A biography of America's greatest all-around athlete that "goes beyond the myth and into the guts of Thorpe's life, using extensive research, historical nuance, and bittersweet honesty" (Los Angeles Times), by the bestselling author of the classic biography When Pride Still Mattered. Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. Most famously, he won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, he was an All-American football player at the Carlisle Indian School, the star of the first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and played major league baseball for John McGraw's New York Giants. Even in a golden age of sports celebrities, he was one of a kind. But despite his awesome talent, Thorpe's life was a struggle against the odds. At Carlisle, he faced the racist assimilationist philosophy "Kill the Indian, Save the Man." His gold medals were unfairly rescinded because he had played minor league baseball, and his supposed allies turned away from him when their own reputations were at risk. His later life was troubled by alcohol, broken marriages, and financial distress. He roamed from state to state and took bit parts in Hollywood, but even the film of his own life failed to improve his fortunes. But for all his travails, Thorpe survived, determined to shape his own destiny, his perseverance becoming another mark of his mythic stature. Path Lit by Lightning "[reveals] Thorpe as a man in full, whose life was characterized by both soaring triumph and grievous loss" (The Wall Street Journal).

Frank Whitcombe, described as 'one of the greatest Welsh rugby league forwards of all time', played for Bradford Northern, Wales, and Great Britain. Adored by Bradford supporters and admired by the rugby league fraternity, such was his prowess that he was named in the Bradford Northern all-time greats team. The Indomitable Frank Whitcombe, lovingly tells the incredible story of a rugby league legend who was born and raised, as one of ten children in Grangetown, the heart of working-class Cardiff. Frank's rugby career, after a brief and successful spell as a boxer, began in rugby union, when he played for the British Army and London Welsh, as a deceptively nimble and skilful 18 stone forward. His talents were quickly spotted by rugby league scouts, and Frank was persuaded to 'go north' for GBP100 and two new suits, although the cost of buying himself out of the Army left him just GBP10, and the suits! Frank was made for rugby league and he enjoyed a glittering career in professional rugby, winning the RL Challenge Cup three times, the RL Championship three times and was capped 14 times by Wales.He quickly created a big impression on the Great Britain selectors and he was chosen for the famous 1946 'Indomitables' tour of Australia. Frank excelled as the tourists made history and won plaudits from antipodean fans and media alike as the team became the first, and to date only GB tourists, to win a rugby league Test Series, undefeated, 'down under'. After 331 games, Frank bowed-out of rugby with Bradford Northern, four days after playing in a Challenge Cup final at Wembley, in his last match at Odsal; a game which attracted 19,000 fans. He then turned to life as an RL administrator and publican before his life was tragically cut short by pneumonia at the age of only 44. Frank was a true giant of rugby league and this is the first book to tell his remarkable story.

The incredible, never-before-told story of Augie Donatelli-a man fellow umpires consider a legend.

Coalmines ... Bombers ... and Baseball ...

Emmy Award-winning sportswriter/producer John Bacchia shares the incredible, never-before-told story of Augie Donatelli-one of Major League Baseball's unsung men in blue. A coal miner from Bakerton, Pennsylvania, Donatelli served his country as a tail gunner aboard a B-17 and found his life's calling in the bleak con nes of a Nazi prison camp.

When Army Air Corps Sta Sergeant Donatelli umpired softball games to boost morale for his fellow airmen at Stalag Luft VI, little did he know he was taking edgling steps towards becoming one of the most respected umpires in baseball history. However, prior to the end of the war, he would be subjected to a brutal "black march" across war-torn Europe before orchestrating a daring escape.

Less than a decade after serving his country, Donatelli found himself at the pinnacle of his profession-umpiring in the 1955 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. Hardened by his war experiences and his years of working in the coal mines, Donatelli hustled on the baseball diamond as if his life depended on it. He gave his heart and soul to the game he loved. Yet despite nding his dream occupation, Donatelli voluntarily put his career and livelihood in jeopardy, as he and his fellow umpires, Shag Crawford, Jocko Conlan, Al Barlick, and others, spearheaded the formation of the rst umpires' union, the Major League Umpires Association.

