Games were once things played in parlours or in fields among friends in their leisure time. Now some sports are among the biggest, or at least most visible, businesses in the world and we have interviews recommending books on every aspect of sport.
If some sports are bigger is some countries than football (soccer), none is more global. Sports journalist Rob Hughes writes about why football is about so much more than football. Comedian and football fan David Baddiel chooses his best five books on football. And Steve Bloomfield chooses his best on world football. David Cousins chooses his best books on football book for kids and young adults.
Moving to the US, where “soccer” is only a minor sport, Rick Telander chooses his best books on American football. Joe Posnanski and John Thorn both choose their best books on Baseball. And Michael Carlson chooses his best baseball novels. Bruce Dowbiggin chooses his on ice hockey.
Elsewhere, among others, champion equestrian Mary King chooses her best books on the equestrian life, and Daniel Norcross chooses his best books on cricket.
On more general themes, Debanijan Chakraborti talks about sportsmanship and cheating. And Tami Grey-Thompson talks about the spirit of sport. Bill Cole addresses sports psychology and David Papineau chooses his best books on philosophy and sport.
The best books on The Olympic Games, recommended by Philip Barker
The Olympics are one of the world’s great celebrations of sport. Here Philip Barker, Olympic historian and sports journalist, chooses five books that help you to understand the games, their origins and their traditions—and to relive the sporting drama of past Olympic Games.
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1
Yoga for the Three Stages of Life
by Srivatsa Ramaswami -
2
The Ayurvedic Cookbook
by Amadea Morningstar -
3
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom
by B K S Iyengar -
4
Ramakrishna and His Disciples
by Christopher Isherwood -
5
Awakening the Spine
by Vanda Scaravelli
The best books on Yoga, recommended by Liz Derow
The best books on Yoga, recommended by Liz Derow
Contrary to its popularization in Western culture, yoga isn’t just a form of fitness: its history is rooted in a long Hindu tradition shaped by great teachers in India. Here we have the best books for those who want to learn more about yoga, recommended by Liz Derow, a longtime practitioner and teacher of yoga in India and around the world.
Best Football Books for Kids and Young Adults, recommended by Dave Cousins
As World Cup fever builds to irresistible levels, there is no better time to get kids reading by presenting them with a few books about ‘the beautiful game.’ Award-winning children’s author and self-confessed football fanatic Dave Cousins, recommends five fantastic football books for kids and young adults.
Best Football Books (in English), recommended by Simon Kuper
FT columnist and author Simon Kuper tells us what it means to be a football fan and why England always seem to lose. He picks the best football books (in English).
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1
The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
by Jesse Schell -
2
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
by James Paul Gee -
3
Communities of Play: Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds
by Celia Pearce -
4
Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming
by T L Taylor -
5
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
The best books on Video Games, recommended by Katherine Isbister
The best books on Video Games, recommended by Katherine Isbister
Video games have never been more popular – or more intricately designed. But we haven’t yet developed the vocabulary to analyse a game’s impact the way we do a film’s, says professor of computational media Katherine Isbister. Here, she chooses five of the best books that explore the art of video game design, and the subcultures that grow up around them.
The best books on Philosophy and Sport, recommended by David Papineau
Sport can offer insights into philosophy and life in general, argues the philosophy professor and sports enthusiast David Papineau. He chooses the best books on philosophy and sport.
The best books on Football, recommended by Rob Hughes
Football is about so much more than just football. Veteran sport journalist Rob Hughes recommends some of his favourite football books.
The best books on Football, recommended by David Baddiel
British writer, comedian and broadcaster David Baddiel with his five football must-reads.
The best books on World Football, recommended by Steve Bloomfield
The author and journalist makes his selection of the best books on World Football. Features volumes from Simon Kuper and Alex Bellos, as well as a cracking investigation into FIFA corruption
Novels with Sporting Themes, recommended by Chad Harbach
Sport is central to American culture but there are surprisingly few great novels devoted to it. Chad Harbach, author of the bestselling novel, The Art of Fielding, picks his favourite ‘novels with sporting themes.’