Sportsbiografier

A double dual-code international and held in the highest regard by former teammates and opponents alike, John Devereux is revered by followers of rugby league and rugby union and, in his official biography, Devs, reveals the fascinating story of his life in rugby.

開啟台灣參與國際運動賽事篇章的紀政，是在 1968 年為台灣榮獲有史以來第一面田徑奧運獎牌，而躍為家喻戶曉的英雄，她被喻為「飛躍的羚羊」、「黃色閃電」，共獲得亞運 2 金 1 銀，以及一面奧運銅牌，至今仍是台灣 400公尺的紀錄保持人。紀政 1944 年誕生在新竹，父親具原住民道卡斯族血統，母親則是新埔客家裔，由於家境清寒，紀政幼年曾一度被送與他人做養女。1962 年美國教練瑞爾(Vincent Reel)來台擔任台灣亞運代表團教練，隔年他安排紀政赴美國南加州接受訓練。1970 年底敢愛敢為的紀政與瑞爾結婚，瑞爾大她30歲，兩人於1977年離婚，紀政隨即返台接掌全國田徑協會總幹事，並引進運動行銷、教練培育、幼苗紮根與邀請世界頂尖高手來台交流等思維，1989 1993 年她進一步出任田徑協會理事長。除了在體壇奮鬥奉獻，紀政也踏進國會問政，連任三屆立委，並獲聘總統府國策顧問及中華民國無任所大使。因蔣經國政府堅持「漢賊不兩立」，拒以「台灣」名義參賽，致 1970 至 1990 年間，台灣一度被摒除於亞運之外，紀政在擔任全國田徑協會總幹事任內，在英國打贏官司而讓台灣得以恢復參加世界體育賽事，1981 年她又協助台灣奧委會以「中華台北」的名義繼續參加國際奧運。不擅高談闊論的紀政，平日總是有為有守，靜如草原中休養生息的羚羊， 然一旦決定了目標，敢愛敢為的她，即凝聚無比的爆發力勇往直前，不斷飛躍當下，創造精彩的未來，體育是如此，愛情也一樣，社會運動更是如此這般!

Mike Tyson is a cultural phenomenon: heavyweight boxing champion, author, movie and television actor, Broadway star, tiger owner, felon, tabloid gossip mainstay. His memoir, "Undisputed Truth," was a New York Times bestseller. While no one is disputing the truth he tells in his book, it is clear that he has not told the entire story. That task goes to his one-time best friend, entourage wrangler, and manager - Rory Holloway, in "Taming the Beast: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson" (written with Eric Wilson), Holloway's memoir of his 15 years with Tyson.The Beast is, no surprise, Tyson himself. When it came to getting the Champ ready for the ring, from his training to deal-making to extricating him from problems and relationships with people like Robin Givens and her gold-digging mother, Don King, and everyone else under the sun, that job fell to Rory Holloway.In "Taming the Beast," Holloway comes clean on all things Tyson, from Mike's sex addiction, to his comically horrible driving, to his wildman approach to life. He breaks down the entourage - who was good for the Champ, who wasn't - and deals with the criticism he faced as Tyson spun more and more out of control. When Tyson spit out Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997, he also spit out his 15-year friendship with Holloway.Compassionate, at times hilarious and terribly sad, "Taming the Beast" is the story of a man so out of touch with reality that he ultimately distanced himself from the only people who had his best interests at heart, severing the brotherhood that once existed, in favor of "yes men" who could supply him with the best drugs and the most hookers. It is a devastating story of watching, helpless, from a ringside seat as your best friend self-destructs and you can't do a thing about it.Painfully frank, street-wise and cathartic, "Taming the Beast" pulls no punches with its question-and-answer style. It is the book every Tyson fan needs on their nightstand for the undisputed whole truth.

