Alan Scott Haft provides the first-hand testimony of his father, Harry Haft, a holocaust victim with a singular story of endurance, desperation, and unrequited love. Harry Haft was a sixteen-year-old Polish Jew when he entered a concentration camp in 1944. Forced to fight other Jews in bare-knuckle bouts for the perverse entertainment of SS officers, Harry quickly learned that his own survival depended on his ability to fight and win. Haft details the inhumanity of the "sport" in which he must perform in brutal contests for the officers. Ultimately escaping the camp, Haft's experience left him an embittered and pugnacious young man. Determined to find freedom, Haft traveled to America and began a career as a professional boxer, quickly finding success using his sharp instincts and fierce confidence. In a historic battle, Haft fights in a match with Rocky Marciano, the future undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. Haft's boxing career takes him into the world of such boxing legends as Rocky Graziano, Roland La Starza, and Artie Levine, and he reveals new details about the rampant corruption at all levels of the sport. In sharp contrast to Elie Wiesel's scholarly, pious protagonist in Night, Harry Haft is an embattled survivor, challenging the reader's capacity to understand suffering and find compassion for an antihero whose will to survive threatens his own humanity. Haft's account, at once dispassionate and deeply absorbing, is an extraordinary story and an invaluable contribution to Holocaust literature.

Matt Dawson's Lions Tales gives rugby fans a satisfying dose of wonderful Lions anecdotes, epic stories of triumph and despair, of camaraderie and controversy, and stirring examples of that special bond that only competing in the white heat of battle, halfway round the world, against the mighty All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks, can engender. Lions Tales is peppered with insight and laugh-out-loud moments, dredged from the memory banks of Dawson's own time in the iconic red shirt, and also from his keen interest in the Lions' remarkable 125-year traditions.

'If you read just one sports book this year, this is the one' Express on SundayLance Armstrong was one of the most precocious talents the world of cycling had ever seen. Within a year of turning professional in 1992 he was World Champion. In 1994 he won two stages of the Tour de France and in 1996 consolidated his position amongst cycling's elite by winning ten consecutive races. By this time, however, and unknown to him, he was battling against cancer as well as 200 fellow competitors. In early October he was diagnosed with testicular cancer so advanced he had to be operated on the very next day. And when lesions appeared on his brain and in his lungs he was given a 40% chance of survival. While he was in hospital undergoing a three month course in chemotherapy his team Codifis, who had promised to stand by him, cancelled his contract. However, by February 1997 he was out of hospital, training again and setting himself targets. He wanted to complete the 1998 Tour de France. Not only did he achieve this but he went on to win the 1999 Tour in spectacular style, in the fastest ever time, and was the first winner to take four stages in the race in 15 years. This is an extraordinary and inspirational story. 'So darn riveting that it simply cannot be put down-warmly recommended' Time Out

Granted access to Wenger's friends and family, players and rival managers, Jasper Rees has written the untold story behind this private man. He follows Wenger from childhood in Alsace, through his stints as a journeyman player, to his coaching days at Nancy, Monaco, Grampus Eight and Arsenal.

Fighting for Fairness is the account of sportswriter Sam Lacy's career-long battle to lower racial barriers in sports. Lacy, who is in his nineties, spearheaded integration in major league baseball. He was inducted into the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.

Lacy's sixty-four years of crusading sportswriting, all but a few of them as sports editor for the Afro-American newspapers of Baltimore, includes his dramatic efforts to do his job in a period when black people and white people did not mix in many aspects of American life -- including the press boxes from which he needed to work.

Sam Lacy's on-the-scene accounts of sports events and insider stories about legendary sports figures are unmatched. Lacy lived with sports heroes like Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby in the segregated accommodations to which they were relegated for years despite their outstanding performances on the playing fields of the nation. This extraordinary book stands as a mirror of the progress America has made in race relations during Sam Lacy's lifetime.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Far more than a superb memoir about the highest levels of professional tennis, "Open" is the engrossing story of a remarkable life.
Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game's highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was often unhappy and confused, unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent. Agassi writes candidly about his early success and his uncomfortable relationship with fame, his marriage to Brooke Shields, his growing interest in philanthropy, and--described in haunting, point-by-point detail--the highs and lows of his celebrated career.

