ideals: Pragmatic Method and the Future of the Games | Tim Elcombe âTo Construct a Better and More Peaceful Worldâ, or âWar Minus the Shootingâ?: The Olympic Movementâs Second Century | Mark Dyreson Works Cited in Part II Glossary of Terms Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1970, Chris Bonington and his now-legendary team of mountaineers were the first climbers to tackle a big wall at extreme altitude. Their target was the south face of Nepal's Annapurna: 12,000 feet of steep rock and ice leading to a 26, 454-ft. summit. As serious armchair climbers will tell you, Annapurna South Face is better than all but a handful of equally gripping classics. One could also argue that all that has happened in the big mountains in the past 30 years has come out of this expedition and out of this book. Bonington and his team--most of whom subsequently died in the mountains--represented a kind of "greatest generation" of modern mountaineers. They pioneered a new, bolder approach to high altitude climbing, and this book is about how they hit the big time.

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Book SynopsisLouv talks with parents, children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, child-development researchers, and environmentalists to find ways for children to experience the natural world more deeply.

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Book SynopsisHere, back in print, is Jimmy Breslin's marvelous account of the improbable saga of the New York Mets' first year, as Bill Veeck notes in his Introduction, "preserving for all time a remarkable tale of ineptitude, mediocrity, and abject failure." Indeed the 1962 Mets were the worst major league baseball team ever to take the field. (The title of the book is a quote from Casey Stengel, their manager at the time.) Breslin casts the Mets, who lost 120 games out of a possible 162 that year, as a lovable bunch of losers. And, he argues, they were good for baseball, coming as a welcome antidote to "the era of the businessman in sports...as dry and agonizing a time as you would want to see." Although they were written forty years ago, many of Breslin's comments will strike a chord with today's sports fan, fed up with the growing commercialism of the games. Against this trend Breslin sets the exploits of "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry, Stengel, and the rest of the hapless Mets. "Wonderful."—Charles Salzberg, New York Times. "A touching, enjoyable, and interesting addition to anybody's sports reading list."—Patrick ConwayTrade ReviewPart sports, part politics, all New York, it tells the story of the American metropolis changing with the help of the likes of Marvelous Marv Throneberry and Choo Choo Coleman. -- Dermot McEvoy * Publishers Weekly *Breslin's well-written book remains a hilarious read. -- Jeff Diamant * Newark Star Ledger *A magnificent account of the 1962 New York Mets; their first season in existence. * New York Sun *Mets fans will enjoy this book, as will general history buffs. * MLB.com *

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Book SynopsisOriginal publication and copyright date: 2003. Gichin Funakoshi, the father of karate,' once said that 'the ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.''Trade Review"Whether or not you practice the martial arts, they make a great deal of sense, and will take you far, as a philosophy of life." -BookLoons Reviews"While focused on the practice and application of martial arts, this book's "pursuit of the way" has myriad applications for less physical forms of combat, work-related or otherwise" -Publishers Weekly"Filled with philosophical musings, fascinating historical episodes, and advice for anyone seeking a better way." -Rafu Shimpo"The Master insists on a training that involves both mind and body, to create a karate-do, a karate way." -Asian Week

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Book SynopsisThe essence of ninjutsu, explored by the world's most famous living ninja grandmaster.In his classic work Masaaki Hatsumi reveals the hidden secrets and truths about this mysterious and fascinating Japanese martial art. He looks at the traditions, training, and techniques, then shows how this knowledge will lead readers to an understanding of two essential principles: that ninjutsu is the very foundation of the martial arts; and that ninjutsu illuminates its true spiritual significance. Now in paperback, the book features detailed demonstration photos, sidebars on many topics related to ninjutsu, and new material by Hatsumi explaining the relevance of ninjutsu in today's world.Trade Review"The book itself is a kin do ‘secret document’ with many hidden teachings in the from of metaphors or explanations that contain obscure meanings. …This is no oversight. Hatsumi intentionally did this as a way to get the reader to ponder the techniques more deeply. Almost like a Zen koan." —Journal of Asian Martial Arts"Through perceptive observations and many detailed pictures, Dr. Hatsumi reveals the hidden reality behind this mysterious and fascinating martial art. The Way of the Ninja will help widen readers’ perceptions and deepen their understanding of two essential principles. One is that Ninjutsu is the very back bone of the martial arts; the other, that Ninjutsu reveals their true spiritual significance. —Cultral News"…no stunts: They’re the real thing!" —Asian Week

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Book Synopsis

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