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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Sport
A new, fully authorised biography of the most successful trainer in
British horse racing history. In the stratified and often secretive
world of racehorse training, Mark Johnston has always been
different: forthright, combative, provocative, and candid - a man
who delights in questioning convention. Over more than three
decades, he has gone from being a vet from a thoroughly
working-class Scottish background to, mathematically, the most
successful trainer in the history of British horse racing. In this
new, fully authorised biography, acclaimed author Nick Townsend
provides a unique insight into the world of Mark Johnston and his
phenomenally successful operation. With unparalleled access to Mark
and those closest to him, Mark Johnston: Phenomenon will dig into
his storied career, his strong and passionate views on the sport of
horse racing, and how he's planning for the future in unprecedented
times, offering a fascinating portrait of one of horse racing's
most singular figures.
0n this book Tony Groom provides a fascinating, no-holds-barred
account of his remarkable life and of the world of professional
naval and civilian divers. His story is gripping, humbling and
highly amusing in equal measure- all the more for the
matter-of-fact manner in which he tells it. From clearing
unexploded bombs lodged in ships during the Falklands War, to
hair-raising exploits in the oil fields of the North Sea, he shines
a light on a calling that demands the coolest of heads and extreme
courage.
Ian Thorpe's achievements in the water are nothing short of
phenomenal. He has won a record-holding 11 World Championship
titles and ten Commonwealth Games gold medals. He has broken 22
world records and won five gold, three silver and one bronze
Olympic medals. Having been under the spotlight since he was a
young teenager, he retired from competitive swimming in 2006, but
after five years he mounted a comeback for London 2012, and intense
media attention followed. Thorpe is one of the world's most famous
sportsmen, but it is the way he has managed his success and his
commitment to helping others that has earned him respect and
admiration internationally. This is a man who has had highs and
lows away from the pool, who has led an extraordinary life of an
elite athlete that most of us will never know, and who had the
courage to come back and stake his claim for the ultimate goal once
more.
All My Own Words is the remarkable story of a kid with a paper
round who dreamed of a career in Fleet Street, the historic fulcrum
of the British press. In just a few short years, he achieved that
ambition and held two of the most prestigious posts in sports
writing, only to be sacked for plagiarism when collating material
for a tennis annual. Neil Harman didn't have the proper
qualifications when he got his first job on a local paper in
Southend, but he passed his O-level retakes and set off on a
journey packed with incident and controversy. Harman rose to become
the leading football voice on the Daily Mail and later the man they
called 'Mr Tennis' on The Times. All My Own Words charts the
extraordinary twists and turns of a special sports-writing voyage,
as Harman recounts colourful tales and brings us exclusive insight
into characters such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Brian Clough, Graham
Taylor, David Beckham, Laurie Cunningham, Sir Andy Murray, Tim
Henman, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and
Martina Navratilova.
The nation has commented on and devoured Paul Gascoigne for years.
But until now no one has ever known what it is really like to be
Gazza. Here Gascoigne, in the company of his therapist, confronts
his demons and takes the reader into the recesses of his mind. The
triggers that plunged Gascoigne into dark despair are revealed
together with the critical moments that influenced his alcoholism,
depression, drug abuse, gambling, eating disorders, and compulsive
behavior. This is more than the story of one man. It applies to
people who face turmoil every day. Through self-assessment forms
and expert advice, any reader who sees a mirror of themselves will
be offered help and a way forward.
Peter Sagal, the host of NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! and a
popular columnist for Runner's World, shares "commentary and
reflection about running with a deeply felt personal story, this
book is winning, smart, honest, and affecting. Whether you are a
runner or not, it will move you" (Susan Orlean). On the verge of
turning forty, Peter Sagal-brainiac Harvard grad, short bald Jew
with a disposition towards heft, and a sedentary star of public
radio-started running seriously. And much to his own surprise, he
kept going, faster and further, running fourteen marathons and
logging tens of thousands of miles on roads, sidewalks, paths, and
trails all over the United States and the world, including the 2013
Boston Marathon, where he crossed the finish line moments before
the bombings. In The Incomplete Book of Running, Sagal reflects on
the trails, tracks, and routes he's traveled, from the humorous
absurdity of running charity races in his underwear-in St. Louis,
in February-or attempting to "quiet his colon" on runs around his
neighborhood-to the experience of running as a guide to visually
impaired runners, and the triumphant post-bombing running of the
Boston Marathon in 2014. With humor and humanity, Sagal also writes
about the emotional experience of running, body image, the
similarities between endurance sports and sadomasochism, the legacy
of running as passed down from parent to child, and the odd but
extraordinary bonds created between strangers and friends. The
result is "a brilliant book about running...What Peter runs toward
is strength, understanding, endurance, acceptance, faith, hope, and
charity" (P.J. O'Rourke).
