![]() |
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
||
|
Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Sport
From his childhood amidst the steel mills of South Yorkshire to Olympic glory and beyond, Seb Coe's story is one of extraordinary achievement. One of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, Seb earned four Olympic medals during a world-record breaking career. THE WINNING MIND is Seb's account of the challenges, hard graft, set-backs and victories that he experienced during his career, retold with the passion and commitment that ultimately made him such an inspirational sporting champion. As an athlete, politican, business speaker and key figure in the delivery of the 2012 Olympic Games, Seb Coe has striven to achieve success in every challenge he has faced. This is the story of one man's quest for excellence and the power of the winning mind.
"Derek Jeter is undoubtedly the most talked about, argued about,
cheered, booed and ultimately respected baseball player of his
generation. And as public a figure as he has been, he is in many
ways the least known. That changes now as Ian O'Connor, one of the
best sports writers anywhere, goes deep and does what no one has
quite been able to do: Tell us a bit about who Derek Jeter really
is."--Joe Posnanski, author of "The Machine"
'A tragic age and a tragic character, both seemingly compelled to destroy themselves...a chilling reminder of how little control we have over our fates' Damon Hill 'One of the greatest motor racing stories' Nick Mason 'Timely, vivid and enthralling ... it's unputdownable' Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen Dick Seaman was the archetypal dashing motorsport hero of the 1930s, the first Englishman to win a race for Mercedes-Benz and the last Grand Prix driver to die at the wheel before the outbreak of the Second World War. Award-winning author Richard Williams reveals the remarkable but now forgotten story of a driver whose battles against the leading figures of motor racing's golden age inspired the post-war generation of British champions. The son of wealthy parents, educated at Rugby and Cambridge, Seaman grew up in a privileged world of house parties, jazz and fast cars. But motor racing was no mere hobby: it became such an obsession that he dropped out of university to pursue his ambitions, squeezing money out of his parents to buy better cars. When he was offered a contract with the world-beating, state-sponsored Mercedes team in 1937, he signed up despite the growing political tensions between Britain and Germany. A year later, he celebrated victory in the German Grand Prix with the beautiful 18-year-old daughter of the founder of BMW. Their wedding that summer would force a split with his family, a costly rift that had not been closed six months later when he crashed in the rain while leading at Spa, dying with his divided loyalties seemingly unresolved. He was just 26 years old. A Race with Love and Death is a gripping tale of speed, romance and tragedy. Set in an era of rising tensions, where the urge to live each moment to the full never seemed more important, it is a richly evocative story that grips from first to last.
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. Now John Carlos tells his own version of the story, in conjunction with Dave Zirin, author of the groundbreaking People's History of Sports in the United States (The New Press, 2009, available from Turnaround). Carlos' eye-opening and immensely readable autobiography finally introduces the man behind the salute.
'I knew nothing about football before knowing Cruyff.' - Pep Guardiola Johan Cruyff is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history. Throughout his playing career, he was synonymous with Total Football, a style of play in which every player could play in any position on the pitch. Today, his philosophy lives on in teams across Europe, from Barcelona to Bayern Munich and players from Lionel Messi to Cesc Fabrecas. My Turn tells the story of Cruyff's life starting at Ajax, where he won eight national titles and three European Cups before moving to Barcelona where he won La Liga in his first season, in 1973, and was named European Footballer of the Year. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, and led the Dutch national team to the final of the 1974 World Cup, famously losing to West Germany, and receiving the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament. Off the field his life was more turbulent, surviving a kidnapping attempt and bankruptcy. This honest and unflinching autobiography also explores his life after retirement, when he became a hugely successful manager of Ajax and then Barcelona when he won the Champions league with a young Pep Guardiola in his team. My Turn is the inspirational account of a legendary football hero, voted European Player of the Century, in his own words. In March 2016 Cruyff died after a short battle with lung cancer bringing world football to a standstill in an outpouring of emotions. A brilliant teacher and analyst of the game he love, My Turn is Johan Cruyff's legacy.