Fully updated to include the extraordinary scenes at London 2012, where Hoy won two more gold medals to bring his total to six and overtake Sir Steve Redgrave, this is the story of Britain's greatest ever Olympian. Chris Hoy has been instrumental in British track cycling's remarkable transformation from also-rans to world superpower. Now, having rewritten the record books as Olympic champion in four different cycling disciplines, and with six gold medals, Hoy has become a household name and established himself in the pantheon of sporting greats. This is a fly-on-the-wall account of Hoy and his team as he prepared for the Beijing Olympics, where he became the first Briton in a century to win three gold medals in a single Games, and it has now been fully updated to include the extraordinary scenes at London 2012, where Hoy won two more gold medals, to bring his total to six and overtake Sir Steve Redgrave as Britain's greatest ever Olympian. The story begins with Hoy's introduction to cycling as a BMX racer and his progression to Olympic champion, and explains the origins and evolution of Britain's world-beating team. It includes a bizarre visit to the world's highest velodrome in Bolivia and a spellbinding journey from the razzmatazz of the European six-day circuit to the craziness of the Japanese keirin races. Award-winning writer Richard Moore tracks Hoy throughout a season in the saddle, explores his motivations and mentors from a young age, and provides an unblemished insight into the mind of a champion and the largely unknown world of track cycling. It's a story that is fully updated with the remarkable events in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, two successive Olympic Games that were dominated by Hoy and the British track cycling team.

Irish travellers live in a closed community. What we think we know about them is based on hearsay, rumour and stereotype. But not any more. Knuckle is the true story of James Quinn McDonagh - clan head and champion bare-knuckle fighter. It's a journey from his grandfather's horse-drawn caravan at the side of the road to the country lanes of Ireland where he stood, fists bloodied and bandaged, fighting a clan war that he never asked for. Two men, two neutral referees, a country lane. No gloves, no biting, no rests. The last man standing wins, takes home the money, and more importantly, the bragging rights. Caught in a brutal cycle of violence that has left men dead, houses burned and lives destroyed, James tells a story that opens up a hidden world - revealing why history repeats itself, and why he can never go home...

Rudy became the inspiration for millions when a Hollywood film depicting his journey as a Notre Dame football player became one of the most influential sports movies ever made. In Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger's only autobiography, go behind the scenes to experience the heartache, triumph, and glory through Rudy's own eyes, and learn details of the ten years it took to get the movie made. For the first time, the real Rudy shares his story of floundering through school with undiagnosed dyslexia and finding himself mixed up with a rough and rowdy crowd. "Football was my salvation in high school," Rudy believes, and while he dreamed of playing for Notre Dame, he never believed he was smart enough to make it to the elite group of higher education. A poignant and high-energy storyteller, Rudy details failures and pitfalls along the way. He explains the persistence and determination it took to get accepted to Notre Dame, to suit up and play for twenty-seven glorious seconds, and to see the dream of his movie become a reality. Rudy is truly a real-life testament to the old adage that it is not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up again. He will motivate you to discover your own dreams and to them with unrelenting faith that anything is possible.

Superman. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Shaq Fu. The Big Daddy. The Big Shaqtus. Wilt Chamberneezy. The Real Deal. The Big Shamrock. Shaq.
You know him by any number of names, and chances are you know all about his legendary basketball career: Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. After being an All-American at Louisiana State University, he was the overall number one draft pick in the NBA in 1992. In his 19-year career, Shaq racked up 28,596 career points (including 5,935 free throws ), 13,099 rebounds, 3,026 assists, 2,732 blocks, and 15 All-Star appearances.
These are statistics that are almost as massive as the man himself. His presence-both physically and psychologically-made him a dominant force in the game for two decades.
But if you follow the game, you also know that there's a lot more to Shaquille O'Neal than just basketball.
Shaq is famous for his playful, and at times, provocative personality. He is, literally, outsize in both scale and persona. Whether rapping on any of his five albums, challenging celebrities on his hit television show "Shaq Vs.," studying for his PhD or serving as a reserve police officer, there's no question that Shaq has led a unique and multi-dimensional life. And in this rollicking new autobiography, Shaq discusses his remarkable journey, including his candid thoughts on teammates and coaches like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley.
From growing up in difficult circumstances and getting cut from his high school basketball team to his larger-than-life basketball career, Shaq lays it all out in SHAQ UNCUT: MY STORY.

