Sports History

Test cricket is on the cusp of its 150th anniversary. For the first time, Test Cricket: A History tells the full, gripping story of the players and stories that have shaped the game's evolution since 1877....

Most batters just do their best, yet the top players create art. It is physically impossible to face an 80mph delivery and track it with your eyes, yet the greatest batters do more than just watch the ball, they can see into the future.

In Sport, the term 'good bloke' doesn't mean what it says. Like 'fun run', it in fact often means the exact opposite....

A little over 100 years ago, East Africa was terra incognita to most whites....

Experience 50 years of wrestling history through the iconic voice of Jim Ross.

In the four biggest American sports leagues, 124 franchises vie for the crown of greatest of all. Only one can sit atop the throne. Now for the first time ever, Got Your Legends ranks all of the franchises and explains which teams are legendary, or unique, or exciting, or tragic . . . or laughable.

Obscure documents, Korean-language books, and in-depth interviews with tae kwon do pioneers tell the tale of the origin of the most popular martial art....

Harvey Penick's life in golf began when he was eight years old, caddying at the Austin, Texas, Country Club. Eight decades later...

ESPN began as an outrageous gamble with a lineup that included Australian Rules Football, rodeo, and a rinky-dinky clip show called Sports Center....

Simon Kuper travelled to twenty-two countries from South Africa and Italy to Russia and the USA to examine the way football has shaped them.

As lead presenter for Sky Sports Formula One live coverage, Simon Lazenby is at the centre of Grand Prix race-weekend action. In this book, he takes us off camera to give us exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the people who power this multi-billion-pound sport.

Journeying from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, and onto London, Paris, Moscow and New York in search of the answers, Miguel Delaney follows the threads that surround the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game.

Best-selling surf writer Tim Baker tells this implausible story in an irresistible series of ripping yarns, offering rich life lessons, a maverick business primer and a wild ride of adventure, good times and outlandish ambitions spectacularly realised....

Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than $200....

The definitive biography of Steve Kerr, the championship-winning basketball player and head coach of the record-breaking Golden State Warriors....

In this revealing, in-depth look at the NFL's greatest quarterback controversy, Adam Lazarus takes listeners into the locker room and inside the huddle to deliver the real story behind the rivalry....

The stories and verses in this collection are not just anecdotes, racing history pieces or rehashed feature articles from sports journalists; first and foremost they are good literature....

Putting the games in the context of Rome's rise and dramatic fall, Mannix captures all the history, planning, and savage pageantry that went into creating the first spectator sports.

Australia enjoys a rich sporting heritage. Our small population has yielded a disproportionate number of champions....

For more than 30 years, H. G. Nelson has been finding the poetry in the punt and humour during half-time. Now, he turns his keen eye for facts and folly to the illustrious history of our great sporting nation....

A deeply researched biography of the new (smiley) face of tennis. A global star who has achieved more than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer did by this stage of their careers...

In early July 2018, Aston Villa were staring into the abyss. Locked in a cash crisis triggered by defeat in the Championship play-off final, one of English football’s most historic and successful clubs stood on the brink of financial catastrophe.

To the Linksland is the captivating memoir of Bamberger’s golfing pilgrimage/extended honeymoon. From an all-night caddie bus on the back roads of southern Europe to Stark’s secret six-hole course in the Scottish Highlands, Bamberger takes you on a journey into the heart of golf.

The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports....

Brought to you by Penguin. Hurling is Ireland's national game – a source of fascination and pride, even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, used to be one of those people.

Waking The Giant takes you inside one of the most extraordinary revival acts in modern football, from the last-minute takeover by billionaire duo Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens which saved the club, through the promotion and equally remarkable Premier League survival inspired by boyhood supporter Dean Smith, right up to the present day and their return to the European elite under Unai Emery.

A deeply researched biography of the new (smiley) face of tennis. A global star who has achieved more than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer did by this stage of their careers. At just 19 years old, Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open and became the youngest ever men's world number one. At only 21, he already had four Grand Slam titles. For Alcaraz, everything - from his charm to his star power to his tennis mojo - starts with a smile. But there is a more complex character behind the smile.

As lead presenter for Sky Sports Formula One live coverage, Simon Lazenby is at the centre of Grand Prix race-weekend action. In this book, he takes us off camera to give us exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the people who power this multi-billion-pound sport. Drawing on over a decade's accumulated first-hand knowledge and connections across the paddock, Simon talks to key experts and professionals within the teams and the overall organisation, who each reveal how they operate, how they compete, the skills they've learnt to navigate the challenges they face.

Brought to you by Penguin. Hurling is Ireland's national game – a source of fascination and pride, even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, used to be one of those people. Then he spent a summer trying to play hurling with a tiny club in the West Waterford Gaeltacht. Along the way he embarked on a quest to understand the history, geography and mystique of this extraordinary sport.

This action-packed trivia book is your ultimate challenge—featuring brain-teasing quizzes, fun facts, and iconic moments from 11 major sports including rugby, cricket, basketball, and the NFL.

The short answer is no. In the early 1900s, the sport of basketball was in its infancy. The basic elements of the game included passing the ball, no physical contact, and only two-handed set shots. Times were ripe for improvements and the development of new techniques. A few notable players in the 1930s and 1940s began to jump and shoot a basketball. But it was Kenny Sailors who stepped in and made the modern-day jump shot famous.

Packed with fun facts and fascinating stories, this engaging compilation celebrates the world of tennis day by day throughout the year. Each entry offers a lively mix of historic milestones, memorable match summaries, quirky anecdotes, and surprising trivia—from major championship victories and legendary showdowns to obscure records and off-court curiosities. Organized in an easy-to-navigate daily format, this mini encyclopedia is brimming with stats and stories that bring the sport’s rich history to life.

The experiences of heroic older women have traditionally been dismissed or buried in history books, and the skateboarding industry has mirrored this trend. Female skateboarders rarely get mentioned beyond a token paragraph, and stories of their contributions and barrier-breaking have almost never been told. Until now. With enthusiasm and empathy, Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides celebrates the relentless participation of women in skateboarding from the 1960s onward who defied a hostile industry to carve out their own space through underground networks.

From the roar of Wembley to the silence of Centre Court, The Great Family Sports Quiz Book 2025 brings you 650 brand-new questions covering the biggest names, greatest moments, and unforgettable events in British sport. Perfect for families, sports fans, pub quiz lovers, and trivia buffs, this entertaining and challenging quiz book is packed with themed rounds across.

We'll start with the monks amusing themselves in the monasteries by playing jeu de paume, and we'll trace the history and development of the game right up to the present day. Along the way, we'll find out why it's called tennis, and why we use that weird scoring system. We'll learn about the major tournaments of the modern Open Era: the Grand Slams – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open – and the ATP and WTA Finals.