Random House New Releases - Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

2013-04-09T00:30:00-05:00

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Written by Jack McCallum

Trade Paperback, 400 pages | Ballantine Books | Sports & Recreation - Basketball; Biography & Autobiography - Sports; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $17.00 | 978-0-345-52049-4 (0-345-52049-1)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time.

With a new Afterword by the author

“The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe

“An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday

“What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)

Rowing in Britain by Julie Summers

2012-07-24T00:30:00-05:00

Rowing in Britain
Written by Julie Summers

Trade Paperback, 56 pages | Shire | Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS; Sports & Recreation - Water Sports | $12.95 | 978-0-7478-1211-1 (0-7478-1211-X)

Boat races and regattas are mainstays of the British summer — but where did these races originate and how have they become so important a part of our culture? Historian, writer and novice sculler Julie Summers here explains the history of British rowing as a competitive sport from the early nineteenth century to the present day. She then profiles the three most famous rowing events: the Boat Race, rowed on the incoming tide from Putney to Mortlake in spring; Henley Royal Regatta, which takes place on the first weekend of July; and the Olympic Games, which have yielded some of the greatest British Olympians of all time, including Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Matthew Pinsent and Jack Beresford.

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

2012-07-10T00:30:00-05:00

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Written by Jack McCallum

Hardcover, 384 pages | Ballantine Books | Sports & Recreation - Basketball; Biography & Autobiography - Sports; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $28.00 | 978-0-345-52048-7 (0-345-52048-3)

They were the Beatles of basketball, the Mercury Seven in sneakers.

In Dream Team, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team that captivated the world, kindled the hoop dreams of countless children around the planet, and remade the NBA into a global sensation.

As a senior staff writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. For the duration of the Olympics, he lived with, golfed with, and—most important—drank with some of the greatest players of the NBA’s Golden Age: Magic Johnson, the ebullient showman who shrugged off his recent diagnosis of HIV to become the team’s unquestioned captain and leader; Michael Jordan, the transcendent talent at the height of his powers as a player—and a marketing juggernaut; and Charles Barkley, the outspoken iconoclast whose utterances on and off the court threatened to ignite an international incident. Presiding over the entire traveling circus was the Dream Team’s beloved coach, Chuck Daly, whose laissez-faire approach proved instrumental in getting the most out of such disparate personalities and superstars such as Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, and Scottie Pippen.

Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where the players debate both the finer points of basketball and their respective places in the NBA pantheon. And he narrates a riveting possession-by-possession account of the legendary July 1992 intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game—and the greatest exhibition of trash talk—in history.

In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world’s attention, its mystique has only grown—and so has its influence. The NBA is now flush with international stars, many of them inspired by the exuberant spirit of ’92. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together, outperformed the hype, and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time.

The Dream Team was . . .

Michael Jordan, Guard, Chicago Bulls
Magic Johnson, Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
Larry Bird, Forward, Boston Celtics
Charles Barkley, Forward, Phoenix Suns
Chris Mullin, Forward, Golden State Warriors
Scottie Pippen, Forward, Chicago Bulls
John Stockton, Guard, Utah Jazz
Karl Malone, Forward, Utah Jazz
David Robinson, Center, San Antonio Spurs
Patrick Ewing, Center, New York Knicks
Christian Laettner, Forward, Duke University
Clyde Drexler, Guard, Portland Trailblazers

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

2012-07-10T00:30:00-05:00

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Written by Jack McCallum

eBook, 384 pages | Ballantine Books | Sports & Recreation - Basketball; Biography & Autobiography - Sports; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $12.99 | 978-0-345-52050-0 (0-345-52050-5)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time.

With a new Afterword by the author.

“The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe

“An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday

“What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)

London Olympics: 1908 and 1948 by Jamie Hampton

2011-07-19T00:30:00-05:00

London Olympics: 1908 and 1948
Written by Jamie Hampton

Trade Paperback, 48 pages | Shire | Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS; Sports & Recreation - History; History - Great Britain | $12.95 | 978-0-7478-0822-0 (0-7478-0822-8)

The fourth Olympic Games of the modern era, in 1908, were set to be held in Rome, but when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906, Italy needed all her resources to rebuild Naples. London stepped up to the plate and with only two years to prepare the British Olympic organisers pulled off a successful Olympic Games. Miraculously, they managed to do so while shunning all municipal and government assistance and using only private enterprise for the arrangements.