Discover The Inspirational Story of Football Superstar Aaron Rodgers! Read on your PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device! You're about to discover the incredibly inspirational story of football superstar Aaron Rodgers. If you're reading this then you must be a Aaron Rodgers fan, like so many others. As a fan, you must wonder how this man is so talented and want to know more about him. Aaron Rodgers is considered as one of the greatest football players in the world and it's been an honor to be able to watch him play throughout his career. This book will reveal to you much about Aaron Rodger's story and the many accomplishments throughout his career. Here Is A Preview Of What You'll Learn... Youth and Family LifeHigh School and College CareerProfessional Career and Personal LifeLegacy, Charitable Acts and much more! If you want to learn more about Aaron Rodgers, then this book is for you. It will reveal to you many things that you did not know about this incredible football star! About the Author: Inspirational Stories is a series aimed at highlighting the great athletes of our society. Our mission is to present the stories of athletes who are not only impactful in their sport, but also great people outside of it. The athletes we write about have gone above and beyond to become impactful in their community and great role models for the youth, all while showing excellence in their profession. We publish concise, easily consumable books that portray the turning points in the lives of these great athletes, while also giving the context in which they occurred. Our books are especially great for children who look up to sports figures. Hopefully these athletes can serve as a source of inspiration and their stories can provide life lessons that are practical for fans of any demographic.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Jimmy Weinert began his racing career as an amateur dirt track and scrambles rider at the age of 16. He started racing professional motocross just as it was beginning to experience rapid growth and popularity in the United States. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he was one of the pioneers of a sport that continues to experience enormous growth. Jimmy the Jammer Weinert had an 11-year professional racing career winning a total of 22 AMA professional motocross events. In three consecutive years the Jammer would claim two National Championships and a Supercross title. In 1973, the Jammer was the first American to beat the highly acclaimed European riders in the sport of motocross. Born in Middletown, New York in 1951, Jimmy has seen the highs and lows in life and is now enjoying giving back to the sport that he has loved since his childhood days - Motocross. Today, "Jammin" Jimmy operates the Jimmy Weinert Training Facility (JWTF) with his wife Lynda in Maysville, North Carolina. The information in this book comes from Weinert's own words as well as a rather remarkable archive of his past that his family built up over his years of racing, as well as from some of his racing peers. He has allowed us to access these archives to enjoy the history and memories of his experience during the early years of motocross, as well as to discover a little bit about the life of "Jammin" Jimmy Weinert.

For Gustav Raaum, every day was a good day, but March 3, 1946 had to be one of his best. On that day, more than 100,000 spectators, including the Norwegian Royal family, gathered at the Holmenkollen ski jumping competition in Oslo. It was the first competition since the end of the Nazi occupation. All over Norway, people huddled by their radios, listening to the World Series of Ski Jumping.Gus put on his skis and entered the start. Gazing down at the snowy woodlands, the crowds and that steep white run, little did he know he was about to plunge into world skiing history and become a national hero. That flight would land him on the Norwegian Ski team and eventually into a new country and a new life. This is a story about a Scandinavian immigrant who lived the American dream: a star athlete, a world-class education, and a successful business career. But for this humble man, what brought him the greatest pride was his wife, Claire, and the family they built together.

BRUNO! BRUNO! BRUNO!The iconic chant that resonated everywhere Bruno appeared, whether he was the Champion at the time or not. It was a combined 11 years, during two title reigns, that Bruno Sammartino was the World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion: 1963-1971 and 1973-1977 (4,040 days). He headlined New York's famous Madison Square Garden 211 times, including 187 sell-outs, a record that still endures to this day, and will most likely never be broken. In his final headline appearance at Madison Square Garden, he got to address another sold-out crowd as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.Born in 1935, in a small Italian mountain town, Bruno and his family survived World War II, before emigrating to the USA. From this inauspicious start, his sheer willpower and determination drove him to become of the most popular and respected wrestlers of all time.This is the definitive autobiography of the life of Bruno Sammartino, expanded to 568 pages to cover his life ... from his childhood in Italy through the bumpy road he traveled to become The Living Legend of Professional Wrestling and then beyond the ring.This is the true story as told by Bruno himself, and includes tributes and anecdotes from his peers, friends, and family, with many photos that have never been seen before. He may be gone, but his unparalleled career will live on through this book, YouTube, the WWE Network, and most importantly, everyone who ever met him.

Prescoed FC are the only prisoner football team in Wales. The hopes of the men who play are like all prisoners at the end of their sentence. They want a future when they get out: to see their children, to get a job, to not go back to jail. And they want three points on a Saturday.

This is the story of how the hapless Chicago White Sox, badly hurt by the banning of players after the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, floundered until the 1950s when they were finally rebuilt and had their first success in 40 years. The culminating event was the capture of the 1959 American League pennant, made possible by aging pitcher Early Wynn. Wynn, nearly 40, was the best pitcher in the game that season, winning 22 games and the Cy Young Award. He was the last piece in the puzzle that put the Sox over the top and, in addition to the team's historic season, the book tracks his life before, during and after baseball.

