In this remarkable and controversial book, Alexander Fiske-Harrison follows the tracks of a whole bullfighting year in Spain. He trains and takes part in the sport himself. He gives us memorable portraits of bull-fighters and bulls, of owners, trainers and fans - of a whole country. Fiske-Harrison offers a fully rounded and involving portrait of an art as performed for centuries and of the arguments that dog it today.
Alexander Fiske-Harrison spent a season studying with the matadors and breeders of famous 'fighting bulls' of Spain, France and Portugal. This developed into a personal quest to understand the bullfight at its deepest levels, and he entered into months of damaging and dangerous training with one of the greatest matadors of all.
The Underdog Triumphs
Two Ton: One Night, One Fight - Tony Galento v. Joe Louis
By
Joseph Monninger
Narrated by
Kiff VandenHeuvel
Not rated yet
Beetle-browed, nearly bald, with a head that rode his collarbones like a bowling ball returning on rails, his waist size more than half his five-foot, eight-inch height, Two Ton Tony Galento resembled, according to Collier's magazine writer Jack Miley, ''a taxi driving away with its top down.'' By all measures he stood no chance when he stepped into the ring against the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis, the finest heavyweight of his generation.
In author Joseph Monninger's book Two Ton: One Fight, One Night – Tony Galento vs. Joe Louis, the summer of 1939 New York City is brought to life in a tale about one of boxing's most memorable events.
Customer Favourites
Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take On the World
By
Harry Thompson
Narrated by
Glen McCready
4.40
(57 ratings)
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Sports Book of the Year, 2007. It seemed a simple enough idea at the outset: to assemble a team of 11 men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe - except that's not a simple idea at all...
Thanks, Johnners: An Affectionate Tribute to a Broadcasting Legend
By
Jonathan Agnew
Narrated by
Jonathan Agnew
4.50
(37 ratings)
Perfect for cricket fans everywhere, Thanks, Johnners is a rich blend of biography and anecdote, of antics and dramas on and off the pitch, in and out of the commentary box, filled with stories about the great names of cricket, including Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott, Vivian Richards, Michael Holding, and Ian Botham.
From his days growing up in Scotland to his harrowing experiences fighting in Italy during World War Two, Bill McLaren has always been in the thick of it. Used to being caught up in the most dramatic moments rugby has ever seen, McLaren relives the highlights of his illustrious career, and talks of the game today and his regrets that rugby went professional.
Once a Runner captures the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner; to devote your entire existence to a single-minded pursuit of excellence. It has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever written. Originally self-published in 1978 and sold at road races out of the trunk of the author's car, reading the book became a rite of passage for many runners, and tattered copies were handed down like sacred texts from generation to generation.
Written by:
Johan Bruyneel,
Bill Strickland,
Lance Armstrong
Narrated by:
Kirby Heybourne
4.9
(8 ratings)
Johan Bruyneel knows what it takes to win. In 1998, this calculating Belgian and former professional cyclist looked Lance Armstrong in the eye and said, "Look, if were going to ride the Tour, we might as well win." In that powerful phrase a dynasty was born.
From his days growing up in Scotland to his harrowing experiences fighting in Italy during World War Two, Bill McLaren has always been in the thick of it. Used to being caught up in the most dramatic moments rugby has ever seen, McLaren relives the highlights of his illustrious career, and talks of the game today and his regrets that rugby went professional.
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days - and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!
Written by:
Dean Karnazes,
Matt Fitzgerald
Narrated by:
Dean Karnazes
3.9
(16 ratings)
In the Fall of 2006, Dean Karnazes, known as "the Lance Armstrong of the running world", took on the ultimate challenge: running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. Dean set off in a caravan packed with fellow runners, with nothing more than a roadmap and a determination that defied all physical limitations.
Once a Runner captures the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner; to devote your entire existence to a single-minded pursuit of excellence. It has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever written. Originally self-published in 1978 and sold at road races out of the trunk of the author's car, reading the book became a rite of passage for many runners, and tattered copies were handed down like sacred texts from generation to generation.
No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
Written by:
Ed Viesturs,
David Roberts
Narrated by:
Stephen Hoye
4.0
(19 ratings)
For 18 years, Ed Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's 14 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go.
Continuing the inspiring story begun in his first book, Every Second Counts captures the mind-set of a man who has beaten incredible odds and considers each day an opportunity for excellence.
Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See
Written by:
Erik Weihenmayer
Narrated by:
Nick Sullivan
4.3
(8 ratings)
Erik Weihenmayer was the first blind man to summit McKinley. He also reached the top of Everest, scaled the 3,300-foot wall of El Capitan, and married his sweetheart on Kilimanjaro. This is his remarkable story, about daring to dream in the face of a seemingly insurmountable limitation. Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air, calls Weihenmayer "an inspiration to other blind people and plenty of us folks who can see just fine."
Gazza's tears in the 1990 World Cup semi-final launched the boom of interest in football that continues to this day. Suddenly, Paul Gascoigne found himself the centre of attention in a way that only George Best and David Beckham have ever experienced. So much has been written about Gazza over the years, but he has said little - until now. For the first time, he talks in depth about the key events in his life.