In under a year, the White City stadium was built on the site of the forthcoming Franco-British exhibition, with a running track, cycling track, football field, swimming pool and platform for gymnastics and wrestling. Events at the 1908 Olympic Games included real tennis, tug-of-war, motor-boat racing, archery, rackets, and rugby; Olympic lacrosse also made its last appearance at these games.

In 1948 the Olympics came to Britain again, and to a country still recovering from the Second World War. During this Austerity Era, food, clothing and gasoline were heavily rationed, and the Olympic organizers had to make do with what little they had at their disposal.

The indomitable spirit of Londoners cheerfully overcame every obstacle, including shortages of equipment and appalling weather. British women athletes sewed their own uniforms; American competitors shared their beef steaks with the British; and the French brought a goods train full of wine and steak. Czechoslovakian Emil Zátopek, Fanny Blankers-Koen from The Netherlands and British Boy Scouts traveled together on the London Underground. Medals were awarded for art and poetry. The entire budget for the 1948 Games was £760,000, and they turned a profit of £29,000.

The first two London Olympics offer food for thought in the run-up to London 2012, with its multi-billion pound budget during a global economic recession, new sporting arenas, Olympic villages, and high-speed rail links. This history of London Olympics, which concludes with a look ahead to 2012, is a timely and fascinating chronicle of the Olympic Games of another age.

As Good as Gold by Kathryn Bertine

2010-05-04T00:30:00-05:00

As Good as Gold 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics
Written by Kathryn Bertine
Foreword by Kathrine Switzer

Hardcover, 320 pages | ESPN | Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS; Biography & Autobiography - Sports; Sports & Recreation | $25.00 | 978-1-933060-53-8 (1-933060-53-0)

Imagine George Plimpton. Except with real athletic ability. And he’s a woman. And she’s taken on a challenge that makes Paper Lion look like a brisk game of Go Fish.

Meet Kathryn Bertine, elite triathlete, former professional figure skater, and starving artist. Just as her personal and professional dreams begin to crumble in the summer of 2006, ESPN stakes her to a dream: Take two years to make the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. As Good As Gold is the heroic, hilarious account of Bertine’s serial exertions in the realms of triathlon, modern pentathlon, team handball, track cycling, road cycling, rowing, open water swimming, racewalking, and—fasten your seatbelts—luge.

On her journey, the obstacles range from jet lag to jellyfish, flat tires to floundering relationships, repeated rejection to road rash. But, as time is running out, Bertine doesn’t sweat the small stuff, only the large—like scouring the globe for a tiny nation to adopt her, and pushing her body and mind as far as it will go. Maybe all the way to China.

Between harrowing, often laugh-out-loud episodes of triumph and humiliation, Bertine takes short “Water Breaks” to contemplate the ins-and-outs of fan mail, failure, rehydration, nasal reconstruction, and how best to punish steroid users.

Kathryn Bertine swims, runs, and rides—and writes—like a champion. In As Good as Gold, Bertine proves she has something more valuable than an Olympic medal. She’s got Olympic mettle. When it comes to the human heart, she takes the gold.

As Good as Gold by Kathrine Switzer

2010-05-04T00:30:00-05:00

As Good as Gold 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics
Written by Kathryn Bertine
Foreword by Kathrine Switzer

eBook, 304 pages | ESPN | Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS; Biography & Autobiography - Sports; Sports & Recreation | $14.99 | 978-1-933060-73-6 (1-933060-73-5)

By the Sword by Richard Cohen

2007-12-18T00:30:00-05:00

By the Sword A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions
Written by Richard Cohen

eBook, 560 pages | Modern Library | History - Military - Weapons; Sports & Recreation - Fencing; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $12.99 | 978-0-307-43074-8 (0-307-43074-X)

Napoleon fenced. So did Shakespeare, Karl Marx, Grace Kelly, and President Truman, who would cross swords with his daughter, Margaret, when she came home from school. Lincoln was a canny dueler. Igantius Loyala challenged a man to a duel for denying Christ’s divinity (and won). Less successful, but no less enthusiastic, was Mussolini, who would tell his wife he was “off to get spaghetti,” their code to avoid alarming the children. By the Sword is an epic history of sword fighting—a science, an art, and, for many, a religion that began at the dawn of civilization in ancient Egypt and has been an obsession for mankind ever since. With wit and insight, Richard Cohen gives us an engrossing history of the world via the sword.

