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The Encyclopedia of The
Summer Olympics by David Fischer The Olympic Games began in Greece in 776 B.C., when athletes and spectators gathered to honor their gods. That first Olympiad consisted of a single event — a footrace. Since that time, athletes have often come together to determine who is the fastest, strongest, and the best in the world. From a single footrace, the Summer Olympics have grown to include nearly 400 events in 35 sports. The Summer Olympic Games attract over 10,000 participants from almost 200 countries, as well as millions of spectators from around the globe. How did one race grow into such a worldwide phenomenon? The Encyclopedia of The Summer Olympics discuses the ancient contests and describes how one man rekindled the Olympic spirit and organized the modern games. You will read about the athletes whose names live in Summer Olympic history, such as Jesse Owens, Nadia Comaneci, and Greg Louganis. These champions are just a few of the many athletes whose triumphs will interest and inspire you. Scholastic, 0-531-16392-X, $19.95 |
 The
Olympics' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Gold Medal Gaffes, Improbable
Triumphs, and Other Odditiesby Floyd Conner The Olympics' Most Wanted chronicles 700 of the most outlandish competitors in the history of the winter and summer Olympics. Its seventy lists describe in humorous detail the Olympics' most inept athletes, strangest events, most embarrassing performances, poorest losers, most outrageous cheaters, unlikeliest heroes, most notorious disqualifications, and more. Brassey's, Inc., 1-57488-413-1, $12.95 |
The Olympic Games: Athens 1896 - Athens 2004From the groundbreaking exploits of Jesse Owens to the feats of King Carl Lewis, the Olympics has always represented the pinnacle of sporting achievement. The Olympic Games is a comprehensive chronicle of the Games, featuring every competition, every athlete, every result — and the inside stories — from the first modern Olympics in Athens, in 1896, to the return to Greece over a century later. There are also full previews of the Athens, 2004, and Beijing, 2008, Summer Games, and of the Torino, 2006, Winter Games. Lavishly illustrated with spectacular photographs throughout, The Olympic Games is the ultimate companion to the ultimate competition. Dk Publishing, 0-7566-0400-1, $30.00 |
The Naked Olympics: The True Story of
the Ancient Gamesby Tony Perrottet With the summer Olympics' return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the fascinating story of the original Olympic festival, tracking the event day by day to re-create the experience in all its compelling spectacle. Random House, 0-8129-6991-X, $12.95 |
Awaken the Olympian Within:
Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivatorsby John Naber In Awaken the Olympian Within, John Naber has gathered an impressive array of Olympic athletes who share their moments of challenge, perseverance and achievement. All of the individuals in this collection have found a way to harness their winning spirit and tenacity and carry it beyond the world of sport. — Diby Diehl, Good Morning America Griffin, 1-882180-98-4, $19.95 |
Inside the Olympics: A
Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Politics, the Scandals, and the Glory of the
Gamesby Dick Pound Every two years, world attention turns to the Olympic Games for a few short weeks, in a celebration of athletic excellence, competition, and national pride. But in recent years, the Olympic ideal has also been tainted by scandals, greed, and corruption — from bribery, to doping, cheating, politics, and exploitation. Never shy of the issues, Pound reveals the full inside story — both good and bad — of the Games. He sheds a bright light on many controversial events and issues surrounding the Olympics, including the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, the figure skating judging fiasco of the 2002 Winter Olympics, terrorism, human rights, the conduct of the IOC and sports officials themselves, and the doping scandals that he considers the greatest threat to sports today. Since he has competed as an Olympic athlete himself, Pound has witnessed and been party to enormous changes over almost half a century in the world of sports and politics, and has served under the leadership of four IOC presidents. He offers a fascinating look at negotiations in the high-stakes worlds of television rights and corporate sponsorships, and at the politics, backstabbing, and intrigues that take place behind the scenes in the world of international sports. Wiley, 0-470-83454-4, $34.99 |
Magic Tree House Research
Guide: Ancient Greece and the Olympicsby Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce It's a new kind of adventure for Jack and Annie! Join them as they research ancient Greece and find out the facts behind the fiction! Included are fun facts, photos, illustrations, definitions, and much more! Random House, 0-375-82378-6, $4.99 |