'A sort of partial British social and political history. It is also memoir and confessional. It is an utterly remarkable book' Conquista The End to End record is the longest place-to-place cycling record in Britain. It is a daunting 842 miles and for the men and women who attempt to break the record, there can be no second place, only the binary outcome of total success or failure. Paul Jones decided to ride from Land's End to John O' Groats in an attempt to understand the relentless physical and mental challenges involved. End to End is a captivating and beautifully written narrative. A lyrical account of the journey sits alongside meetings with amazing cyclists; people like Eileen Sheridan; who covered the distance in under three days in 1954, or current men's record holder Michael Broadwith who did it in a scarcely believable 43 hours. Paul Jones reaches further back to the very first attempts in the 1880s, undertaken on penny farthings, fuelled by Victorian values and patent medicine. For the author, what starts as a simple way to frame the narrative transforms into a deeper search for meaning amidst the ceaseless clamour of life, work and relationships. It becomes a trip through the contours of the mind as well as the map, from Bodmin Moor to Shap Fell, the Cairngorms and the Caithness coast. End to End is a portrayal of hope and ambition, of what happens when things go wrong and how hard it is to make them right. It is about courage, obsession and joy, but above all else, it is a compelling exploration of why journeys matter for all of us.
In October 1972, Nando Parrado and his rugby club teammates were on a flight from Uruguay to Chile when their plane crashed into a mountain. Miraculously, many of the passengers survived but Nando's mother and sister died and he was unconscious for three days. Stranded more than 11,000 feet up in the wilderness of the Andes, the survivors soon heard that the search for them had been called off - and realise the only food for miles around was the bodies of their dead friends ... In a last desperate bid for safety, Nando and a teammate set off in search of help. They climbed 17,000-foot-high mountains, facing death at every step, but inspired by his love for his family Nando drove them on until, finally, 72 days after the crash, they found rescue.
John Montague was a boisterous enigma. In the 1930s, he was called
"the world's greatest golfer" by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice.
He could drive the ball 300 yards and more, or he could chip it
across a room into a highball glass. He played golf with everyone
from Howard Hughes and W. C. Fields to Babe Ruth and Bing Crosby.
Yet strangely, he never entered a professional tournament or
allowed himself to be photographed. Then, a" Time" magazine
photographer snapped his picture with a telephoto lens and police
quickly recognized Montague as a fugitive with a dark secret.
One day in 2005 while searching for food, nine-year-old Ugandan
Phiona Mutesi followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met
Robert Katende.
Is there always someone else to blame for your failures? Afraid of putting the real work in to achieve your goals? Are you sick of just being average and do you want to start winning? It's time to drown out self-doubt and the distracting noise of everyday life, to conquer your fears and approach challenges without caution. One of rugby's most ferocious flankers and successful players, James Haskell has always strived to be at the very top of his game. To achieve a global rugby career, he knew he had to keep his body strong. To go on to found an award-winning production company and become a successful DJ and bestselling author, he knew he had to keep his mind even stronger. Revolutionary and revealing, Approach With(out) Caution presents James Haskell as you've never known him. James takes the lessons he's learned, both on and off the pitch, and turns them into a five-pillar plan to help you take control of your life.
Sir Jackie Stewart is one of the most highly regarded names in global sport - winner of three F1 World Championships, 27 Grands Prix and ranked in the top five drivers of all time. On retiring from the circuit, he went on to build an equally impressive international business career. In the 1960s and into the 70s, with his black cap, sideburns and aviator shades Jackie Stewart was an unmistakable icon in a glorious era of style, glamour and speed. On the track, his story is one of drama, excitement, tragedy, controversy, celebrity, danger and massive success. Beyond the sport his life is a compelling tale of battling against the odds and achieving world-wide recognition as an outstanding sportsman, a role model and a highly accomplished and respected businessman.