With a new Preface by the author.

The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet

2004-06-08T00:30:00-05:00

The Naked Olympics The True Story of the Ancient Games
Written by Tony Perrottet

Trade Paperback, 256 pages | Random House Trade Paperbacks | History - Ancient; Sports & Recreation - History; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $16.00 | 978-0-8129-6991-7 (0-8129-6991-X)

What was it like to attend the ancient Olympic Games?

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.

Using firsthand reports and little-known sources—including an actual Handbook for a Sports Coach used by the Greeks—The Naked Olympics creates a vivid picture of an extravaganza performed before as many as forty thousand people, featuring contests as timeless as the javelin throw and as exotic as the chariot race.

Peeling away the layers of myth, Perrottet lays bare the ancient sporting experience—including the round-the-clock bacchanal inside the tents of the Olympic Village, the all-male nude workouts under the statue of Eros, and history’s first corruption scandals involving athletes. Featuring sometimes scandalous cameos by sports enthusiasts Plato, Socrates, and Herodotus, The Naked Olympics offers essential insight into today’s Games and an unforgettable guide to the world’s first and most influential athletic festival.

"Just in time for the modern Olympic games to return to Greece this summer for the first time in more than a century, Tony Perrottet offers up a diverting primer on the Olympics of the ancient kind….Well researched; his sources are as solid as sources come. It's also well writen….Perhaps no book of the season will show us so briefly and entertainingly just how complete is our inheritance from the Greeks, vulgarity and all."
--The Washington Post

The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet

2004-06-08T00:30:00-05:00

The Naked Olympics The True Story of the Ancient Games
Written by Tony Perrottet

eBook, 256 pages | Random House Trade Paperbacks | History - Ancient; Sports & Recreation - History; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $11.99 | 978-1-58836-382-4 (1-58836-382-1)

Going for Gold by Ken McGoogan

2003-10-21T00:30:00-05:00

Going for Gold
Written by Catriona Le May Doan and Ken McGoogan

Trade Paperback, 184 pages | McClelland & Stewart | Biography & Autobiography - Sports; Sports & Recreation - Ice & Figure Skating; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $16.95 | 978-0-7710-2891-5 (0-7710-2891-1)

When Canadian speed skater Catriona Le May Doan carried the Maple Leaf into the Salt Lake City arena at the opening of the XIX Winter Olympic Games, she carried with her the hopes and dreams of a nation. The Canadian speed queen, famous for her 1,000-watt smile, had so dominated the 500-metre sprints during recent years that she was known as the Fastest Woman in the World. But Le May Doan was battling a famous jinx – the curse of the flag-bearer. In 2002, the jinx was broken, and Catriona thrilled Canadians at home and in Salt Lake City when she won the 500 metre race.

In Going For Gold, Catriona tells the story of her life with assistance from Calgary writer Ken McGoogan. Born and raised in Saskatoon, by age 15 she already was a track star provincially. At 18, she joined Canada’s Olympic Team and began competing internationally. Then, at the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, with experts predicting that she would reach the podium, the 23-year-old athlete crashed in her best event. She describes her dark night of the soul, and how, eventually, she emerged to skate faster than ever – faster than any other woman has ever skated.

She writes of becoming a committed Christian and how that has changed her; of meeting and marrying Bart Doan, a black-hatted rodeo cowboy who wrestles steers, coaches hockey, and drives a Zamboni at the Calgary Olympic Oval. She writes of winning world cup races and world championships and Olympic gold medals, of driving world records down and down and down again to levels undreamed of even a few years ago.

Catriona Le May Doan will be competing at the ISU world sprint championships in Calgary in January 2003 and, perhaps has her swan song at the world world championships in Berlin, Germany, in March 2003. A true star, Catriona values all these stunning accomplishments less than the letters she receives from young Canadians who look to her as a role model.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Loonie for Luck by Roy MacGregor

2003-10-21T00:30:00-05:00

A Loonie for Luck
Written by Roy MacGregor

Trade Paperback, 96 pages | McClelland & Stewart | Sports & Recreation; Sports & Recreation - Hockey; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $8.95 | 978-0-7710-5481-5 (0-7710-5481-5)

In February 2002, the greatest hockey teams this country could muster headed to Salt Lake City to compete in the Winter Olympics. Our men and women hoped to go all the way to the finals, but it had been fifty long years since the Canadians had won Olympic gold. In the past, they had come close – it was just that luck always seemed to be against them.