NOMINATED FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR, SPORTS BOOK AWARDS Michael
Carrick was the heartbeat of Manchester United. For more than a
decade he was the player that made them tick. In his book, he
reveals how to win relentlessly while playing under legendary
manager Sir Alex Ferguson, invites us to experience the camaraderie
and clashes inside the United dressing room, and lets us feels what
it's like to walk out on the Old Trafford pitch alongside some of
the biggest names in the game - from Ronaldo to Scholes to Giggs,
Rooney and the rest. In his seventeen-year professional career,
Michael has won twelve major trophies at United, winning the
Premier League five times, as well as three League Cups, the FA
Cup, the Europa League, the Club World Cup and the Champions
League. In Between the Lines, Michael honestly reveals for the
first time his battles with mental health, growing up in the
north-east, his struggles with the national side, as well as the
redemption he has found with his family and his team. *All of
Michael Carrick's proceeds from the sale of the book will be
donated to the Michael Carrick Foundation, dedicated to providing
financial support to community services that will give
underprivileged children living in the North and North East better
opportunities so that they feel safe, valued and inspired.*
For decades Peter O'Sullevan was one of the iconic sports
commentators, providing the sound track for half a century of
horseracing as he called home such legends of the sport as Arkle,
Nijinsky, Red Rum and Desert Orchid. His rapid-fire commentary
seemed to echo the sound of horses' hooves, and it was not long
before he became known as 'The Voice of Racing'. But in addition to
his legendary status as a TV personality, Peter O'Sullevan was also
a notable journalist and much-admired writer, and it is a measure
of his standing both within and beyond the world of racing that his
compulsively readable autobiography Calling the Horses, first
published in 1989 and reprinted eight times, reached the top of the
SUNDAY TIMES non-fiction bestseller list. The most recent edition
of Calling the Horses was published in 1994, and the twenty years
since then have brought many fresh episodes in the ongoing Peter
O'Sullevan story, including the last racing days of his great
friend Lester Piggott in 1995, his commentary on the 'Bomb Scare'
Grand National of 1997, and his retirement from the BBC. He also
describes setting up the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Charitable Trust,
which has raised over GBP3.5 million for animal welfare charities,
as well as offering his appreciation of a new generation of racing
heroes, including jockey AP McCoy, who has come to dominate jump
racing in a manner unparalleled in any sport, and the wonder-horse
Frankel. The heartening news for the legions of Peter O'Sullevan
fans is that, despite his years, his enthusiasm for racing is
undiminished, and so are the elegance, fluency and wit which infuse
his writing style. This new and extensively updated edition of
Calling the Horses is a very remarkable book by a very remarkable
man.
WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2021
WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF THE YEAR THE
TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED
SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'The best book about racism I've ever read'
Piers Morgan Through the prism of sport and conversations with its
legends, including Usain Bolt, Adam Goodes, Thierry Henry, Michael
Johnson, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Makhaya Ntini, Naomi Osaka and Hope
Powell, Michael Holding explains how racism dehumanises people; how
it works to achieve that end; how it has been ignored by history
and historians; and what it is like to be treated differently just
because of the colour of your skin. Rarely can a rain delay in a
cricket match have led to anything like the moment when Holding
spoke out in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter protests about the
racism he has suffered and has seen all around him throughout his
life. But as he spoke, he sought not only to educate but to propose
a way forward that inspired so many. Within minutes, he was
receiving calls from famous sports stars from around the world
offering to help him to spread the message further. Now, in Why We
Kneel, How We Rise, Holding shares his story together with those of
some of the most iconic athletes in the world. He delivers a
powerful and inspiring message of hope for the future and a vision
for change, and takes you through history to understand the racism
of today. He adds: 'To say I was surprised at the volume of
positive feedback I received from around the world after my
comments on Sky Sports is an understatement. I came to realise I
couldn't just stop there; I had to take it forward - hence the
book, as I believe education is the way forward.'
***** Shortlisted for Sports Entertainment Book of the Year in the
Telegraph Sports Book Awards 2021 'A manifesto to cure modern
football's cornucopia of ills.' - i paper 'A brilliant book.' - Ian
Wright With diving players, abusive fans, feckless agents and the
dreaded VAR, football has taken a wrong turn. Now, Chris Sutton,
the nation's most forthright football pundit, takes an un?ltered
look at 25 aspects of the modern game that need to be changed right
away - and offers practical and, at times, controversial solutions.
