Books by Allen Guttmann

This study traces the development of women's sports from antiquity to the present day, focusing on the role of women's athletics in a cultural and social context. It investigates various contemporary issues, such as sexual exploitation and the feasibility of competition between men and women.

From Greek athletic competitions to the cult of body-building at Gold's Gym, this text examines literature, art, television, and movies to uncover a vast array of evidence that cultures across the ages have reflected at length, in celebration and censure, on the erotic nature of sports.

Originally published in 1978, From Ritual to Record was one of the first books to recognize the importance of sports as a lens on the fundamental structure of societies. In this reissue, Guttmann emphasizes the many ways that modern sports, dramatically different from the sports of previous eras, have profoundly shaped contemporary life.

An exploration of the ways in which modern sports have spread from their Western roots to all corners of the globe. Could this be another form of cultural imperialism?