Welcome to SPORTClassic Books
In just a few seasons, SPORTClassic Books has evolved into
the leading critically-acclaimed publisher of books focused on the rich history
and tradition of the games people play.
Illustrative of our growing reputation is Sports
Illustrated's decision to feature Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle
as the lead title in the Year in Books section of its Sports Media 2005 package
in the December 19 issue. The Guthrie autobiography -- every word of which was
written by Janet herself -- is a good example of the excellence we strive for in
each and every book we publish.
In many cases, as with the Guthrie book, that excellence is reflected principally in the quality of the writing and the resonance of the story-telling. Our list of authors and contributors is deep and rich, and includes the likes of Frank Deford, Thomas Hauser, Bob Ryan, Peter Gent, Charley Rosen, John Thorn, Bud Collins, Roger Kahn, Robert Creamer, Dave Anderson, as well as the late, legendary Lawrence Ritter and Leonard Koppett.
In other instances, such as The Boys of Spring, the excellence we strive for is to be found in the transcendence of the photography or artwork, as well as the other visual elements of a book. The Boys of Spring, which features the timeless baseball photography of the peerless Ozzie Sweet, was the subject of a two-page spread in SI last year and is one of 10 finalists nominated for the 2005 Casey Award, given each year to the outstanding baseball book in North America.
Beyond its focus on quality writing, visuals and story-telling, SPORTClassic Books is dedicated to providing the deepest, broadest account of sports history available anywhere through its TOTAL reference series. TOTAL Baseball, TOTAL Basketball, TOTAL Hockey and TOTAL Tennis are widely considered the respective bibles of their sports, and David Wallechinsky's twin opuses, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics and the just-released The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, fulfill the same role with respect to the world's ultimate sporting event.
In 2004, SPORTClassic Books hit the front page of newspapers around the world when famed physicist Stephen Hawking announced at a conference in Dublin that he was conceding his bet with American scientist John Preskill on the nature of black holes, and awarded his colleague the spoils of the wager –- Preskill's choice of a single book from which he could extract information at will. Preskill's selection: The 2,688-page 8th edition of Total Baseball.
