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.
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1
Stray Thoughts on Indian Cricket
by J M Framjee Patel -
2
History of Indian Cricket
by Edward Docker -
3
Patrons, Players, and the Crowd: The Phenomenon of Indian Cricket
by Richard Cashman -
4
A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport
by Ramachandra Guha -
5
Migrant Races: Empire, Identity and K.S. Ranjitsinhji
by Satadru Sen
The best books on Indian Cricket, recommended by Prashant Kidambi
The best books on Indian Cricket, recommended by Prashant Kidambi
South Asia has become the beating heart of cricket, with wild enthusiasm for the game at every level of society. Historian Prashant Kidambi—whose book, Cricket Country, was shortlisted for the 2020 Wolfson History Prize—takes us through the history of cricket in India, from its traditional, colonial roots through to the colourful, frenetic national game of today.
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
The Politics of the Olympic Games
by Richard Espy -
2
Five Ring Circus: Money, Power, and Politics at the Olympic Games
by Alan Tomlinson and Garry Whannel -
3
The Lords of the Rings: Power, Money, and Drugs in the Modern Olympics
by Vyv Simson and Andrew Jennings -
4
Inside the Olympic Industry: Power, Politics, and Activism
by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj -
5
Hosting the Olympic Games: the Real Costs for Cities
by John Rennie Short
The best books on The Dark Side of the Olympics, recommended by Helen J Lenskyj
The best books on The Dark Side of the Olympics, recommended by Helen J Lenskyj
The Olympics are big business—but the extent to which they benefit their host cities is increasingly called into question. They’ve also long been enmired in political controversy. Here Helen J Lenskyj, the academic and anti-Olympics activist, discusses the malign influence of big business, and the inseparability of sport and politics, as she chooses her best books on the bad side of the Olympics.
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1
The Inner Game of Tennis
by W. Timothy Gallwey -
2
Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect
by Bob Rotella -
3
Zen Putting: Mastering the Mental Game on the Greens
by Joseph Parent -
4
Heads-Up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time
by Ken Ravizza & Tom Hanson -
5
The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, And Thrive
by Jim Afremow
The best books on Sports Psychology, recommended by Bill Cole
The best books on Sports Psychology, recommended by Bill Cole
What do you think about when you’re training at the gym, or on the tennis court? And what should you think about, if your goal is maximizing performance and results? Seasoned sports psychologist Bill Cole, coach for numerous Olympic teams and top-level international athletes, reveals that the number one road block to athletic performance often isn’t physical—it’s overthinking.
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.
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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 American Football (and its Dark Side), recommended by Rick Telander
It’s America’s favourite sport – at its best, a wonderful, thrilling spectacle; at its worst, legitimised violence exacting a terrible price on players. The Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter takes us inside the dark heart of American football.
The best books on Ice Hockey, recommended by Bruce Dowbiggin
Fast, violent and with a passionately political history, hockey is the sport that defines Canada. The sports columnist tells us how this came to be, and why hockey, still a thrilling spectacle, has also become more dangerous to play. He picks the best books on ice hockey.
Monty Don recommends His Favourite Gardening Books
Monty Don OBE, Britain’s most loved gardener and lead presenter of Gardeners World, discusses his favourite books on gardening including one he describes as “the best gardening book ever written.” This is a strong endorsement, given that his own gardening library extends to over three thousand books.
The best books on Cricket, recommended by Daniel Norcross
What are the best books about cricket? In 2011 Test Match Special‘s Daniel Norcross gave an interview about his favourite books on cricket. At the time, he was running an irreverent, uncensored and partial cricket commentary service, Test Match Sofa.
The best books on Soccer as a Second Language, recommended by John Turnbull
When the World Cup comes around, many of us think of our national teams and their chances of winning. But the beauty of football is how international it is, and its ability to cut across borders. John Turnbull of the Global Game blog introduces us to football (or soccer) ‘as a second language.’
The best books on Sportsmanship and Cheating, recommended by Debanjan Chakrabarti
Debanjan Chakrabarti, head of the Intercultural Dialogue Programme of the British Council in India, says good sportsmanship is a 19th-century imperial construct. He walks us through five engaging books on sportsmanship and cheating.
The best books on Computer Games, recommended by Tom Chatfield
Computer games aren’t just for teenage boys locked in their bedrooms says author and former Prospect senior editor Tom Chatfield – they are vital tools for social development. Here he selects five of the best books on the theory behind games, and the culture that grows up around them.
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1
Goalkeepers Are Different
by Brian Glanville -
2
The Illustrated History of Football
by David Squires -
3
The Kingfisher Football Encyclopedia
by Clive Gifford -
4
Kane (Ultimate Football Heroes)
by Matt & Tom Oldfield -
5
Football School Season 1: Where Football Explains the World
by Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton & Spike Gerrell
Best Football Books for 11 Year Olds, recommended by Alexander
Best Football Books for 11 Year Olds, recommended by Alexander
There are a lot of books about football for sale in bookshops these days, but which ones are any good? 11-year-old Alexander, who loves football as well as reading, shares his choices of the best football books for kids as part of our ‘By Children for Children‘ series.