Untitled
HOME
CATALOG
SPORTalk
KUDOS
ABOUT US
The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics (Athens 2004 Edition) released
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
publicity@sportclassicbooks.com
TORONTO - Gold medals won't be awarded in Athens until next month, but the gold medal for chronicling the modern Olympics was awarded long ago. Since 1984, renowned American historian David Wallechinsky has produced the most read, most trusted and most comprehensive Olympic reference available, and the latest edition of what the Los Angeles Times has called "the ultimate Olympic Source book" is now available.

Completely updated, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics (Athens 2004 Edition) (SPORTClassic Books, $37.95 hardcover, $24.95 soft cover) has all the information fans and reporters will need to get the most out of this year's Games.

As in past editions, Wallechinsky has compiled complete records, statistics, and medal standings, as well as results of the top eight finishers in each Olympic event dating back to the Games' last visit to Athens in 1896. From aquatics to wrestling, every Olympic sport is meticulously chronicled, with sections on their rules and scoring procedures along with their greatest champions. Even sports that haven't been contested in the Olympic for nearly a century - like cricket and tug of war - get their due!

But The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics looks well beyond who won and who lost. Wallechinsky, in his colorful narrative style, provides insight into the storied competitors and events from each Olympiad. From Jim Thorpe and Jesse Owens to heroes from Sydney just four years ago like Marion Jones and Rulon Gardner, the richness of Olympic history is vividly captured. Off the field of play, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics examines the broader issues affecting the Olympic movement, including performance-enhancing drugs and the evolving definition of "amateurism."

Beyond the numbers and Wallechinsky's prose, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics also features 190 black-and-white photographs, and the hardcover edition includes an additional 16-page, full color Olympic Gallery that captures the greatest performers and performances in Olympic history.

For casual fans who plan on tuning in for one or two events this summer, or those who will be glued to their televisions from August 13 to 29, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics is an indispensable resource.
About the author
David Wallechinsky is a noted Olympic historian, NBC radio commentator and author of several reference books. His work has appeared in such publications as the New York Times Magazine, and he has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, Nightline and PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer. He lives in Santa Monica, California.
BOOK COVER

More about The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics (Athens 2004 Edition)

Order Softcover Edition
Order Hardcover Edition


Also by David Wallechinsky:
Details
7 1/2 x 9
Softcover ISBN: 1-894963-32-6
Hardcover ISBN: 1-894963-34-2
1,152 pages
190 B&W photos, 16-page color insert

Praise for 20 years of The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics
"For its wealth of information, you can't beat David Wallechinsky's The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics." - Sports Illustrated

"An indispensable addition to the shelves of both sportswriters and serious fans…an extremely meticulous-one may even say Olympian-piece of scholarship…. This is a volume that will be of service for many Olympiads to come" - Erich Segal, New York Times Book Review

"If ever a book was properly titled, this is the one…. The ultimate Olympic source book…humanity in all its pride and wonder." - Los Angeles Times

"A staggering compendium of results, highlights, and oddments dating from the first modern Games in 1896…. You'll have a hard time putting down the book to watch the Games on TV." - Wall Street Journal

"The perfect source for someone who wants to know everything about the Summer Games." - USA Today

"Wallechinsky has done a Herculean job of research on the Olympics and we are all the richer." - Los Angeles Daily News

"The most-plundered of all the books available to the nation's sporting scribblers…. A guy can look real smart after reading Wallechinsky's treasure trove of Olympic good stuff." - Houston Post

"Well-worn copies of this reference classic can be seen on the desks of sportswriters and editors." - Atlanta Journal and Constitution

"Author David Wallechinsky has amassed mind-boggling information. He stirs an aura of excitement into his superb writing…. Not a dull passage mars this book." - Wichita Falls (Texas) Times

"The writing manages to convey the breathless excitement of a radio announcer's staccato commentary, leaving you cheering the finale of events held long in the past." - New Orleans Times-Picayune

"A mass of superbly informative and entertaining anecdotes about the winners and losers, the characters and crises, and the fascinating behind-the scenes dramas behind the medals." - -Oldham Evening Chronicle

"Quickly outdistances any mere reference manual with the inclusion of hundreds of dramatic moments-in photos and essays-of the last century of competition." - Detroit News

"A monster compendium." - The Guardian

"An enormous plum pudding of a book….The book is a gem and the deadpan delivery priceless" - London Daily Telegraph

"David Wallechinsky deserves a gold medal for compiling The Complete Book of the Olympics." - Glasgow Sunday Post

"Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Olympics. Richly informative, amusing, and colorful, this is by far the most complete and accurate book of its kind." - Athletics Weekly

"Comprehensive…concise…meticulous…well-presented, easily followed, and above all, clean of errors." - Dublin Sunday Tribune

"Incredible narratives…mind-boggling tidbits…I am proud to have this book in my collection, not only as a reference book but as an entertaining read." - Birmingham Post

"The supreme guide…guaranteed to make you an expert." - New York Daily News
Untitled