Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition

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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.

... 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.

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!

This is an excellent resource for ALL the Summer Olympic Games. Contrary to what is said in a previous, much older review, this edition of Wallechinsky's book is complete through the 2004 Summer Olympics.

This is the best Olympic resource book around. If you are an Olympic fan this is the book for you.

It does exactly what it says on the cover, the complete guide. It would have been nice for them to wait until after the 2008 games, but it's still great. It tell's you everything you need to know about each olympic's event and winners from the 200 Metre swimming Obstacle race to the Marathon and Croquet to Synchronized Swimming. It also gives you a brief history of each olympics, the issues and the tables. But the main bit's are the event's. It makes a nice change from the books that just tell you generally about the games and main event's. It's a brillant book and a must have

I really liked this book; however, it was more of an almanac than a picture book. Very cool.

Although this book is out of date (1988 is the last games covered), it is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the complete Olympic results. It covers information about each participant in each event and has excellent stories to boot. For example, did you know Grace Kelly's father, Jack, won a gold medal in a rowing event? Or that Hilter made a pass at the American winner of the women's 100-yard dash in 1936?