Forever remembered as one of the most dramatic storylines in the history of golf, Payne Stewart's phenomenal career was bookended by a brass and colorful start and an inspired comeback with a shocking, tragic end. Written off as a pompous showman past the prime of his career, Stewart emerged from a long slump in the unforgettable season of 1999 to capture the U.S. Open and play on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team. He appeared to be a new man that summer: wiser, deeper, and on the verge of a new level of greatness. Then his journey to redemption ended in October, when his chartered Learjet flew aimlessly for more than a thousand miles, ran out of fuel, and fell to earth in a prairie in South Dakota. His death marked the end of an era, one made up of "shotmakers" who played the game with artistry, guile, finesse, and heart. Behind them were Tiger Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson, and other young players whose power and strength changed the PGA Tour forever. With exclusive access to Stewart's friends, family, and onetime colleagues, Kevin Robbins provides a long-overdue portrait of one of golf's greats in one of golf's greatest seasons

Ingmar Johansson's right hand-dubbed "The Hammer of Thor"-was the most fearsome in boxing, and Johansson's three fights with Floyd Patterson rank among the sport's classic rivalries. Yet most fans know little about the Swedish playboy who won the world heavyweight championship with a shocking third round knockout of Patterson and held it for six days short of a year (1959-1960). During his brief reign, the raffish "Ingo" hit fashionable nightspots on two continents, romanced Elizabeth Taylor and refused to kowtow to the mobsters who controlled boxing. This first-ever biography of Johansson chronicles his fistic triumphs as a Goteborg teen prodigy, his humiliating disqualification for "cowardice" at the 1952 Olympics, his story-book romance with Birgit Lundgren and his post-career life and tragic early dementia.

Early in their lives, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando chose ice hockey to be the sport they wanted to pursue. They didn't let the absence of girls hockey teams get in their way-they just played on boys teams. Nor did they let competitive adversity on the ice stop them on their way to a thrilling gold-medal victory at the 2018 Olympics, the United States' first gold medal in women's ice hockey in 20 years. They also did not allow roadblocks and discrimination off the ice deter them from taking on the big business of elite international and Olympic sports. The success of Monique, Jocelyne, and their team thrust them into the center of the fray in the struggle for gender equity, whether for women in hockey and in sports in general, or in society at large. In Dare to Make History, the Lamoureux twins chronicle their journey to the pinnacle of their sport, the challenges of competing as elite athletes while becoming new mothers, their efforts along with almost 150 other hockey players to start a new professional women's hockey league, their training to come back for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, and their contributions as role models championing the dreams of future generations of girls in sports, education, and the workplace. This is their inspiring story-the story of all girls and women, as well as boys and men, who simply want a level playing field.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's status as one of snooker's all-time greats was cemented in 2017 by adding to his five world titles, a seventh Masters and sixth UK, thus equalling Stephen Hendry's 18 'triple crown' triumphs. Now is the perfect time for his story to be told by Clive Everton - 'The Voice of Snooker'. Simply the Best traces Ronnie's course from carefree junior prodigy to deeply troubled and depressed adult, and so to maturity and self-knowledge. Along the way, he emerges as instinctively warm-hearted, the most loyal of sons and a true sportsman in his acceptance of defeat. Even so, full consideration is given to Ronnie's mistakes in a rounded portrait of one of snooker's most fascinating, complicated and successful characters.

Booked! The Gospel According to our Football Heroes is a funny, fascinating digest of over 120 footballer autobiographies. Authors John Smith and Dan Trelfer have forensically examined the life stories of legends, hard-cases, cult heroes and one or two players they vaguely remember playing for Portsmouth - so you don't have to. Along the way, they discovered answers to questions they never knew they needed to know. Which coach has a tattoo inked by Mickey Rourke? Which maverick witnessed his gaffer murder an animal in a team talk? Yes, the revelations from this Pandora's Box may melt the reader's face, like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. But they also offer an insight into the strange world that footballers inhabit, using their very own words. What drives star players apart? And what binds them together, beyond an almost universal love of Rod Stewart? Booked! investigates a unique world full of sex, booze, cash, fights, glory, bitterness, fame - and incessant, relentless banter.

