“A people’s history of the Olympics.”—New York Times Book Review A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year The Games is best-selling sportswriter David Goldblatt’s sweeping, definitive history of the modern Olympics. Goldblatt brilliantly traces their history from the reinvention of the Games in Athens in 1896 to Rio in 2016, revealing how the Olympics developed into a global colossus and highlighting how they have been buffeted by (and affected by) domestic and international conflicts. Along the way, Goldblatt reveals the origins of beloved Olympic traditions (winners’ medals, the torch relay, the eternal flame) and popular events (gymnastics, alpine skiing, the marathon). And he delivers memorable portraits of Olympic icons from Jesse Owens to Nadia Comaneci, the Dream Team to Usain Bolt.

An account of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome reveals the competition's unexpected influence on the modern world, in a narrative synopsis that pays tribute to such athletes as Cassius Clay and Wilma Rudolph while evaluating the roles of Cold War propaganda, civil rights, and politics. 250,000 first printing.

Draws together international scholars on issues that emerge from ancient Olympic contests, and over one hundred years of modern Olympic history, with varied perspectives, while encompassing an assessment of literature and debates on the Olympics. This book serves as a resource for students and researchers interested in significance of the Games.

Traces the history of the modern Olympics from 1896 to 2000, contrasting the ideal of the game with the often politicized reality.

A timely, no-holds barred, critical political history of the modern Olympic Games The Olympics have a checkered, sometimes scandalous, political history. Jules Boykoff, a former US Olympic team member, takes readers from the event’s nineteenth-century origins, through the Games’ flirtation with Fascism, and into the contemporary era of corporate control. Along the way he recounts vibrant alt-Olympic movements, such as the Workers’ Games and Women’s Games of the 1920s and 1930s as well as athlete-activists and political movements that stood up to challenge the Olympic machine.

Published in association with the International Olympic Committee, The History of the Olympic Games: Faster, Higher, Stronger brings the glorious story of the world's biggest sporting event to life. Featuring hundreds of stunning photographs from every iteration of the modern summer Games, as well as rare documents and memorabilia from the archives of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, this is a celebration of sporting history like no other. From its humble beginnings under the auspices of Pierre de Coubertin to the modern extravaganza that has showcased legendary athletes such as Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Jesse Owens and many more, every edition of the Games is rendered here in fascinating detail, alongside rarely seen artworks and artefacts. Revised, updated and in an exciting new format, The History of the Olympic Games: Faster, Higher, Stronger is the definitive illustrated volume on the world's greatest sporting spectacle. Written with the full co-operation of the International Olympic Committee.

Do the Olympic Games really live up to their glowing reputation? As the biggest global sport mega-event, the Olympic Games command public and media attention, while Olympic mythology and ritual obscure their underlying function as a profit-making business enterprise.

The Olympics Ancient to Modern is a fascinating look at the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, from the first events in Ancient Greece right the way up to London 2012 and Sochi 2014. It focusses on when and where each Games has been held, and some key stats, such as how much it cost, how many athletes competed, and how many spectators came to watch. The book explains how all the Games - Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and Paralympics - came into being, and how the Olympic Games were revived in Paris at the end of the 19th century. It compares the ancient and modern Games, looking at the sports and athletes involved then and now, and at how the modern Games are continuosly evolving. It also looks at key moments in the Games' history, and at some of the tragedies and controversies that have rocked it - from doping scandals, boycotts and cheating to the Berlin Olympics of 1936, and the Munich Massacre. The book celebrates the achievements of star Olympians, and gives the lowdown on the most popular and exciting Olympic sports, from cycling and rowing to skiing and wheelchair basketball. Fun, fact-filled text and a bright, engaging design make this the perfect Olympic title for children of 9+. If you've enjoyed finding out about the history of the Olympics, why not try learning all about key Olympic sports in Going for Gold: A Guide to the Summer Olympics, another title in the series.

David Wallechinsky's compendious book has long been the preeminent point of reference for sports enthusiasts and journalists alike Every sports writer assigned to cover the Games ensures they have their early copy of this prodigious work of reference, packed with absorbing anecdotes and essential statistics. A treasure trove of 116 years of Olympic history, it is also an amazingly readable book, for in the course of recording every single Olympic final since 1896, it concentrates on the strange, the memorable, and the unbelievable. Who knew (until reading this book) that croquet was once an Olympic sport, or tug of war, or that a 72-year-old once won a silver medal for target shooting? This new edition also has every finals result, recorded by the top eight competitors in every event at the Beijing Olympics, and full descriptions of rules and scoring for every event included for 2012. It is the one truly essential Olympics book.

London 2012: The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC 1894-2012 is a dramatic account of the history of the world's foremost sporting spectacle. It is the lavishly illustrated story of the re-creation of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin, of the often controversial fortunes of the governing body, which was formed in 1894, and of the highs and lows of the Olympics themselves since the first Games in 1896. It also tells the stories of the historic competitors--from Spyridon Louis (the inaugural marathon winner) and such heroes as Jim Thorpe, Paavo Nurmi, Sonja Henie, Jesse Owens, Fanny Blankers-Koen, Emil Zatopek, Herb Elliott, Kip Keino, Mark Spitz, Franz Klammer, Sebastian Coe and Carl Lewis through to Hicham El Guerrouj, Michael Phelps and Sun-Yu Jin. Each chapter begins with a personal reminiscence by either a famous champion or a notable IOC figure. Detailed background is provided to the many crises: the Nazi Games of 1936; the massacre at Mexico City in 1968; the terrorist slaughter of Israelis at the 1972 Munich Games; the boycotts; the advent of professionals from 1988; and the Ben Johnson scandal and the ongoing threat of drug abuse. As the sporting world awaits, with eager expectation, the 2012 Games in London, this book gives an unparalleled account of the Olympics story from its beginnings in Athens 1894 to the build-up to the Games in London.