Cover Photo: Yankee manager Casey Stengel and Augie Donatelli standing toe-to-toe during an exhibition game, April 13th, 1951. Copyright Bettman/CORBIS

In 1965, 16-year-old Robin Lee Graham began a solo around-the-world voyage from San Pedro, California, in his 24-foot sloop, Dove. Five years and 33,000 miles later, he had accomplished what few would dare attempt, returning to port with a wife and daughter and enough extraordinary experiences to fill this bestselling book. Originally published in 1972. 32 pages of photographs.

The phenomenal international number one bestseller with exclusive interviews with Richie McCaw, Steve Hansen, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, The Jersey is the definitive story behind the greatest sports team on the planet.

With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conquer the world?

Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than forty years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. Peter talked at length with ninety people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.

The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked.

Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt is Clay Moyle's second biography and a worthy successor to his critically acclaimed tome concerning the life and career of Sam Langford. Hall of Fame boxer Billy Miske was arguably the most courageous and inspirational figure in boxing history, and his story is long overdue. During a career that was impeded and cut short as a result of his ongoing battle with a terminal illness, Billy fought a number of the greatest fighters who ever lived, including the likes of Jack Dillon, Harry Greb and Jack Dempsey. The thrilling details and stories surrounding those fights and those of many other ring legends are all here, brought back to life for the reader to enjoy. This book goes far beyond simply chronicling Miske's career, but provides the reader with an in-depth view of a number of the sport's greatest contests and one of the more remarkable periods in boxing's history. Miske's courage and perseverance in the face of his impending death, and his personal sacrifice to provide his family with one last Christmas to remember him by, will tug at your heartstrings and leave you with an indelible image of the man. The book is comprised of 206 pages, including 61 photographs, and includes Miske's record, footnotes and an index. Clay Moyle is a member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) and the author of Sam Langford, Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion. He lives in Edgewood, Washington.

There is no greater feeling than accomplishing a goal. A goal that took several people a little over a decade to accomplish. A goal that captured a city's heart. A goal that allowed you to be the first. Ever. In history.Seattle was starving for an athletic accomplishment. The University of Washington softball team was able to provide some of the nourishment. This book is a memoir and behind the scenes illustration of a season to remember. A season full of laughs, tears and hardware.

When the Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson from the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs in 1947, it marked a turning point both in baseball and civil rights history. Robinson became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues, and in doing so, led generations of black players into the previously all-white world of professional baseball. As one of the greatest players professional baseball has ever seen, Robinson fought fiercely for civil rights on and off the diamond throughout his lifetime, and in doing so became a great American hero.

Mary Kay Linge recounts the extraordinary story of Robinson's life-from his early childhood in the South, to his college years at UCLA, to becoming a Hall of Famer and a major figure in the NAACP. In analyzing the surrounding social and cultural contexts of Robinson's time, this biography examines the legacy of a man who forever changed baseball. A timeline, statistical appendix, bibliography of print and electronic sources for further reading, and photographs enhance this biography.

In the Ring With Tommy Burns is the sixth book in Adam J. Pollack's heavyweight boxing champion series. It thoroughly and meticulously describes Tommy Burns' boxing career, using multiple local next-day primary sources to give the book an unparalleled accuracy and authenticity that has been the hallmark of the series. As always, Pollack offers round by round descriptions, pre- and post-fight analysis, bout preparation and negotiations, and provides context for the period, discussing opponents and what other contenders were doing at the time. By reviewing and experiencing Burns' career from the perspective of those who saw him box, one obtains far greater appreciation and respect for the skills and accomplishments of this underrated champion. The book includes 378 pages, over 100 photos, Burns' record, over 650 footnotes, and an index. Adam J. Pollack is the author of John L. Sullivan: The Career of the First Gloved Heavyweight Champion, In the Ring With James J. Corbett, In the Ring With Bob Fitzsimmons, In the Ring With James J. Jeffries, and In the Ring With Marvin Hart. He is a member of the Boxing Writers' Association of America, a staff writer for Cyberboxingzone.com, and an attorney living in Iowa City, Iowa.

