Sports: The Complete Visual Reference [Hardcover]

Francois Fortin (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2000

Sports is a comprehensive reference to 125 amateur and professional sports, featuring classic Olympic athletic events (track and field, aquatics, gymnastics, combat sports, and equestrian events), as well as team, individual and motor sports (boxing, hockey, tennis, skiing, soccer, basketball, and Formula 1).

With one thousand annotated illustrations and four hundred color photographs, this book explains the games' history, rules, strategies, facilities and equipment. In addition, there are highlights of the greatest players from the past and present, analyses of changes in technology and comparisons of performance over the years.

The presentation of the information is fascinating for browsers and fans. How big is a soccer pitch? What are the four types of tennis court surface? How do you throw the hammer? It is all here, plus three indices (terms, symbols and illustrations).

Athlete profiles that list physical and mental requirements for each sport are invaluable guides for young athletes choosing a sport.

For a full table of contents and sample page spreads, visit: fireflybooks.com/books/sports.html

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book is designed to provide the reader with the history, rules, strategies, and equipment for 127 sports played worldwide. A combination of graphics, concise text, and photos enables the reader to quickly find visual guidelines and information about a variety of sports, including the classic Olympic events. Each category (Track and Field, Snow Sports, Ball Sports, etc.) is subdivided into individual events, featured on two or three colorful pages. Traditional as well as less traditional athletics are covered, such as BMX racing, in-line skating, snowboarding, and skateboarding. The format is easy to use and complete with a detailed table of contents and index. A good, up-to-date reference source for public and school libraries."Larry R. Little, Penticton P.L., BC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This inexpensive encyclopedia aims to be a comprehensive reference source on 120 contemporary sports (including what are known as "extreme sports"), pulling together the history, physical environment for competitions, roles of the players and officials, specific terms and expressions, and dynamics of each. All of this is done with an emphasis on visual presentation, and each entry includes copious illustrations.The various sports are broken down into chapters, beginning with "Track and Field," which surveys 37 events, to "Aerial Sports," which includes only one, parachuting. Coverage is wide-ranging, encompassing "Sports on Wheels" (skateboarding, roller hockey, and in-line skating), and "Sports of Aestheticism," or bodybuilding. Among other individual contemporary sports that are treated are BMX and mountain biking, trampoline, bandy (played on ice with a stick and ball but more similar to soccer than ice hockey), pelota vasca (or Basque ball, a court game related to jai alai), and petanque (similar to lawn bowling), as well as the more familiar basketball, boxing, and golf. Treatment of individual sports ranges from one to six pages. Each entry includes a short history of the sport, an explanation of the game, basic rules, and computer graphics illustrating the equipment and playing field (with dimensions) and positions of the players. These graphics are the volume's strong suit. Many entries also include photos of past champions or other illustrations that display some part of the sport's history. An interesting element of many entries is the player profile, which highlights the physical and psychological qualities or daily training regimens of the athletes. Attractive illustrations and the inclusion of many newer and extreme sports make this volume highly recommended for purchase for both reference and circulating collections in school and public libraries.Reference Books in BriefThe following is a list of additional recent and recommended reference sources. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 380 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd (September 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552095401
• ISBN-13: 978-1552095409
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best visual reference on sports, August 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sports: The Complete Visual Reference (Hardcover)

This book provides in-depth information on all known sports, even some I did not know about! The illustrations are great. It is perfect to know what a sport is all about. Start reading it and you won't stop. Reference at its best. I strongly recommend this work of art.

Bravo!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for adults and kids, December 22, 2004

By 

cabbiechk "cabbiechk" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sports: The Complete Visual Reference (Hardcover)

This book is a great visual reference for many types of sports, even ones I knew very little about. It is also great for kids to give an insight into many different areas to discover something that interests them. I highly recommend it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Book!, December 26, 2002

By 

Leila (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sports: The Complete Visual Reference (Hardcover)

A terrific book describing thousands of sports. You will find sports such as softball, gymnastics, swimming, bowling, diving, and martial art sports. And that's less then a quarter of what the sports in here are! (You name a sport, it's in there!) The book features a history for each sport, the rules, the equipment, and has full color graphics showing basic moves and positions. A must-have for everyone interested in sports.