"The Duke is a harrowing tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, and a gripping read. Don't miss it."-T. J. English, New York Times bestselling author Havana Nocturne An American Gothic... In the early 1990s, Tommy Morrison, a young roughneck from Jay, Oklahoma, burst onto the boxing scene to become one of the most controversial fighters of his era. Handsome, eloquent, and dynamic, Morrison parlayed destructive knockout power and a homespun personality into celebrity status throughout middle America, where boxing rarely prospered. But it was his starring role in Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone that propelled him to stardom-and ultimately led to his tragic downfall. His brush with Hollywood fame triggered a limitless appetite for parties, liquor, and sex. When Morrison was shockingly diagnosed with HIV in 1996, his life imploded, and his subsequent descent into drugs, prison, bigamy, and conspiracy theories made Morrison notorious long after his glory days had ended. In The Duke, Carlos Acevedo chronicles Morrison's tumultuous life from his days as a teenaged Toughman contestant, to his victory over George Foreman, to his struggles with HIV and depression, to his death at forty-four, when his delusions finally overtook him. Morrison himself was a divisive figure but critics and readers are unanimous about Acevedo's The Duke. "This is a big American saga writ large, just the sort of tortured tale Carlos Acevedo tells so well."-Don Stradley, author of The War: Hagler-Hearns and Three Rounds for the Ages "I love how Carlos Acevedo writes. He's detached and immersive, observant and detailed, unsparing and fair. He brings to life what I love-and what I don't love-about boxing. That's clear in The Duke, which examines not just Tommy Morrison, but Morrison's place in boxing, celebrity culture, and the greater sports consciousness. It's the perfect marriage of writer and subject, written sharply, broadly and expertly-and hard to put down."-Greg Bishop senior writer, Sports Illustrated
Voted Rugby Book of the Year at the 2018 Sports Book Awards. Wrecking Ball is a captivating and humorous memoir by Billy Vunipola, one of the stars of England's recent rugby renaissance, and will be enjoyed by those who have read the recent autobiographies by Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing almost 20 stone, Billy is a rampaging and unmissable presence on the rugby pitch, for both club and country. Wrecking Ball is his captivating story so far, chronicling his remarkable personal odyssey of 10,000 miles, from the tiny Tongan village of Longo Longo to the imposing vastness of Twickenham. Join Billy on his journey from the year-round sunshine of Tonga to the bitter cold of a British winter, from his favourite Pontypool kebab shop to finding himself eating broccoli for breakfast, and from carefree childhood games in the middle of the Pacific to the serious business of playing professional rugby in Europe. Wrecking Ball is a wonderfully eccentric and witty book, written with bags of charm. It captures Billy's colourful family and upbringing, and creates a rounded and fascinating portrait of a young man finding his feet as a modern English rugby player.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. From the superstar who is going to Tokyo for her fourth Olympics--the oldest player the US women's national team has ever sent. "If you are a real soccer player--then this is the book for you to read . . . Inspiring and uplifting."--GoalNation In 2015, the US Women's National Soccer Team won its first FIFA championship in sixteen years, culminating in an epic final game that electrified soccer fans around the world. It featured a gutsy, brilliant performance by team captain and midfielder Carli Lloyd, who made history that day, scoring a hat trick during the first sixteen minutes.? But there was a time when Carli almost quit the sport. In 2003 she was struggling, her soccer career at a crossroads. Then she found a trusted trainer, James Galanis, who saw in Carli a player with raw talent, skill, and a great dedication to the game. Together they set to work, training day and night, fighting, grinding it out. Despite all the naysayers, the times she was benched, the moments when her self-confidence took a nosedive, she succeeded in becoming one of the best players in the world and bound for the Summer Games in 2021 at thirty-nine.
Marcelo Bielsa is one of football's greatest eccentrics and greatest enigmas. This will be the first English biography of one of football's most contradictory characters. He has coached some of the greatest names in world football - Gabriel Batistuta, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron and Ander Herrera. He has been cited as a mentor by Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone. Yet Marcelo Bielsa remains one of the great enigmas of world football - a fabulously innovative and obsessive coach, who has transformed Leeds United, Marseille and Athletic Bilbao. He also lasted two days at Lazio and led Argentina to their greatest footballing disaster. Featuring interviews from across South America, Europe and Yorkshire, The Quality of Madness is a comprehensive and compelling biography, tracing Bielsa's story from growing up as a member of one of Argentina's most remarkable families to his revival of Leeds. Bielsa has long been known as 'El Loco' - the Madman - and yet as Tim Rich's revelatory study reveals, there is mercurial method and audacious logic to the madness.