ALEX THORN is a former professional wrestling champion, musician, fitness coach, and personal trainer. THORN now adds author to his list of accomplishments with his new self-help autobiography, I AM THORN, How I Broke the Chains of Mediocrity and Learned How to Live 2 Win.Combining his past experiences from his personal and business life, ALEX THORN shows everyone that they can achieve their dreams... no matter what life throws at them; just as he did! Like any other true success story, this book contains triumphs and failures, happiness and heartbreaks in Thorn's attempts to ascend the sheer-faced walls of the mountains of professional rock 'n' roll, wrestling, and health and fitness, as well as in love and in life.A riveting MUST READ story that will show you that you too can Live 2 Win!

Early 2016, Jon Jones admitted being an addict, and having dealt with alcohol and marijuana throughout his professional MMA career. This mini-book retraces Jon Jones's rise to fame, his amazing talent and gifts inside the cage, and his numerous ordeals and encounters with the law outside the cage.

In today's world of ESPN Sports Center and the Top 10 Plays of the Day it's easy to get lost in a world of sports, flamboyant players and instant celebrity. This life, if you let it, can chew you up and spit you out with just the blink of an eye. The addiction and curiosity we're all guilty of having when it comes to watching these guys put on a show has become our most favorite past time. In the '70's the city of Louisville, KY was known for producing some of the best basketball talent in the world. Wes Unseld, Michael Redd, Henry Bacon, Ron Thomas, Ron King, Otto Petty, Tom Payne, Larry Harrelson, Wesley Cox, Wayne Golden, Ronnie Daniels, Flenoil Crook, Robert Miller, Darrell Griffith, Durand Macklin, Jeff Lamp, Lee Raker, Jerry Eaves, Winston Bennett, Tony Kimbro, Felton Spencer, Herbert Crook, Allan Houston, Dwayne Morton, Jermaine Brown, Maurice Morris, Jason Osbourne, Danyell Macklin, DeJuan Wheat, Derek Anderson and of course Bobby Turner. Moving to Louisville from Alabama Bobby quickly took the spotlight and achieved athletic success at an early age. He became one of the most competitive and powerful basketball players Louisville, KY would ever see. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Bobby's fame and basketball success to cause this young man the pain and disappointment he never thought he'd experience, especially being a part of a sport he loved so much. Most of us think we know the story of this legendary athlete just as I did. The life and times of Bobby Turner will bring a completely unique perspective to how you start may or may not depend on how you finish. The unexpected twists and turns of his life were moments of celebration, winning, tragedy, loss, deception, alleged blackmail and ultimatums. He never gave up, he never quit. The mental toughness he learned to have on the court would soon help him off the court, the court of life.

2017 Who's Who in the Martial Arts Autobiography Book Volume 3Many great Martial Artists have lost the chance to tell their life story. We want to preserve and share their journey with the world through the Who's Who in the Martial Arts Book. This autobiographical publication serves as a history book for today's Martial Artists. It is an essential guide for learning the history of our martial arts pioneers who have paved the way for today's martial arts. The book features over 200 martial artists sharing their journey, hard work, and personal achievements. Without the help and support of Grandmaster Jeff Smith and Joe Corley, this book would not have been possible. Through their hard work, they were able to pull together all of the amazing martial artists to share their journey.

