The fully updated autobiography of football's bling king Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink -- the outspoken Dutch goalscorer extraordinaire, and former Leeds, Chelsea and Middlesbrough striker, now playing for Charlton. A predator in front of goal, Jerrell, as his mother calls him, had made his name in Portugal with Boavista, before George Graham snapped him up for Leeds in summer 1997. His goalscoring made him an instant hero at Elland Road, a status he lost when he asked to leave the club because they...
It seemed like any other season on Mount Everest. Ten expeditions from around the world were preparing for their summit push, gathered together to try for mountaineering's ultimate prize. Twenty-four hours later, eight of those climbers were dead, victims of the most devastating storm ever to hit Everest. On the North face of the mountain, a British expedition found itself in the thick of the drama. Against all odds, film-maker Matt Dickinson and professional climber Alan Hinkes managed to battl...
Together with Chris Bonington and other distinguished British climbers, Stephen Venables was high on the unclimbed and sacred mountain of Panch Chuli when, at 1am on a dark Himalayan night, his abseil failed and he fell catastrophically, somersaulting from rock to rock and landing, seriously-wounded, at the end of a rope suspended above a 50-degree icefield. This is the story of his arduous and almost miraculous survival, and of the brilliant, committed teamwork which brought him to safety.
Respected across the world, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is credited with revolutionising one of the biggest clubs in Europe – famously bringing free-flowing football to ‘boring, boring Arsenal’ – and with influencing approaches to the modern game. In an industry of disposable contracts and ruthless sacking, his long tenure is testament to his success and dedication, and to the loyalty of players and fans. Wenger cooperated with leading sports journalist Xavier Rivoire to write this authorised...
One of the biggest wrestling superstars of the past 20 years, and one of the greatest champions of all time, Ric Flair has carved out a legacy for himself that will never be surpassed. Born Richard Fliehr in Minneapolis, he made his professional wrestling debut in 1972, quickly rising to the top of the Mid-Atlantic region where he won the regional and tag-team titles as well as the US title. In 1975 however his career almost ended when he suffered a broken back, ironically in a plane crash, not...
In the Jim Crow South, is an inspiring story of 'Jackie Robinson in reverse'. At the outset of summer break in 1959, Texas Tech senior Jerry Craft had no more enticing options than to stay home and help on the family ranch-so the telephoned offer to play for a semipro baseball club he'd never heard of came as a welcome surprise. But Craft was in for an even bigger surprise when he reported for tryout and discovered he'd been recruited for the West Texas Colored League. Wichita Falls/Graham Stars...
Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Bobby Jones, and Bill Tilden were the legendary quartet of the "Golden Age of Sports" in the 1920s. They transformed their respective athletic disciplines and captured the imagination of a nation. The indisputable force behind the emergence of professional tennis as a popular and lucrative sport, Tilden's on-court accomplishments are nothing short of staggering. The first American-born player to win Wimbledon and a seven-time winner of the U.S. singles championship, he w...
Beautiful Brutality: The Family Ties at the Heart of Boxing
by Adam Smith
Boxing. The Sport of Kings. And for every king, there are kingmakers and princes, determined heirs and ruthless pretenders to the throne. Boxers may enter the ring alone, but behind them are their families, many of whom have spent a career in the fight game themselves. And all are caught up in this most beautiful but brutal of sports.Beautiful Brutality is the first book to examine the world of boxing from the perspective of family. With unprecedented access to the likes of the Calzaghes, Maywea...
'From my earliest tennis memories, Rod Laver stood above all others as the greatest champion our sport has known.' Roger Federer Rod Laver's autobiography tells the inspiring story of how a diminutive, left-handed, red-headed country boy became one of the greatest ever sporting champions. Rod was a dominant force in world tennis for almost two decades, playing and defeating some of the greatest players of the twentieth century. In 1962, Rod became the second man to win the Grand Slam - that is,...
Eddie Irvine: Life In The Fast Lane
by Eddie Irvine and Jane Nottage
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF EDMUND IRVINE. IT IS NOT A DREARY WORKADAY EXISTENCE. EDDIE, FI DRIVER AND COMMITTED PLAYBOY, LIVES IN A SORT OF DISNEYLAND FOR ADULTS OF A HEDONISTIC BENT. The Glasgow Herlad. The first Grand Prix of 2000 ushers in a new era for the cavalier talent, international star and multi millionaire playboy that is Eddie Irvine. Having narrowly missed winning the 1999 Championship in a gripping finale. Eddie has joined Jaguar, where with a developing team and a premier position, h...
Now a major film starring Jon Hamm, this is the wonderful story of two young Indians who became pro baseball pitchers. JB Bernstein seemed to have it all. One of the top sports agents in the US, he worked hard and enjoyed the bachelor lifestyle to the full. But he hankered for more, and when he set himself a challenge - to unearth someone in India capable of becoming a pro baseball pitcher - most people thought he was mad and doomed to face a costly and public failure. The reality show Milli...
Sachin Tendulkar has been the biggest cricket icon of his time. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses, anticipation. His greatness was established early: he was only 16 when he made his Test debut, 17 when he made his first Test century, and by the time he reached 25 he had made Test hundreds on 16 occasions. In 2000 he became the first batsman to have scored 50 internati...
Explores how the rivalry between quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady has shaped their careers and the NFL overall, sharing insights into their opinions about each other and the factors that shaped them as men and athletes.
In this title, Tony Hawk, one of the most recognizable "extreme" athletes in the world, shows what life on the road is really like. Each of his diary entries provide a look at the ups and downs of being on the road constantly and are illustrated throughout by colour photographs taken while on tour. Tony talks about all the places he's been, the people he's met, missing family and friends while travelling, getting hurt, being tired, and getting along with five other guys in a cramped bus.
Bradley Wiggins is the son of a professional cyclist and he first competed at twelve, and immediately knew that this was what he wanted to do for his career. By the age of twenty, he won his first Olympic medal, in Sydney, before turning to professional road cycling in 2001. Since then he has developed into one of the UK's most successful cyclists of all time, winning a double gold in Bejing. However, it was when his team Cofidis was suspended from the 2007 Tour de France that he made his most...
*****Shortlisted for International Autobiography of the Year in the Telegraph Sports Book Awards 2021WINNER OF 2019 DANISH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'Brutally candid.' - The Guardian'An extraordinary, granular depiction of a young football star's life.' - The Daily Mail'One of the best books I've read about being a Premier League star.' - Piers Morgan'An excellent read with some incredible stories.' - TalkSPORT Breakfast Show'One of the best football books I've read for a very long time.' - Sam Pil...