From the standard of referees to the lunacy of the managerial
merry-go-round, from shameful racist abuse to exploitative ticket
prices and the shocking treatments of ex-players with dementia, How
to Fix Modern Football leaves no stone unturned in. As a former
top-level player, Chris knows the game inside out. Now observing
from the commentator's perch, his perspective is shot through with
passion, humour and occasionally a little anger. Sutton is a man on
a mission, determined to get under the skin of the game he loves
and to call out exactly what's going wrong.
Peter Alliss has spent his entire life steeped in golf. He was born
in 1931, the son of Percy Alliss, one of Britain's leading
professionals between 1920 and 1939. Peter himself turned
professional in 1947, at the age of sixteen. During his pro career,
which lasted until 1974, Peter won three British PGA championships,
played in eight Ryder Cup teams, and ten teams representing England
in the World Cup. He won 23 major tournaments in all, his most
memorable achievement being in 1958 when he won the Italian,
Spanish and Portuguese Open Championships in three successive
weeks. He has had a colourful personal life, which has not always
been easy; he has been married twice and had five children, and
also had to learn to cope with the grievous loss of his young
daughter, Victoria. Peter Alliss is now universally known and loved
for his golfing commentaries throughout the world, for the BBC in
the UK and ABC in the US. For millions of people around the world,
Peter Alliss is 'the Voice of Golf,' and his unique style has added
insight for the viewer of the televised game. He was recently voted
by Golf Digest as 'The Best Golf Commentator ... Ever.'
His style was iconic, and vintage '80s: aviator goggles, Jheri
curls, neck roll, boxy pads. Eric Dickerson is the greatest player
in Los Angeles Rams history and the NFL's single season record
holder for most rushing yards. In 2019, Dickerson was named to the
National Football League's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. With an
elegant upright running style that produced some of football's
most-watched highlights, it was said he was so smooth you couldn't
hear his pads clack as he glided past you. But during his Hall of
Fame career, his greatness was often overshadowed by his
contentious disputes with Rams management about his contract. In
the pre-free agency era, tensions over his exploitative contract
often overshadowed his accomplishments. What's his problem? went
the familiar refrain from the media. Can't he just shut up and run?
It's time to reexamine how Eric Dickerson was portrayed. For the
first time, he's telling his story. And he's not holding anything
back. Watch My Smoke includes sixteen photographs
In 2007, Adam, then a toaster salesman, was inspired by a film
about a man attempting to change his life by swimming the English
Channel to try to emulate the feat. After a year of rigorous
training without a coach, Adam achieved his goal in 11 hours 35
minutes, despite a ruptured bicep tendon leading to medical advice
to give up long-distance swimming. In 2011, after two operations
and a change to his swimming style to take pressure off his injured
shoulder, he became the first Briton to achieve a two-way crossing
from Spain to Morocco and back. In the process, he broke the
British record one way. Shortly afterwards, the Ocean's Seven
challenge was born, a gruelling equivalent to the Seven Summits
mountaineering challenge. At first it seemed that injury would
prevent Adam from participating but, ignoring medical advice, he
developed an innovative technique - the Ocean Walker stroke - that
would enable him to continue with the ultimate aim of completing
this seemingly impossible feat. Whether man would triumph over
ocean, or fail in the attempt, forms the core of this extraordinary
autobiography. Always intriguing, sometimes terrifying, and
occasionally very funny, Adam's story is about sport in its truest
form: rather than competitions between teams and individuals, it is
about man against nature - and against his own failings and demons.
In that, it is truly inspirational.
As the face of the NBA's new world order, Giannis Antetokounmpo has
overcome unfathomable obstacles to become a symbol of hope for
people all over the world; the personification of the American
Dream. But his backstory remains largely untold. Fader unearths new
information about the childhood that shaped "The Greek Freak"-from
sleeping side by side with his brothers to selling trinkets on the
street with his family to the racism he experienced. Antetokounmpo
grew up in an era when Golden Dawn, Greece's far-right,
anti-immigrant party, patrolled his neighborhood, and his status as
an illegal immigrant largely prevented him from playing for the
country's top clubs, making his NBA rise all the more improbable.
Fader tells a deeply human story of how an unknown, skinny, Black
Greek teen, who played in the country's lowest pro division and was
seen as a draft gamble, transformed his body and his game into MVP
material. Antetokounmpo's story has been framed as a feel-good
narrative in which everyone has embraced him-watching him grow up,
sign a five-year supermax contract extension worth $228 million,
and lead the underdog Bucks to the NBA Championship in 2021.