La Storia di Adriano Sisti è un viaggio meraviglioso nella carriera e nella vita incredibile di un ragazzo che, partendo dal nulla, è riuscito a raggiungere i suoi obiettivi sportivi, nati da una sfrenata passione per i motori, e da una promessa tra due amici, separati troppo presto dal destino, una promessa mondiale. Sacrifici, infortuni gravissimi, perdite, scomparse, amicizie, passioni, rinascite, soddisfazioni, e avvenimenti che hanno segnato la sua vita sono raccontati in prima persona. Adriano ripercorre tutta la sua vita, dalle prime gare cittadine, quando cercava di affermare il suo talento ed il suo inquantificabile amore per i motori, e dal percorso montuoso di Montecassino sul quale sognava di poter diventare un pilota, uno di quelli veri, guardando la città dalla panoramica. A 30 anni, dopo aver raggiunto traguardi prestigiosi tra Internazionali d'Italia e campionato europeo nel contesto mondiale di Supermoto, ha mantenuto la promessa fatta assieme al suo migliore amico scomparso in un tragico incidente stradale. il pilota parla di tutta la sua infanzia, dei suoi progressi sulle moto da gara, passando da un inizio difficilissimo, fatto di gavette nei campionati minori, passando dagli scooters e arrivando finalmente a provare delle vere moto da gara. Delle scarse possibilità della sua famiglia nel sostenerlo. Racconta gli alti e i bassi della sua vita, fatta anche di battute d'arresto, incidenti molto gravi, dolore, frustrazione e delusione. Rinunciò a tutto pur di riuscire a raggiungere il suo obiettivo, trascurando ogni altra cosa e dedicando se stesso solo e soltanto al suo sogno. Nella sua storia insegna l'importanza della famiglia. Le sue battaglie contro i tanti infortuni, alle rinunce ad occasioni importanti arrivate in momenti chiave della sua carriera e professionali per motivi di salute, e per scelte personali. L'arte del credere è mostrata in un racconto magnifico, fatto di motivazione, tenacia, sacrificio, e vuole dar voce a tutte quelle persone che credono fortemente in qualcosa. Adriano ha dimostrato, e continuerà a dimostrare che con voglia, motivazione, talento e dedizione, ogni cosa si può realizzare nella vita.

Growing up in a country with no dreams and aspirations I find myself asking who and what I want to be when I grow up. As I search for my identity I stumble along the journey of my path. And there I find my darkest moments, where failure became a choice and not an option.

The year is 1981. The U.S. space shuttle Columbia takes its first flight. Ronald Reagan becomes president and Muhammad Ali officially retires with 55 wins. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" debuts in theatres, the term "Internet" is first mentioned and Post It Notes are launched by 3M Corp. And the Iowa Hawkeyes are struggling mightily to gain respectability on the football field after decades as a Big Ten Conference doormat. Hayden Fry, a larger-than-life character and river boat gambler with Texas roots, had arrived in Iowa City in 1979. Now, in his all-important third year as head coach, it's make-or-break time for a man doggedly determined to transform a beleaguered program into a national powerhouse. While the team has many needs, one of the most important is a strong leader at quarterback. Unexpectedly, Hayden and his staff sign a blonde-haired, six-foot-four quarterback named Chuck Long. Safe to say the son of Charlie and Joan Long was as much a mystery to Iowa fans as winning. Only two other universities offered Chuck a scholarship - Northwestern and Northern Illinois. The lack of suiters wasn't surprising. Chuck averaged just a handful of throws per start as a high school signal caller for a Falcons team coached by Jim Rexilius. Even in Wheaton North's 14-6 victory over LaSalle-Peru in the 1979 4A Illinois state football championship game, Chuck completed just one of four passes for minus-three yards. Now, Chuck Long is an Iowa Hawkeye. And as he waits to make first team as quarterback, Coach Hayden Fry takes to the microphones as the 1982 campaign approaches and, in front of a gaggle of reporters, proclaims the sophomore-to-be as "destined for greatness." Reporters are nearly speechless. Hawkeye fans are bewildered. Chuck Long? Destined for greatness? Chuck Long - the same kid who hasn't taken a snap as a starter? Yep, that Chuck Long. The QB responds to the high praise from his head coach by taking the field just weeks later in his first start against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln only to get bruised, battered and benched in a 42-7 drubbing. One week later, the Hawkeyes host in-state rival Iowa State and lose again as Chuck watches from the sidelines. So much for the "destined for greatness" talk. Then again, Chuck Long isn't your ordinary quarterback and Hayden Fry isn't your ordinary coach. In a twist of fate not even Hollywood could script, Chuck and the Iowa Hawkeyes quickly right the ship and set sail on a voyage that would ultimately take them (and the state of Iowa) into the national spotlight. At the heart of it all was a once-obscure quarterback who played for a high school football program that featured the run - a quarterback that would become Iowa's most celebrated signal callers, play in an unprecedented five college bowl games, throw for more yards than any other quarterback in Big Ten history, finish runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to a kid named Bo from Auburn University and hear his name called in the first round of the 1986 NFL Draft. Sound too good to be true? Not if you're destined for greatness. * * * "I have been around great, great people all my life. I've associated with great players and great coaches. I've taught history and I know a little about the qualities of great people in history. It was just so evident to me that Chuck Long had all the qualities you find in great people. I could just see it."Iowa Coach Hayden Fry on his first impressions of Wheaton North's Chuck Long ("Chuck Long: an eye on greatness," by Ken Fuson, Des Moines Register, Sept. 2, 1984)