Four years after the crowning glory of 1966 and a decade after the abolition of the maximum wage, a brash new era dawned in English football. As the 1970s took hold, a new generation of larger-than-life footballers and managers came to dominate the sport, appearing on television sets in vivid technicolour for the first time. Set against a backdrop of three-day weeks, strikes, political unrest, freezing winters and glam rock, Get It On tells the intriguing inside story of how commercialism, innovation, racism and hooliganism rocked the national game in the 1970s. Charting the emergence of Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Kevin Keegan, and the fall of George Best, Alf Ramsey and Don Revie, this fascinating footballing fiesta traces the highs and lows of an evolutionary and revolutionary era for the beautiful game. 'You always know you're going to get a fascinating read from Spurling. But this is his most vivid book yet - sheer joy! For us old geezers, it's like being miraculously transported back to the 1970s. And, for younger readers, I can promise you quite an education.' - Patrick Barclay

Mom also posed for a famous local artist, Arnold Friberg, in a classic painting entitled, Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon. She posed for the figure coming out of the water on the left side of the painting. Not only was Mom a model for fashion and art, she was also a model student and a great athlete. It

The lost memoir from Lou Gehrig--"a compelling rumination by a baseball icon and a tragic hero" (Sports Illustrated) and "a fitting tribute to an inspiring baseball legend" (Publishers Weekly). At the tender age of twenty-four, Lou Gehrig decided to tell the remarkable story of his life and career. He was one of the most famous athletes in the country, in the midst of a record-breaking season with the legendary 1927 World Series-winning Yankees. In an effort to grow Lou's star, pioneering sports agent Christy Walsh arranged for Lou's tale of baseball greatness to syndicate in newspapers across the country. Those columns were largely forgotten and lost to history--until now. Lou comes alive in this "must-read" (Tyler Kepner, The New York Times) memoir. It is an inspiring, heartfelt rags-to-riches tale about a poor kid from New York who became one of the most revered baseball players of all time. Fourteen years after his account, Lou would tragically die from ALS, a neuromuscular disorder now known as Lou Gherig's Disease. His poignant autobiography is followed by an insightful biographical essay by historian Alan D. Gaff. Here is Lou--Hall of Famer, All Star, MVP, an "athlete who epitomized the American dream" (Christian Science Monitor)--back at bat.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A raw, honest, and revealing co-memoir by Brie and Nikki Bella: twin sisters, WWE Hall of Fame inductees, and stars of the hit E! shows Total Bellas and Total Divas. As twins, the Bellas have always competed. Legend has it that Nikki drop-kicked Brie in the womb so that she could make her grand entrance first. But the rest of the world often treated them as identical and even interchangeable, so they decided to do something about it. After they made it into WWE, the Bellas accomplished so much together: bringing in young girls and women while building the Bella Army, helping the transition of female performers from Divas to Superstars, starring in Total Divas and Total Bellas, and founding companies like Birdiebee, Nicole + Brizee Beauty, and Bonita Bonita Wine. Though their early journey began with loss, abuse, and plenty of rough times, these challenges "shined the diamond." They resolved to be survivors and the heroes of their own stories, and to take control and responsibility for their lives. Eventually, they would come to show girls everywhere that they can do anything. The Bellas may be identical twins-but as individuals, they have proven themselves Incomparable.