'I believe we so far forgot ourselves as to shake hands on it.' - H. W. Tilman, on reaching the summit of Nanda Devi.In 1934, after fifty years of trying, mountaineers finally gained access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in the Garhwal Himalaya. Two years later an expedition led by H.W. Tilman reached the summit of Nanda Devi. At over 25,000 feet, it was the highest mountain to be climbed until 1950.The Ascent of Nanda Devi, Tilman's account of the climb, has been widely hailed as a classic. Keenly observed, well informed and at times hilariously funny, it is as close to a 'conventional' mountaineering account as Tilman could manage.Beginning with the history of the mountain ('there was none') and the expedition's arrival in India, Tilman recounts the build-up and approach to the climb. Writing in his characteristic dry style, he tells how Sherpas are hired, provisions are gathered (including 'a mouth-blistering sauce containing 100 per cent chillies') and the climbers head into the hills, towards Nanda Devi.Superbly parodied in The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman, The Ascent of Nanda Devi was among the earliest accounts of a climbing expedition to be published.Much imitated but rarely matched, it remains one of the best.
True Professional tells the story of Clive Sullivan, who emerged from one of Cardiff's toughest neighbourhoods to become an icon of rugby league. Overcoming a major childhood injury and a car crash early in his career, he was a ruthless and thrilling presence on the wings of both Hull FC and Hull KR teams for over 20 years, scoring over 300 tries.The first-ever black Briton to captain a British sports team, Sullivan did so with great success, even lifting a World Cup and being awarded an MBE. He was loved by rugby league fans and revered following his untimely and tragic death. Yet the wider sporting public overlooked his achievements at the time and his name is rarely mentioned when discussing Britain's sporting greats. The book is a snapshot of the working class Northern towns that have long been the heartland of rugby league, and the communities that gave them their unique character. It is also a look at how Clive's career developed against the backdrop of a declining fishing industry, the lifeblood of the city of Hull.
As a Premiership, World Cup, and Grand Slam winner, no one better embodies the charisma and the color of English rugby's greatest era than Lawrence Dallaglio. He has some story to tell, not just of the formidable exploits on the field, but an extraordinary life off it. His only sister, Francesca, was the youngest to perish in the "Marchioness" disaster and her death at 19 remains the great sadness of his life. In addition to this and his much-talked about England exploits, he also led his club Wasps to the summit of European rugby, winning two Heineken Cups and three consecutive English Premiership titles. Full of drama, controversy, and great sadness, Lawrence Dallaglio's story--the last of the great World Cup heroes--is the one every rugby fan has been waiting to read.
The funniest and most entertaining sports book you'll read this year. 'fascinating, frank, funny' Jim White, Daily Telegraph 'insightful' Henry Winter, The Times 'engaging ... revealing ... a warm and often funny read' FourFourTwo 'very entertaining ... great stories' Hawksbee & Jacobs, talkSPORT radio 'an incredible book' The Football Show, Sky Sports News 'a kaleidoscope of anecdotes and detours packed with wisdom acquired on the hoof' The i newspaper 'Yeah, I'm all that plus a bag of chips' 'Come round my house and we'll have a fight on the front lawn' 'I'm as chuffed as a badger at the start of the mating season' 'I thought his bum cheeks looked very pert' Football management is like being a potato - you're never too far from the sack and everyone is constantly chipping away at you. It's not for the faint-hearted and unless you've got skin as thick as rhino and, more importantly, a wicked sense of humour, you've no chance of surviving. Ian Holloway - aka 'Ollie' - has all the above and more besides. His press conferences are the stuff of legend. He's been there, seen it and done it in his 40 years as player and manager, and has been entertaining football fans on and off the pitch for most of his life. He's been head honcho at clubs in all four divisions in English football, experiencing everything from the giddy heights of taking Blackpool to the Premier League to fighting relegation from the Football League with Grimsby Town. There's never been a dull moment. In the joyful How to Be a Football Manager, Holloway weaves a fantastically rich tapestry of hilarious anecdotes to reveal what being the boss is really like. This is not a handbook to tell you when to play a Christmas tree formation or throw on a false nine - it's about dealing with the ridiculous, fighting your corner and always having a comeback.
