Sports Biographies

Thrown in at the deep end 'on a mighty whim' by F1 team owner Ron Dennis, Lewis Hamilton began his 2007 debut season with several podium finishes. With behind-the-scenes insight into the rivalry between Hamilton and his team mate Fernando Alonso which threatened to derail the young Briton's dream, this book describes how he rose above his critics.

Tony Jacklin rescued the Ryder Cup from oblivion. Following years of American domination, interest in the event nosedived in the 1970s. It was Tony''s appointment as captain of Europe in 1983 that helped resuscitate the matches and launch the remarkable transformation of a competition that is now one of the biggest showpiece occasions in the world of sport.This book takes us on a journey through Tony''s Ryder Cup career, his seven matches as a player and his four as captain. It details his friendships with some of the game''s greats like Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer but also chronicles the times when he hit rock bottom - the sudden and unexpected death of his first wife, his own recent struggles with ill health, the year he lost everything financially and his affair with a sixteen-year-old that was splashed on the front page of a tabloid newspaper.

Nacho NovoWhen I left Spain for my Scottish adventure back in 2001, I could not have dreamt just how my career would take off. Six great years I spent at Rangers, making friends for life on and off the pitch. Yes, I won a league medal, scored the winning goal in a cup final, scored against Celtic and the winning penalty to take us to Manchester. However, what now gives me the greatest pleasure, is not only the memories, but knowing I am now a fan myself. I will be celebrating 55 like the rest of the Bears. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger.Robie Ferguson, GlasgowMy first away trip abroad was to Bilbao in 1969, in the Fairs Cup. Since then, my love for Rangers has taken me on over 200 trips all over Europe, South Africa, USA, Canada & Australia. From cup games to pre-season friendlies and tours, I have made good friends all over the world. Every trip has been an adventure following The Rangers.Ross McGill, Union BearsOur club and support really are second to none, and this experience at the time (in Leipzig) was a taster for the younger generation of trips to come and a bit of hope for our entire support, that natural order would one day be restored, and we would be back in Europe, following our club and at the top of Scottish football once again. Thankfully we are now there and 55 has been achieved. We are back....

A powerful look at the history of racism through the prism of sport, showing how we can change things through education and understanding

From 2015 to 2017, Peter Sagan achieved the seemingly impossible: he won three road race World Championships in a row, ensuring his entry into the history books as one of the greatest riders of all time. But to look at Peter's record in isolation is to tell only a fraction of his story, because Peter doesn't just win: he entertains.

The most comprehensive biography of global sporting icon Tiger Woods.

Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden and Jay Carty know that when it comes down to it, success is an equal opportunity player. Anyone can create it in his or her career, family, and beyond. Based on John Wooden's own method to victory, Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success reveals that success is built block by block, where each block is a crucial principle contributing to lifelong achievement in every area of life. Each of these 32 daily readings takes an in-depth look at a single block of the pyramid, which when combined with the other blocks forms the structure of the pyramid of success. Join John Wooden and Jay Carty to discover the building blocks and key values--from confidence to faith--that have brought Coach to the pinnacle of success as a leader, a teacher, and a follower of God.