Giannis reveals a more nuanced story: how lonely and isolated he
felt, adjusting to America and the NBA early in his career; the
complexity of grappling with his Black and Greek identities; how he
is so hard on himself and his shortcomings-a drive that fuels him
every day; and the responsibility he feels to be a nurturing role
model for his younger brothers. Fader illustrates a more vulnerable
star than most people know, a person who has evolved triumphantly
into all of his roles: father, brother, son, teammate, and global
icon. **Instant New York Times Bestseller, Los Angeles Times
Bestseller, Wall Street Journal Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller,
Publishers Weekly Bestseller** **Mirin Fader Selected as the 2021
Sports Media Author of the Year by The Big Lead**
WINNER OF INTERNATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2021
TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 'An intelligent and often beautifully
observed book' Donald McRae, The Guardian 'A must-read about a
career which never dropped out of top gear' Racing Post 'A
thoroughly engaging memoir. I can't recommend this insightful
autobiography enough' Horse & Hound 'A superior story: an
honest and self-searching account of the glories and thrills but
also the doubt and barren spells that visit even rampantly
successful jockeys' The Irish Times The riveting full-career
autobiography of Barry Geraghty, one of the most successful jump
jockeys in the sport's history. Now retired, Geraghty takes his
rightful place in the pantheon of greats that includes AP McCoy,
Richard Johnson and Ruby Walsh. Barry Geraghty is an Irish
horseracing legend. From his first win in 1997 he has gone on to
ride almost 2000 winners, making him the fourth most successful
jumps jockey of all time. With the second most wins at Cheltenham
in the sport's history, he has worked with all the greats - Moscow
Flyer, Kicking King, Monty's Pass. Barry finally retired in July
2020, covered in scars. He has broken all of his limbs, his
shoulders, his ribs, his nose. He has survived falls too numerous
to recall, and spent most of 2019 with a metal cast on his leg. And
yet, he kept getting back on the horse, for twenty-three years. His
autobiography is about resilience, the mental power that enables
the great to keep going despite the pain, despite the odds. It
explores how Barry has developed the mind tools to continue to push
himself, even when all seems lost. Containing startling revelations
and a searingly honest insight into the life of a top jockey, this
is a must-read for all sports fans.
THE EXPLOSIVE NEW YORK TIMES AND NATIONAL BESTSELLER Push beyond
your physical limits to improve yourself by following bowhunter and
ultramarathoner Cameron Hanes's lifelong philosophies and
disciplines. "It's all mental." I say this all the time, and it's
true. If you believe you can do it, you can. We all have virtually
limitless potential. Our bodies are capable of so much more than
what we ask of them. Take off the mental handcuffs, get out there,
and start on your way today. What is your passion? You can become
better at it. Committing yourself to fitness only fuels your
beliefs. You gotta believe to achieve. Cameron Hanes discovered his
true passion for bowhunting when he was twenty. Inspired by the
physical challenges of stalking elk in the Oregon
wilderness--traversing mountainous terrain, braving erratic
weather, and evading his quarry's even more dangerous predators--he
began an ever-evolving journey of self-improvement. To become the
best bowhunter of wild elk, to the caliber he believed he could be,
Cam realized he would need more than archery skills. He would need
the stamina and strength that could only come from an athletic
training regimen of long-distance running and heavy-weight lifting.
And every day for more than thirty years, Cam has put in the work,
building miles and muscles, pushing through pain with a
single-minded focus on the only goal worth having--besting himself
time and again. Part memoir, part motivational manifesto, Endure
reveals how Cam--a self-professed average guy--put himself through
the paces to live the life of an expert bowhunter, respected
writer, and family man. With discipline, sacrifice, resilience, a
hard work ethic, and a belief in his own capabilities, Cam not only
accomplished his dreams but continues to surpass them. There is no
secret to his success except relentless determination and loyal
dedication to his own self-worth. If Cam can do it, we all can.
Everyone has what it takes to endure adversity so we can rise above
average, be the best we can be, and enjoy living life to the
fullest.
A classic mountaineering memoir by one of the UK's foremost female
climbers. 'A story of climbing and compulsive love of mountains ...
magnificent' OBSERVER In 1945, when Gwen Moffat was in her
twenties, she deserted from her post as a driver and dispatch rider
in the Army and went to live rough in Wales and Cornwall, climbing
and living on practically nothing. She hitch-hiked her way around,
travelling from Skye to Chamonix and many places in between, with
all her possessions on her back, although these amounted to little
more than a rope and a sleeping bag. When the money ran out, she
worked as a forester, went winkle-picking on the Isle of Skye,
acted as the helmsman of a schooner and did a stint as an artist's
model. And always there were the mountains, drawing her away from a
'proper' job. Throughout this unique story, there are acutely
observed accounts of mountaineering exploits as Moffat tackles the
toughest climbs and goes on to become Britain's leading female
climber - and the first woman to qualify as a mountain guide.