This time, however, their chances to end the long drought were good. The women looked set for a medal – although the all-powerful American team stood between them and the ultimate prize. The Canadian men faced strong opponents, too, but prospects were good for the all-star team assembled by the great Wayne Gretzky. And this time, both teams had a secret weapon. So secret, in fact, they didn’t even know it existed. At first.

Like all good secrets this one was too good not to pass along. Under the surface at centre ice, Trent Evans had hidden a Canadian loonie. The expert ice maker had been invited down from Edmonton to help install the ice for the Games, and this was his little good-luck charm for our Olympic hockey teams. Perhaps, he figured, the guys could use some “home ice” advantage.

A Loonie for Luck is the true story of that loonie and the magic it wove at Salt Lake City. It follows Wayne Gretzky, Trent Evans, and the men’s and women’s teams through their time at the Games. And it pays tribute to the role of superstition and chance in hockey – a part of the sport not always acknowledged, but one that brings real magic to the game.

With the close co-operation of Wayne Gretzky and Trent Evans, Roy MacGregor tells the inside story of how the coin came to be in Trent Evans’ pocket and then buried under centre ice. He tells how, throughout the Games, the loonie was in danger of being uncovered as the secret began to spread, and how, as the tournament progressed, with the players in need of every break they could get, the good luck miraculously held.

This true story, brilliantly illustrated by Bill Slavin, is full of suspense, humour, and charm. It will delight every Canadian who felt a surge of pride for our athletes at Salt Lake City.

From the Hardcover edition.

By the Sword by Richard Cohen

2003-08-05T00:30:00-05:00

By the Sword A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary edition
Written by Richard Cohen

Trade Paperback, 560 pages | Modern Library | History - Military - Weapons; Sports & Recreation - Fencing; Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS | $17.00 | 978-0-8129-6966-5 (0-8129-6966-9)

Random House New Releases - Sports & Recreation - OLYMPICS

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball ForeverWritten by Jack McCallum

Rowing in Britain by Julie Summers

Rowing in Britain Written by Julie Summers

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball ForeverWritten by Jack McCallum

Dream Team by Jack McCallum

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball ForeverWritten by Jack McCallum

London Olympics: 1908 and 1948 by Jamie Hampton

London Olympics: 1908 and 1948 Written by Jamie Hampton

As Good as Gold by Kathryn Bertine

As Good as Gold 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer OlympicsWritten by Kathryn Bertine Foreword by Kathrine Switzer

As Good as Gold by Kathrine Switzer

As Good as Gold 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer OlympicsWritten by Kathryn Bertine Foreword by Kathrine Switzer

By the Sword by Richard Cohen

By the Sword A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic ChampionsWritten by Richard Cohen

The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet

The Naked Olympics The True Story of the Ancient GamesWritten by Tony Perrottet

The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet

The Naked Olympics The True Story of the Ancient GamesWritten by Tony Perrottet

Going for Gold by Ken McGoogan

Going for Gold Written by Catriona Le May Doan and Ken McGoogan

A Loonie for Luck by Roy MacGregor

A Loonie for Luck Written by Roy MacGregor

By the Sword by Richard Cohen

By the Sword A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary editionWritten by Richard Cohen

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Written by Jack McCallum

Rowing in Britain
Written by Julie Summers

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Written by Jack McCallum

Dream Team How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever
Written by Jack McCallum

London Olympics: 1908 and 1948
Written by Jamie Hampton

As Good as Gold 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics
Written by Kathryn Bertine
Foreword by Kathrine Switzer

As Good as Gold 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics
Written by Kathryn Bertine
Foreword by Kathrine Switzer

By the Sword A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions
Written by Richard Cohen

The Naked Olympics The True Story of the Ancient Games
Written by Tony Perrottet

The Naked Olympics The True Story of the Ancient Games
Written by Tony Perrottet

Going for Gold
Written by Catriona Le May Doan and Ken McGoogan

A Loonie for Luck
Written by Roy MacGregor

By the Sword A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary edition
Written by Richard Cohen