Revered in Newcastle and the North-East, Sir Bobby Robson is a man whose fame knows no boundaries and who enjoys phenomenal popularity. His hugely successful playing days with Fulham and West Brom in the 1950s and 1960s, his 20 England caps and his brilliant management career over the past 38 years mean that he has inspired generations of fans.
He is one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court - but from early childhood Andre Agassi hated the game. Coaxed to swing a racket while still in the crib, forced to hit hundreds of balls a day while still in grade school, Agassi resented the constant pressure even as he drove himself to become a prodigy, an inner conflict that would define him. Now, in his beautiful, haunting autobiography, Agassi tells the story of a life framed by such conflicts.
Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, this is a scorching and deeply personal autobiography that lifts the lid on the life and character of one of English rugby's most successful players. Brian Moore, or 'Pitbull' as he came to be known during nearly a decade at the heart of the England rugby team's pack, established himself as one of the game's original hard men at a time when rugby was still an amateur sport.
In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Haruki Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing.
Decide to Play Great Poker: A Strategy Guide to No-limit Texas Hold Em
By
Annie Duke
Narrated by
Annie Duke,
John Vorhaus
Not rated yet
Ask the great poker players how they'd play a hand and the answer is always "it depends." That answer can be infuriating. But guess what? It really does depend. The key to becoming a great poker player is in knowing what it depends on. At last there's a book that gives you that answer. Poker is a game of so many variables; table position, flop texture, the number of players in a hand, the personalities of your opponents, and so much more.
Hard Driving is the dramatic story of one man's dogged determination to live the life he loved, and to compete, despite daunting obstacles, at the highest level of his sport.
Sir Bobby Charlton is widely acknowledged as the greatest player ever to wear an England shirt. He won a record number of caps and scored a record number of goals. Here, in the second volume of his bestselling autobiography, Sir Bobby talks in detail about his phenomenal career with England.
In this new anecdotal book, the unstoppable Dickie Bird takes one County Cricket Club at a time and revisits each with the aid of memorabilia, statistics, books and videos. A mass of new hilarious stories flow from Dickie as he flexes his memory: he describes the cricketers, the matches and the character of these clubs. Dickie also relives his journeys as a umpire to clubs and Test match arenas overseas and recalls the humorous times that have filled his unique career.
The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment that Changed the World
By
John Carlos
Narrated by
Brian Jones
Not rated yet
Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconic images of Olympic history and the Black Power movement. Here is the remarkable story of one of the men behind the salute, lifelong activist, John Carlos.
In this remarkable and controversial book, Alexander Fiske-Harrison follows the tracks of a whole bullfighting year in Spain. He trains and takes part in the sport himself. He gives us memorable portraits of bull-fighters and bulls, of owners, trainers and fans - of a whole country. Fiske-Harrison offers a fully rounded and involving portrait of an art as performed for centuries and of the arguments that dog it today.
One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game
By
John Feinstein
Narrated by
David de Vries
Not rated yet
After numerous beloved and best-selling sports books, John Feinstein returns to the subjects of his first 10 books, crafting a narrative of the most revealing encounters he's had. These are the coaches and athletes who know their games the best, and the legends and legendary moments that gave inherent shape to our favorite pastimes.
When 46-year-old crane driver and former comedy stunt-diver Maurice Flitcroft chanced his way into the Open - having never before played a round of golf in his life - he ran up a record-worst score of 121. The sport's ruling classes went nuclear and banned him. Maurice didn't take it lying down. In a hilarious game of cat-and-mouse with The Man, he entered tournaments again - and again, and again - using increasingly ludicrous pseudonyms such as Gene Pacecki, Arnold Palmtree and Count Manfred von Hoffmanstel.
Hatton Rangers' new golden boy, Nat Dixon is still basking in his triumphant end to the season when the team are invited to play in a tournament in Spain. Nat is still on edge trying to hide the truth about his age, especially when he fears it might have been leaked. And he soon discovers that his host family in Spain are covering up a secret of their own....
The Football Men: Up Close with the Giants of the Modern Game
By
Simon Kuper
Narrated by
Colin Mace
3.00
(1 ratings)
The great footballers and coaches are rarely glimpsed from up close. They shield themselves from the tabloids, hide their personalities behind professionalism, and in the words of the cliche, 'do their talking on the pitch'. This book gets up close to them. The Football Men is not a series of celebrity profiles, and it doesn't attempt to unearth secrets in the players' private lives. Rather, it portrays these men as three-dimensional human beings.
Superman. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Shaq Fu. The Big Daddy. The Big Shaqtus. Wilt Chamberneezy. The Real Deal. The Big Shamrock. Shaq.... From growing up in difficult circumstances and getting cut from his high-school basketball team to his larger-than-life basketball career, Shaquille O'Neal lays it all out in Shaq Uncut: My Story.
Trautmann's Journey: From Hitler Youth to FA Cup Legend
By
Catrine Clay
Narrated by
Gordon Griffin
5.00
(1 ratings)
Bert Trautmann is famed as the goalkeeper who broke his neck in an FA Cup final and played on. But his early life is no less extraordinary: he grew up in Nazi Germany and fought for the Germans in World War Two. In 1945 he was captured and sent to a British POW camp where, for the first time, he saw a better way of life. He embraced England as his new home and before long became an England football hero. This is his extraordinary story.