The autobiography of Ted Macauley, award-winning newspaper reporter, columnist, and sports journalist. A story filled with the excitement of the sports that he covered, tales of some enviable assignments, and a host of celebrity friends and sporting superstars, including Mike Hailwood, George Best, Barry Sheene, Ringo Starr and many more. Ted Macauley has written three books about the incredible career of his best friend Mike Hailwood, whose life is soon to be immortalised in a major Hollywood film. He has now turned the focus on his own life, and the glamorous lifestyle as he travelled to exotic locations, and rubbed shoulders with sporting heroes and Hollywood stars alike. With many original photos from Ted's private collection to accompany the text, this autobiography is a fascinating glimpse into the life of a top sports journalist.

This volume provides a cumulative index to the highly acclaimed multi-volume Biographical Dictionary of American Sports, listing all items alphabetically for the first five volumes, published from 1987 to 1992. The five volumes, classified by sport, provide comprehensive biographical information on over 2,700 of the nation's most extraordinary sports figures. A majority of the index applies to baseball, football, and basketball entries, but other sports covered include auto racing, golf, harness and thoroughbred racing, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, tennis, track and field, bowling, boxing, gymnastics, ice hockey, figure and speed skating, swimming and diving, weight lifting, and wrestling. Five letter classifications indicate the volume where particulars can be located, (e.g.: B: Baseball volume, F: Football volume, I: Basketball and other Indoor Sports, O: Outdoor Sports volume, S: Supplement volume). This index will save users considerable time.

This the the first biography ever written on Marvin Hart, the forgotten heavyweight champion from the South. Hart gained popularity as a middleweight and light-heavyweight in the Louisville, Kentucky area before moving up to heavyweight and defeating the highly touted top contender Jack Johnson. Hart then won the vacant world's heavyweight championship in a fight to the finish against Jack Root. Like other books in Pollack's "In the Ring" series, this book is meticulously researched using next-day local primary source materials, and details Hart's boxing career.

Author Cornel Vena was just a teenager when World War II ended, changing life in the tiny Transylvanian village of his childhood forever. A ruthless Bolshevik army swarmed over the land, and his family faced an uncertain future living under a communist regime. But it soon became clear that the country was keen to promote its athletic prowess on an international stage, offering a glimmer of hope to the young man. If Cornel could shoot, ride, fence, run, and swim well enough, he might be able to find freedom. Success in the sporting arena offered better conditions for athletes and priceless opportunities to escape the constraints of communism; however, the athletes who survived the intense training regimen could not fail. An entire country counted on them to succeed, and losing was not tolerated. The weak would be punished, and those who succeeded would be rewarded. Join Cornel as he prepares to confront superhuman physical challenges in this inspiring true story of one man's quest for freedom, set against the backdrop of the 1956 Olympic Games. Romanians, history students and athletes alike will find important lessons that continue to resonate today in "Barbed Circles: The Perfect Score."

Drugs in professional sports. Today''s news? Not to the authors who take you behind the scenes into the backrooms, the board rooms and the high perches of politics where the quest for a state''s profit often outweighs giving the public a fair return for their loyalty and support. This is not your average sports story. It delves into the experiences of two people who defied fierce opposition and personal threat to do the right thing in the management of Thoroughbred Racing and Professional Hockey and in the evaluating and negotiating of Pro Baseball and Football teams. We are not born with integrity. It is the product of our pasts, how we meet life''s challenges, and in our case, the deep faith which gave us the courage to confront our enemies and realize our goals. Biographical in form, you will relive the author''s early years and travel the diverse paths their lives took. You may often ponder how this successful partnership evolved, Man/Woman. Catholic/Jew. Poor Boy/Rich Girl. New England Newspaper columnist/ New York entertainment writer. Running sports facilities, hosting thousands of patrons daily at an arena, stadium or paying field was a unique challenge. Vin Bartimo had the prime responsibility for the action, Roz Muller was the champion of the fans. Together, they made winners of losing entities, shared their largesse with the communities in which they operated and gave the public what they wanted and deserved.