The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition [Paperback]

David Wallechinsky (Author), Jaime Loucky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Complete Book of the Olympics | Publication Date: May 28, 2008

With a complete statistical record since the 1896 founding of the modern Games—including medals won and times, distances, or scores recorded by the top eight competitors in all events (from staples such as the marathon to long-discontinued competitions such as the tug of war), this encyclopedic tome contains anything anyone could ever need or want to know about the modern Olympic Games. Far from a dry compendium of names, numbers, and scoring systems, this book also contains a summary history of every event at each of the 26 modern Games, enriched with an extraordinary wealth of Olympic lore and anecdote. The authors provide thought-provoking analysis of issues and controversies from shamateurism to drug-taking and corruption, and they have sieved through more than a century of Olympic history to assemble a mind-boggling collection of stories that range from the inspiring, through the comic, to the bizarre. Such long-forgotten characters are included as the boy who was plucked from the streets of Paris to navigate for two Dutch oarsmen in the paired-oar event in 1900 and, after steering them to victory and a Gold Medal, returned to obscurity, his name unknown to this day; or the 72-year-old winner of a silver medal for target-shooting.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Perhaps the most indispensable book about the Games."  —The Wall Street Journal

"Goes beyond the statistics."  —The News-Gazette

"[A] fine reference book."  —The Honolulu Star-Bulletin

"[A] must-see publication for fans of the games."  —The Republic

"[A] valuable reference."  —Times-News

About the Author

David Wallechinsky was introduced to the Olympics when his father, the novelist Irving Wallace, took him to the 1960 Games in Rome. He has since produced seven editions of this book plus, in collaboration with Jaime Loucky, four editions of its companion volume, The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1200 pages
• Publisher: Aurum Press; 2008 Ed edition (May 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845133307
• ISBN-13: 978-1845133306
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #638,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Important Improvements, June 30, 2008

By 

David Glagovsky (Arlington, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition (Paperback)

The last few editions of this book were titled "The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics", because the winter Olympic Games were covered in a separate volume. They still are. Perhaps the previous publisher wouldn't let the current one use the word "summer" in the title. But that is a minor quibble.

Two long-need changes have finally been made to this quadrennially updated reference. These alone make it worth purchasing. First, after the listings for track and field events, the remaining sports are listed alphabetically. Previously, sports were placed in various groupings, such as "aquatics", "team sports", and "individual sports". For some sports, trying to find the proper group in the table of contents was a nightmare. Second, every odd-numbered page has guidewords at the top that tells the user which sport and event's results are listed on it. For example, on page 511 is the advisory, "Cycling: Men's Road Time Trial". Now users don't have to flip through page after page, wondering which results they are looking at.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything a Summer Olympics fan could dream of..., December 2, 2008

By 

L Goodman-Malamuth "Leslie Goodman-Malamuth" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition (Paperback)

... except the 2008 results. And of course, when David Wallechinsky produces THAT, I'll grab that updated volume, too. Not only do the authors give every little detail about the most famous events--Jesse Owens', Mark Spitz's, Wilma Rudolph's--but this volume is packed full of little-known facts about people whose tales are otherwise lost in today's 24/7 world. Yes, the IOC has some management details that are distasteful, but there are stories told in this book that are heartwarming: the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea whose 2000 trip gave him his very first dip in an Olympic-size pool, who finished last in twice the time of the event winner, but who received a standing ovation from the crowd. Who was the oldest competitor? The youngest? The only athletes to compete in five, or seven, Games? They're all here. The authors also tell some of the prequels and sequels to Olympic journeys: who died in subsequent accidents or wars, who overdosed, you name it. This book is indeed "complete," and deserves a spot on the shelf for frequent referrals in months and years to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Olympics BIble is a Treasure!, September 6, 2008

By 

Bill Roberts (Malibu Hills) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition (Paperback)

Wallechinsky's newest book is a treasure trove of Olympic proportions. Everything you ever wanted to know about all the Summer Olympic events are detailed in this superb resource!