Foiled: Hitler's Jewish Olympian - The Helene Mayer
Storyby Milly Mogulof With Americans threatening to boycott the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games over the issue of anti-Semitism, the ruling Nazi Party came up with a brilliant public relations strategy. For two fun-filled weeks in August, the German capital would be declared a hate-free city. Anti-Semitic publications were removed from newsstands, and racist posters were torn down. The Third Reich also announced that Helene Mayer, a blonde beauty once viewed as the essence of Aryan womanhood, would be brought home to fence for the fatherland. The daughter of a Jewish father and a Christian mother, she has been living in self-imposed exile in California and was teaching at the Mills College in Oakland. Winner of the gold medal in the 1928 Olympics, Mayer was the leading woman fencer of her time, regularly defeating opponents. In living rooms across Germany fans proudly displayed porcelain statuettes of this national heroine. Now, as Hitler's token Jewish Olympian she was determined to win back her citizenship rescinded by the infamous Nuremberg Laws. Poised to win the gold for Germany a second time, Mayer found once adoring fans ambivalent about her return. Here is the heartbreaking story of a woman names by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 100 women athletes of the 20th Century, set against the backdrop of a world about to go to war. RDR Books, 1-57143-092-X, $17.95 |
The Olympic Marathon: The History and
Drama of Sport's Most Challenging Eventby David E. Martin and Roger W.H. Gynn Marathon historical expert David martin and statistical expert Roger Gynn have teamed up to provide a definitive resource that goes beyond statistics to offer readers a vivid chronicle of the athletes and their memorable marathon performances. For every Olympic marathon since 1896, you'll find a detailed narrative of how the race was run, fascinating biographical details of the top finishers, the political climate surrounding the race, and a map with street descriptions of the actual race course. Generously illustrated, often with rare and never-before published photos, a pictorial glimpse is provided into the contemporary atmosphere and dynamics of each race. From the first marathon winner, Spyridon Louis, to legends like Emil Zatopek, Frank Shorter, and Joan Benoit Samuelson, you'll find insights and race details you can't find anywhere else. If you're a fan of running or the Olympics, this is the book you will enjoy again and again for many Olympic years to come. Human Kinetics, 0-88011-969-1, $27.95 |
Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runnerby Jo Harper Stuck at home in Clarksville, Tennessee, in the 1940s, Wilma Rudolph couldn't attend school. Her leg was in a brace, twisted from polio. The kids called her cripple. But she grew up to become a runner who broke world records. This title in the popular Childhood of Famous Americans series is fictionalized, but it works because it never pretends to be documented biography. The made-up details and conversations seem true to the time, as is the picture of the African American girl who fought not only illness but also poverty, racism (including the n-word), and gender barriers. Sports fans will enjoy the details of training and technique as well as the honesty about Rudolph's close, and sometimes tense, relationships with her coaches and teammates. Occasional black-and-white pictures capture the drama, from the kid in the hospital to the Olympic winner to the handshake with President Kennedy. Ages 8-12 Simon & Schuster, 0-689-85873-6, $4.99 |
Marion Jones, Life in the Fast Lane: An Illustrated Autobiographyby Marion Jones with Kate Sekules She is the first woman to win five track and field medals in a single Olympics. For the past six years, she has dominated national and international track and field. At 15, she was the fastest teenage sprinter in the United States, and not only went on to become and Olympic alternate, but also led North Carolina's Lady Tar Heels college basketball team to a 1994 NCAA championship in her freshman year. An ambassador for her sport and a role model to millions, Marion Jones is also a fiercely independent woman who tackles the complications and struggles of life off the track with the same dedication and honesty she brings to her unparalleled athletic achievements. How here is her story on her terms and in her own words: The rigorous, uncompromising, 24/7 side of extreme athletic commitment. The hope — and pain — of her lifelong struggle to make peace with her father's indifference. The truth behind one of track and field's most recent controversies. And the hard work — and rewards — of juggling a top-level competitive career with motherhood. Candid, down-to-earth, and uniquely insightful, Marion Jones: Life in the Fast Lane is an inside look into the current boom in women's sports and a self-portrait of an athlete as real and complex as she is successful and inspiring. Warner Books, 0-446-52455-7, $24.95 |