People have been drawn to the challenge of swimming the English Channel since the first recorded attempt. In this book, venerated sports writer, author and Channel swimmer John Goodbody celebrates the 150th anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb's first successful crossing in 1875 by telling his story and those of many of the outstanding men and women who have achieved the feat since, as well as those intrepid individuals who failed – or even died trying. Compiled with research from publicati...

‘I’ve had the unique privilege of witnessing some of the most incredible moments in Olympic history. This book beautifully captures these extraordinary events and the athletes who made them possible. Whether you’re a sports enthusiast or simply appreciate stories of human triumph, this is a must-read.’ – Sir Steve Redgrave CBEDive into the thrilling world of the Summer Games during the Paris Olympics 2024Pairing epic sports photography with articles from The Ti...

This unique history of the Olympics, first issued in 2008, has been updated to include the Beijing Olympics and released to coincide with the London event. Written by the prize-winning sports journalist John Goodbody, and with a fascinating personal documentary featuring one of Britain's leading Olympians, Sebastian Coe, who is now heading the 2012 Games, this is an ideal opener!

The late 19th century saw a dynamic growth of contacts between Western countries and the Far East. Along with the increase in travel came a wave of educational opportunities for Americans and Europeans to gain first-hand experience of living in countries such as China, India, and Japan. Likewise, adventurous individuals from the Orient made their way to the West.      Scholars, politicians, and business people became experts in their adapted culture. Some learned the native language...

An unusual release on audiobook format! The 2008 Beijing Olympics take place in August. John Goodbody, for many years chief sports news writer for The Times, has covered every Olympics since 1964. In this entertaining and informative account, he tells the main stories of each of the modern Olympics. Here are some of the heroes and heroines who have made sporting history, as well as the main disasters and scandals that attend the world’s greatest sporting event.

This unique audiobook history of the Olympics, first issued in 2008, has been updated to include the Beijing Olympics and released to coincide with the London event. Written by the prize-winning sports journalist John Goodbody, and with a fascinating personal documentary featuring one of Britain’s leading Olympians, Sebastian Coe, who is now heading the 2012 Games, this is an ideal opener!

One second in time may separate the great athlete from the merely good. Seb Coe has made every second count. From an early age he has been driven to be the best at everything he does. Since the moment Coe stood alongside a 'scrubby' municipal running track in Sheffield, he knew that sport could change his life. It did. Breaking an incredible twelve world records and three of them in just forty-one days, Seb became the only athlete to take gold at 1500 metres in two successive Olympic Games...

The definitive, fully authorised story of the record-breaking rivalry between London Olympics organiser Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett.Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe presided over the golden era of British athletics. Between them they won three Olympic gold medals, two silvers, one bronze and broke a total of twelve middle-distance records. They were part of the landscape of the late seventies and early eighties -- both household names, their exploits were watched by...

Captain of Celtic and midfield enforcer for Northern Ireland, Neil Lennon is one of the most controversial figures in British football. His story is an extraordinary tale of religious bigotry, life-threatening career injury, tumultuous football success at club level, and of the remarkable events that led him to turn his back on his country.The first Northern Irish Roman Catholic to play for Celtic and to be chosen to captain his country, Lennon was sensationally forced to quit the ...

British author Rob Hadgraft specialises in biographies of marathon and ultra-distance runners. All are available worldwide as ebooks. His five subjects to date are:1. The Little Wonder: The Untold Story of Alfred Shrubb - World Champion Runner.2. Beer and Brine: The Making of Walter George - Athletics' First Superstar.3. Deerfoot: Athletics' Noble Savage - From Indian Reservation to Champion of the World.4. Tea with Mr Newton: 100,000 Miles - The Longest Protest March in History.5. Plimsol...

Ex-referee and now fearless writer and football pundit, Graham Poll is no stranger to controversy. His latest book is an entertaining and provocative reappraisal of the major incidents in World and English football down the years – from Geoff Hurst’s goal in ‘66, through Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ to the infamous Battle of the Bridge in 2009.Graham Poll, England’s highest profile referee of the last two decades, refereed over 400 Premiership games, involving more than 1.5 million spe...

Foul Play dissects the age-old subject of cheating in all its absurdity. From plain old doping to claiming a marathon victory despite having driven the middle section of the race, from match-fixing to diving for a penalty - cheating in sport is as old as sport itself.There are plenty of well-known cases of cheats being found out in sport: Ben Johnson, for example, was stripped of his 100m Olympic medal after a positive drugs test; South African cricketer Hansie Cronje was ...