Coming to cinemas in November 2019, under the title LE MANS '66 ____________________In the 1960s Enzo Ferrari emerged as the dominant force in sports cars in the world, creating speed machines that were unbeatable on the race track.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER“A captivating read from one of our country’s greatest athletes.” ―Christine Sinclair, former captain of the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team and National Bestselling Author of Playing the Long GameOut of the Toronto suburb of Brampton comes an irresistible story of trials, perseverance, the limelight of international soccer, and—above all—heart.Despite debuting on Canada’s senior national soccer team 20 years ago, scarce is known of Atiba Hutchinson. We’ve watched him win Canadian Men’s Player of the Year six times; celebrated his club team championships; and mourned his injuries. We’ve lamented the state of Canadian soccer and cursed the lost potential—and years. Yet, we know little about Atiba’s personal life, or how he rose from suburban Brampton to becoming Canada’s most-capped national men’s team player, often described as the country’s greatest athlete you haven’t heard about.For the first time, Atiba is ready to share the extraordinary story of his ascent to the heights of professional soccer, nationally and internationally, and what he believes makes a true champion. The Beautiful Dream is an intimate account of Atiba’s awe-inspiring career, from his humble beginnings to playing across Europe; the crushing disappointment of failing national team competitions in the 2010s that nearly led to his resignation from the national program; all the way to his triumphant arrival in Qatar to face off against 31 other nations at the world’s most pre-eminent soccer competition. He has strived to better not only his own game but the landscape of Canadian soccer for over two decades, culminating in Canada’s first trip to the FIFA World Cup since 1986. Yet, as the reflective midfielder shows, this isn’t just his story: The Beautiful Dream is the story of countless Canadians, who strive and scrape for a seemingly unreachable dream—until their fingertips finally graze the surface. It’s a lesson about the unyielding belief required when taking the long road to success. Atiba's journey mirrors the progression of Canadian soccer, and the story of Canada itself: goals that may begin as outsized but as we work towards them, our world changes with us. Atiba’s journey of hope, belief, and resilience connects the country’s modest soccer past to a bold, exciting future in the game. It’s a story that transcends the pitch, exploring what it means to be a kid who dares to dream of achieving the impossible, and the man who perseveres to get there.

An eloquent and thought-provoking book on racism and prejudice by the Liverpool and England football legend John Barnes.

In It for the Long Run is ultrarunner Damian Hall's story of his Pennine Way record attempt in July 2020. With dry wit and humour, Hall tells of his nine-year preparation for his attempt, and of the run itself. He also gives us an autobiographical insight into the deranged world of midlife crisis ultramarathon running and record attempts.

The definitive biography of basketball superstar Magic Johnson

You don't get biceps like Briggs by giving up when the going gets tough... CrossFit superstar Sam Briggs, aka 'The Engine', is a true hero in the sport, with a level of endurance unparalleled in the game.

An intimate account of Alex Honnold's unprecedented, almost unimaginable feat: a 3,000-foot vertical climb up El Capitan in Yosemite, without a rope.

The definitive biography of global superstar and basketball icon Kobe Bryant

The explosive and compelling autobiography of Joey Barton, football's most intriguing personality, brought fully up to date

'The whole point of a race is to find a winner... I chose to race, so I chose to win.' For 14 years between 1965 and 1978, cyclist Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx simply devoured his rivals, their hopes and their careers. His legacy resides as much in the careers he ruined as the 445 victories - including five Tour de France wins and all the monument races - he amassed in his own right. So dominant had Merckx become by 1973 that he was ordered to stay away from the Tour for the good of the event.Stage 17 of the 1969 Tour de France perfectly illustrates his untouchable brilliance. Already wearing the yellow jersey on the col du Tourmalet, the Tour's most famous peak, Merckx powered clear and rode the last 140 kilometres to the finish-line in jaw-dropping solitude, eight minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.Merckx's era has been called cycling's Golden Age.It was full of memorable characters who, at any other time, would all have gone on to become legends. Yet Merckx's phenomenal career overshadowed them all. How did he achieve such incredible success? And how did his rivals really feel about him? Merckx failed drug tests three times in his career - were they really stitch ups as he claimed? And what of the crash at a track meet in Blois, France that killed Merckx's pacer Fernand Wambst, which Merckx claimed deeply affected him psychologically and physically? Or the attack by a spectator in 1975?Despite his unique achievements, we know little about the Cannibal beyond his victories. This will be the first comprehensive biography of Merckx in English, and will finally expose the truth behind this legendary man.

The Mountains of My Life collects Walter Bonatti's classic writings detailing his exploits on numerous expeditions to different mountains of the world, as well as the real story behind the controversy over the events on K2 that changed his life. Bonatti is one of the greatest mountaineers of all time, and these awe-inspiring writings capture the adventure, audacity and magnitude of his craft.

The inside story of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, a revealing portrait of the man and his methods that have transformed the North London club, now fully revised and updated to the end of his Arsenal career.