There are very few major personalities in the world of sports who have so much to say about our National Pastime. And even fewer who are as well respected as Bill White.
Bill White, who's now in his early 70s, was an All-Star first baseman for many years with the St.Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies before launching a stellar broadcasting career with the New York Yankees for 18 years. He left the broadcast booth to become the President of the National League for five years.
A true pioneer as an African-American athlete, sportscaster, and top baseball executive, White has written his long-awaited autobiography in which he will be candid, open, and as always, most forthcoming about his life in baseball. Along the way, White shares never-before-told stories about his long working relationship with Phil Rizzutto, insights on George Steinbrenner, Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Bob Gibson, Bart Giamatti, Fay Vincent, and scores of other top baseball names and Hall of Famers.
Best of all, White built his career on being outspoken, and the years fortunately have not mellowed him. UPPITY is a baseball memoir that baseball fans everywhere will be buzzing about.

Running Up That Hill is a celebration of endurance running. Of running ridiculous distances - through cities, over mountains and across countries. Distances most people couldn't even imagine. But sports presenter Vassos Alexander is hooked!

Why else would he run an ultra in Paris, backwards, having missed the start? Why head to Wales for the world's hardest mountain race with a badly sprained ankle? And why follow in some unforgiving, ancient footsteps and attempt the oldest and toughest footrace on earth, the 153-mile Spartathlon?

There's joy to be found here. Really there is. Vassos recalls his own assaults on these gruelling races, along with ultra-running legends including Scott Jurek, Jasmin Paris, Kilian Jornet, Mimi Anderson and Dean Karnazes. They all testify to the transformative power of endurance running.

It's about the astonishing highs that come from pushing your body to the limit. The confidence and peace when you challenge yourself and succeed. All told, this is a cracking tale of what keeps ultra-distance runners running, mile after mile after mile.

A new edition of the universally acclaimed out-of-print 1997 book is lightly edited & completely redesigned in colour throughout. This classic of motor racing celebrates the life and achievements of Jim Clark (1936-1968), World Champion 1963 and 1965. A royalty on every copy sold in Britain (price GBP22.50) will be donated to the Jim Clark Trust. Patrons Sir Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard, Dario Franchitti and Allan McNish celebrate the new edition, Sir Jackie describing Clark as "...the best racing driver I ever raced with and against". Three times Le Mans winner Allan McNish: "A modern driver winning the British Grand Prix, racing in Formula 2, then at Indianapolis would be unthinkable." David Coulthard: "There is no question that Jim's achievements and Jackie Stewart's input were fundamental to me becoming a professional racing driver." Eric Dymock details Clark's place in motor racing history and total command of Formula 1, portraying him as an individual, nail-biting and insecure, yet the greatest driver in any sort of motor sport.Celebrating the life and achievements of Jim Clark (1936-1968), Formula 1 World Champion 1963 and 1965, this book details his place in motor racing history and his total command at the wheel. From a Scottish farming family, Clark rewrote the annals of American racing at Indianapolis, second at his first attempt in 1963, winning in 1965. Seemingly equal to the odds of the most dangerous eight years at the top of motor racing, Clark died in an unlikely accident in a minor race at Hockenheim on April 7 1968. Genius at the wheel was not enough. Rivals' campaigns for safety thereafter saved countless lives on and off the track.

Hats, Handwraps and Headaches is the inspiring, surprising and sometimes shocking story of Irish boxing coach Paddy Fitzpatrick, a failed pro boxer who was almost a Foreign Legionary before finding fame as a trainer of world-class fighters. After struggling as a young adult and attempting suicide, Paddy's life was transformed by a chance meeting with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. Paddy moved to LA to learn his trade at Roach's Wild Card gym, working with the likes of world champions James Toney and Laila Ali, and spending time with Laila's legendary father Muhammad Ali. Back in England, Paddy used the things he had learnt to take George Groves to three world title fights, including the return super-fight with Carl Froch, which drew 80,000 fans to Wembley Stadium. Filled with astonishing anecdotes - like the time Paddy took shots from a Heavyweight contender and a near-miss with a grizzly bear - Hats, Handwraps and Headaches is funny and poignant in equal measure, with riveting tales from both sides of the Atlantic.

