The Olympics
A History of the Modern Games
2nd Edition
Published on 9. January 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-0-252-07046-4 (ISBN)
Description
The classic account of the modern Olympic movement
This second edition of Guttmann's critically acclaimed history discusses the intended and actual effects of the modern Olympic Games from 1896 to 2000. The glories and fiascoes, the triumphs and tragedies--Guttmann weaves them all into a vivid and entertaining social history. As Guttmann shows, politics has always been one of the Olympics' major events. He also delves into the colorful history of the athletics, from the Paris marathon course that invited French runners to take shortcuts to the odyssey of Egyptian gym teacher Youssef Nagui Assad, who made three different Olympic teams only to be recalled home each time due to boycotts. Guttmann also provides insight into the byzantine maneuvering involved in site selection, as well as little known facts about the Games' history and figures like longtime Olympics czar Avery Brundage.
This second edition of Guttmann's critically acclaimed history discusses the intended and actual effects of the modern Olympic Games from 1896 to 2000. The glories and fiascoes, the triumphs and tragedies--Guttmann weaves them all into a vivid and entertaining social history. As Guttmann shows, politics has always been one of the Olympics' major events. He also delves into the colorful history of the athletics, from the Paris marathon course that invited French runners to take shortcuts to the odyssey of Egyptian gym teacher Youssef Nagui Assad, who made three different Olympic teams only to be recalled home each time due to boycotts. Guttmann also provides insight into the byzantine maneuvering involved in site selection, as well as little known facts about the Games' history and figures like longtime Olympics czar Avery Brundage.
Reviews / Votes
"Guttmann is an excellent scholar, and his bibliographical essay remains an excellent source material for research." -- Choice "In a thoroughly revised and updated study, [Guttmann] traces the history of the modern Olympics from 1896 to 2000, contrasting the ideal of the game with the often politicized reality." -- Books and More for Growing Minds REVIEWS from the 1st edition: "Here is a book that is as readable as it is profound, casting a majestic sweep over the Games from 1896." -- G. E. Murray, Sporting Traditions "A wonderfully insightful, judicious, and interpretative essay." -- Steve Gietschier, Sporting News "Guttmann, one of the finest historians of sport in the United States and Europe, and a recognized authority on the Olympics, has produced a sound, readable narrative that will appeal to scholars as well as to general readers." -- Randy Roberts, co-author of Winning Is the Only Thing: Sports in America since 1945More details
Series
Edition
Second Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
26 black & white photographs, 3 tables
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
399 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-252-07046-4 (9780252070464)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Allen Guttmann
The Olympics: a History of the Modern Games
Book
02/1994
University of Illinois Press
€17.32
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Allen Guttmann, a professor of English at Amherst College, is the author of Women's Sports, Games and Empires, From Ritual to Record: The Nature of Modern Sports, and other books. He received the first President's Award for Sports Studies from the International Olympic Committee.