The first definitive biography of basketball legend LeBron James,
by the acclaimed author of Tiger Woods. LeBron is unquestionably
the greatest basketball player of the 21st century. Off the court,
LeBron's political activism, outspoken stance on racism and social
injustice have helped build a social media presence that includes
117 million followers on Instagram and 51 million followers on
Twitter. He is an international brand worth billions of dollars. He
doesn't just have huge endorsement deals with some of the biggest
corporations in the world; LeBron sits on boards of directors and
has an equity stake in the companies he sponsors. He has forged a
close friendship with President Barack Obama and clashed publicly
with President Donald Trump. As a child, LeBron was a lost little
boy living in a public housing project in Akron, Ohio. His mother,
who had LeBron when she was just sixteen, would disappear for days
at a time. Scared and alone, LeBron rarely attended school. He was
dirt poor and fatherless. And he had never played organised
basketball. Yet he would become the most successful and most
popular athlete that the United States has produced this century,
bringing success to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los
Angeles Lakers. To tell this epic story, Benedict has done
exhaustive research, digging through thousands of pages of primary
source documents, articles, books and hundreds of hours of video
footage. He's also conducted hundreds of interviews with the people
who were intimately involved with LeBron from the beginning of his
life to the present. He shows the initial slow rise of a star that
suddenly transformed into a speeding comet during his senior year
of high school. It is a unique and unmissable insight into one of
the world's greatest athletes.
Feeling Blue is a football fan's memoir like no other. Spanning
more than 35 years and set across three continents, it is a true
story that encompasses love, race and identity - all interweaved
with the chaotic fall and rise of Manchester City. Dickie Denton
was born into a 1960s Manchester home with many siblings, one of
whom was adopted and of Asian parentage. As he grew up, Dickie
faced the twin challenges of racist bullying and academic
underachievement. Football was his refuge and Manchester City
became his obsession - through boyhood, coming of age and
adulthood. By middle age he had the trappings of a successful
international business career but still craved the thing that he
most desired and continued to elude him: success for Manchester
City. His story dramatically climaxes in 2012, on a sultry May
night in Singapore. Feeling Blue is not just for Man City fans, or
even just football fans. It is a deeply personal story told with
humour and honesty that will appeal to all and bring forth tears
and laughter in equal measure.
The most detailed and in-depth biography of Andy Murray yet
published. When Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal both exited in the
first few days of Wimbledon 2013, the level of expectation on Andy
Murray to become the first British champion of the men's
competition since 1936 rose to new heights. Two sets down in the
quarter-final, he recovered to keep alive the hopes of a nation.
Then, on a boiling hot Sunday afternoon, Murray faced up to the
world's best player, Novak Djokovic, with the title almost within
his grasp. After three hours of tension, drama and sheer
brilliance, Murray was Wimbledon champion and 17.3 million viewers,
glued to the action, celebrated with him after his straight-sets
victory. But how had the man from Dunblane, Scotland, a country
once characterised as the worst tennis nation in the world, risen
to the top? In this fascinating and revealing biography, Mark
Hodgkinson, who first interviewed Murray when he was just 17, looks
into the people who have influenced the Scot's career - his family,
his coaches and his girlfriend among them - and assesses how he has
won over a dubious and critical public. Murray's story is
extraordinary, and this book gets to the heart of that remarkable
drama.
Wartime and the scholarship to Grammar Schools allowed access to
Rugby Union, an amateur game played by gentlemen in Rugby Clubs
like Liverpool and Blackheath. Since the schism with Rugby League
in 1895 the antipathy between the two codes was stark. Peter
Harvey's story opened the door for hundreds of boys from Lancashire
to play for England Schools. However, the suggestion that he might
go to Rugby League was enough to prevent selection for England. The
story of how this happened, and his subsequent success as a
semi-professional rugby player, reaches its climax in Championships
and Challenge Cups with the great St Helens RL side of the 1960s.
Running parallel to this story is the training necessary to become
a teacher and head teacher, and those people who helped me on that
journey. The final chapters tell of rugby stars of the 1960s who he
played with or against and the subsequent joys and fellowships of
past players associations. It is a unique view of social history
from coalmine to classroom, 1940 to present.
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Autumn Publishing
Paperback
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