The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Athens (Complete Book of the Olympics) [Hardcover]

David Wallenchinsky (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1894963342 | ISBN-13: 978-1894963343 | Publication Date: June 18, 2004 | Edition: 2004 Edition

Completely updated, this ultimate Olympic reference book contains all the nitty-gritty detail, including all records, statistics and medal standings.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Wallechinsky is a renowned Olympic historian, NBC radio commentator and author of several reference books, including the Book of Lists and the People¡¯s Almanac Presents the 20th Century. His work has appeared in such publications as the New York Times Magazine and Parade, and he has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, Nightline, and PBS¡¯s News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The gold medal for chronicling the modern Olympics, at every Olympiad since the Los Angeles Summer Games of 1984, has gone to renowned historian David Wallechinsky. His magnus opus, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics, has been called the bible of the Olympics. Completely updated for the 2004 Athens Games, this ultimate reference book contains all-time Olympic records, statistics and medal standings, as well as results of the top eight finishers in every Olympic event from 1896 to 2000. It also carries, in Wallechinsky¡¯s colorful narrative style, a complete history of the Games plus the inside stories of the major competitors and events in each and every Olympiad.

The Wall Street Journal has called The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics ¡°a staggering compendium of results, highlights and oddment¡±, while Los Angeles Times trumpets it as the ¡°ultimate Olympic source book.¡± The No. 1 reference source for Olympic media, athletes and fans, Wallechinsky¡¯s work also abounds with facts and anecdotes that leave readers feeling as if they were present at the finish line and, later that evening, in the athletes¡¯ village. Wallechinsky glides effortlessly through more than a century of Olympic lore to bring to life such legendary champions as Jim Thorpe, Paavo Nurmi and Jesse Owens. He takes readers into the ring with Cassius Clay, into the pool with Mark Spitz and onto the balance beam with Nadia Com¨£neci, while also paying tribute to such modern-era stars as Greg Louganis, Carl Lewis and Steve Redgrave in passages that explore the drama behind the medals.

Wallechinsky also examines the dark side of the Olympics, recounting boycotts, terrorism, IOC corruption and the modern scourge, doping. He leaves no issue unattended and no winner unrecognized in a book that¡¯s been hailed as an ¡°Olympian piece of scholarship.¡±

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1152 pages
• Publisher: Sport Media Publishing; 2004 Edition edition (June 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894963342
• ISBN-13: 978-1894963343
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,157,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grab this book if you can, July 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Athens (Complete Book of the Olympics) (Paperback)

This book gives you all the top 8 finishes in Olympic History. Most sources give you the top 3 or some give you the winners only. In Track and Field, they tell you that Bob Hayes won the 100 meters in 10.05 in 1964 in all others they tell you 10.0. Most people don't know that Tokyo used auto-timers for their Track events and you know that Henry Carr won 200m in 20.36, Mike Larrabee 400m in 45.15.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Olympic book to have., August 18, 2004

By 

Taylor Jernigan (Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Athens (Complete Book of the Olympics) (Paperback)

After a long search for an Olympic record/history book, I am very glad that I found this one. As another reviewer pointed out, one of the jewels of this book is that it list first through eighth place for all events. And it covers ALL events, including the discontinued ones (tug-of-war, croquet, the swimming obstacle race, etc...). There is also a short background history on a vast majority of the entries which is excellent. I have been extremely happy with this book and I'm relying heavily on it now during the Athens Games. I will definitely buy his next Complete Book of the Winter Olympics.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice Acquisition, October 31, 2008

By 

Sergio R. Porto (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Athens (Complete Book of the Olympics) (Paperback)

It's a very nice acquisition considering the space available. It is true that you can gather much more information on a specific Summer Olympic Games website, but then you would need a volume for each edition of the Games.