From his time as Captain of England's cricket team to his pioneering work as Bishop of Liverpool, David Sheppard led a remarkable life. Now his story is told in full for the first time in this fascinating and insightful biography. Batting for the Poor draws on the papers left by Sheppard in the Liverpool Central Library as well as other archival material and more than 150 interviews conducted by Andrew Bradstock, all brought together to create a picture of a diligent and passionate man who helped break down divisions and turn Liverpool's fortunes around. Batting for the Poor is a vivid, entertaining biography that will be enjoyed by cricket fans, those interested in twentieth century history or the history of Liverpool and those interested in man that inspired so many as the Bishop of Liverpool. You will discover the story of an exceptional leader, and learn about the history of some of the divisions and struggles in the second half of the twentieth century that still impact society and culture in England today.
'This is Dan Martin's long-awaited autobiography, full of 'the warmth, sharp insights and vivid colour of his 14-year career' Guardian Known, thanks to his racing style and attitude, for being one of road cycling's last romantics, Dan has always shied away from revealing too much about himself and his story. Now, having retired at the end of the 2021 season aged 35 and no longer bound by the constraints of the racing circuit, Dan feels the time is right to tell his story in the same forthright and honest manner that he rode his bike. This book reflects Dan's generous and outspoken spirit, his resilience to pain, crashes, bad luck and, finally, his acceptance of destiny. Each chapter's title has a sub-title based on a typical cyclist's fear: the fear of losing a race, the fear of retiring from the sport, the fear of mountains or downhills, the fear of doping and, ultimately, the fear of death. Dan also discusses every aspect of the professional cyclist's life - food, discipline, money, dreams, friendship and betrayal. Dan is unashamed when it comes to exposing these dark feelings, his weaknesses and how he tried to deal with them, his attitude exemplifying Mark Twain's quote: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear". Written with his long-time friend and best-selling author Pierre Carrey, this is the story of a rider who never sought to conform to modern cycling's norms and someone who, in many ways, embodies an age in cycling which has long since disappeared. This is the celebration of a true cyclist's career, which will appeal to anyone who's embraced the weekend ride whilst dreaming of the mountains. '[Chased by Pandas] is not a conventional study of wins, losses and conquering mountains but overcoming the mental challenges of a sport into which he was seemingly born' The Times 'Records the brave and tough journey of 'one of road cycling's last romantics' Irish Independent 'Chronicles the former Irish road champion's journey through the ranks of professional cycling' Cycling Weekly
The Legendary Life of Ken Stabler
Widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of cricket, Shane Warne was a giant of his time. A sporting hero and national icon, young cricketers today are inspired by his leg spin legacy. Perhaps the most charismatic personality of any sport, Shane Warne's triumphs restored craft and subtlety to the foreground of the game. Taking the highest number of Test wickets when he retired - 708 at 25.14 apiece, he was chosen by Wisden as one of the five outstanding players of the 20th century. The rebel who used his injury in his early years to build strength in his wrists and upper body, his unwavering optimism and unassailable competitive spirit became a defining feature of the leading man of cricket. Packed with quotes and insights The Little Book of Shane Warne explores the man who, by unanimous consent, pitched the ball of the century, and earned his place in the pantheon of exceptional players. 'He was the best of them all and you can't say any more than that.' Michael Parkinson 'People put down their beer every time Shane Warne came on to bowl.' Ian Chappell |
You may like...
Macroevolution - Explanation…
Emanuele Serrelli, Nathalie Gontier
Hardcover
R4,104
Discovery Miles 41 040
The Future of Transdisciplinary Design…
Lucienne Blessing, Ahmed Jawad Qureshi, …
Hardcover
R4,030
Discovery Miles 40 300
Engineering Identities, Epistemologies…
Steen Hyldgaard Christensen, Christelle Didier, …
Hardcover
R3,565
Discovery Miles 35 650
Sustainability in Engineering Design
Anthony Johnson, Andy Gibson
Paperback
R1,290
Discovery Miles 12 900
A Practical Guide to Design for Additive…
Olaf Diegel, Axel Nordin, …
Hardcover
R4,635
Discovery Miles 46 350
Essential Actions for Academic Writing…
Nigel A. Caplan, Ann Johns
Paperback
R875
Discovery Miles 8 750
|