"The best sports book of the year."
"- Sports Illustrated"
"John Ed Bradley says that all he ever wanted to do was to leave behind a pretty piece of writing. Here it is-a wonderful blend of honest introspection, passionate reporting, and superb storytelling. One of the best books I have read in years."
- Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Season of Life
Inspired by a classic essay about a visit to a dying coach, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium explores in gorgeous detail the inescapable pull of college football-the cocky smiles behind the face masks, the two-a-day drills, the emotionally charged bus rides to the stadium, the curfew checks, the film-study sessions, the locker room antics, and the yawning void left in one's soul the moment the final whistle sounds. To understand why it's so painful to give up the game, you must first understand the intimacy of the huddle. "It ends for everybody," writes John Ed Bradley, "and then it starts all over again, in ways you never anticipated. Marty Dufresne sits in his wheelchair listening to the Tiger fight song...Ramsey Darder endures prison by playing the games over in his head...Big Ed Stanton never took up the game of golf, and yet he rides the streets of Bayou Vista in a cart nearly identical to Coach Mac's, recalling the one time the old man invited him for a ride." Far more than a memoir, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium is a brutally honest, profoundly moving look at what it means to surrender something you love.

An Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2007
"John Ed Bradley is a rare gem, a gifted writer trapped in the body of a football player. It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium will send chills down the back of anyone who loves the game and will echo in the minds of former players long after they've put it down."
- Tim Green, best-selling author and member of the College Football Hall of Fame
"A mesmerizing read...achingly sentimental in some parts, brutally truthful in others..."
"- Chicago Tribune"
"The best memoir I have ever read on how a particular game, win or lose, can linger with us."
- Josh Levin, "Slate"
"An unsparing and often beautiful chronicle of [Bradley's] attempt to join polite society."
"- Play Magazine"
"A lyrical memoir...about his teammates, his coaches, his parents and the magnetic power of football in Louisiana." - National Public Radio
"Heart-wrenching, honest, insightful and hard to put down." "- The Franklin Sun
"

The biography of the new Chelsea manager.

The Queen of the Ring is the story of Mildred Burke, the longest reigning champion of female wrestling. In this in-depth account, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jeff Leen pulls back the curtain on a forgotten era when a petite midwesterner used her beauty and brawn to dominate America's most masculine sport. At only five feet two, Mildred Burke was an unlikely candidate for the ring. A waitress barely scraping by on Depression-era tips, she saw her way out when she attended her first wrestling match. When women were still struggling for equality with men, Burke regularly fought and beat male wrestlers. Rippling with muscle and dripping with diamonds, she walked the fine line between pin-up beauty and hardened brawler. An unforgettable slice of Americana, The Queen of the Ring captures the golden age of wrestling, when one gritty, glamorous woman rose through the ranks to take her place in athletic history.

From one of the most daring mountaineers of modern times, Walter Bonatti's The Mountains of My Life is an account of years spent conquering the most intimidating peaks on Earth, translated and with a foreword by Robert Marshall in Penguin Modern Classics. The Mountains of My Life is the breathtaking collection of Walter Bonatti's classic writings, detailing a life on the world's toughest ascents. He describes the staggeringly basic equipment he used and the fear, joy and serenity he finds on these daring ascents, as well as the importance of finding his courage and challenging himself. Included here too is the real story behind the feuds and controversy that were sparked by the K2 ascent that changed his life. Bonatti, one of the greatest mountaineers of all time, perfectly captures here in this awe-inspiring and passionate work the adventure, tragedy and sheer magnitude of his craft. Walter Bonatti (1930-2011) was born in Bergamo, Italy. As a young man he dedicated himself to extreme alpinism, and from the age of 19 to 35, he became an expert climber. In 1954 he played a vital role in the success of the Italian expedition that achieved the first ascent of K2. After 1965 Bonatti gave up mountaineering, turning to photojournalism for the Italian magazine Epoca, and travelling to remote places. If you enjoyed The Mountains of My Life, you might like T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Bonatti's voice reaches us from another world' The Press 'One of the most driven, audacious and successful mountaineers ... of all time' Andy Cave, Guardian