Czars of the East is my humble tribute to two of the greatest exponents of Indian cricket who hail from the Eastern zone of India. They are icons not just for the youth in this country; rather their popularity extends across various demographic segments simply because of the way they have approached the game, conducted themselves on the field and off it and have been exemplary in making all of us understand the true essence of leadership. They are none other than Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. What makes these two cricketers so special for millions across the globe is the way they have challenged conventions, norms and thoughts and have thus invented their own brand of cricket both as a player and as captain of the Indian cricket team, a responsibility that although make look glamorous to many superficially but is actually a nerve racking experience. Sourav and Dhoni have truly proved themselves to be the legends of the game in modern era through their achievements and accolades and the way they have mentored a number of junior players to enable them to evolve into key contributors for the Indian team on a consistent basis. This book has two major sections - the one dedicated to Sourav Ganguly and the other to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Each such section further discusses a biographical account of the two players under several heads like The Formative Years, Marriage and After, On Top of the Game, Brand Endorsements, Miscellaneously Yours, Statistically Yours followed by a Picture Gallery dedicated to each of these two czars of Indian cricket. I sincerely hope that this humble effort of mine will be thoroughly liked by myriad of 'Dada' and 'MSD' aficionados like me and they will find this book to be pleasantly different in its approach and contextual treatment.

LeBron James is a superstar on the basketball court, but he is also a superstar person. A man who cares about people and is not afraid to show it. This book is dedicated to him, not only as a great basketball player, but as a great man and human being.

They called him "Homicide Hank," "Hammerin' Hank," "Hurricane Henry," "The Black Blitzkrieg," and "The Human Buzz-Saw," for he was the most ruthless destroyer of champions and challengers the sport has known.In all of boxing history, only one man has held the championships of three weight divisions at once: Henry Armstrong. This was in an era where there were only eight weight divisions. Still, there is more to his dazzling, unprecedented life than simultaneously holding the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight championships. A Black sharecropper's son, born in Jim Crow-dominated Mississippi, Armstrong rose from the deepest poverty to achieve his life's ambitions. His opponents were not just some of the greatest fighters of all time (including Sugar Ray Robinson, Barney Ross, Lou Ambers, and Beau Jack) but rampant racism and economic despair. Earning great wealth in the ring and living the high life, Armstrong became a cultural icon, a world traveler, and a movie star who counted Mae West, Al Jolson, and other Hollywood icons among his closest friends. Yet, he was also a thoughtful man of peace, poet, and preacher who sought to improve the lives of others.Those who know boxing recognize Henry Armstrong as one of the sport's most exciting and accomplished champions. More importantly, he was a rare hero to an entire generation of Black Americans; his victories were theirs. Today, too few know his important story. Set in an America beset by racism, corruption, the Great Depression, and World War II, Homicide Hank chronicles Armstrong's remarkable life, from his humble beginnings to the heights of stardom and on to his post-boxing years as a man of God.Kenneth Bridgham received his degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, contributor to thefightcity.com, and author of The Life and Crimes of John Morrissey. He lives in Fredericksburg, VA with his son.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is an American professional boxer and promoter. Widely considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, undefeated as a professional, and a five-division world champion, Mayweather has won fifteen world titles and the lineal championship in four different weight classes (twice at welterweight). As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the featherweight division at the 1996 Olympics, three U.S. Golden Gloves championships (at light flyweight, flyweight, and featherweight), and the U.S. national championship at featherweight. Mayweather is a two-time winner of The Ring magazine's Fighter of the Year award (1998 and 2007), a three-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year award (2007, 2013, and 2015), and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award (2007-2010, 2012-2014). In 2016, Mayweather was ranked by ESPN as the greatest boxer, pound for pound, of the last 25 years. In the same year, he peaked as BoxRec's number one fighter of all time, pound for pound, as well as the greatest welterweight of all time. Many sporting news and boxing websites ranked Mayweather as the best boxer in the world, pound for pound, twice in a span of ten years; including The Ring, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, BoxRec, Fox Sports, and Yahoo! Sports. He is often referred to as the best defensive boxer in history, as well as being the most accurate puncher since the existence of CompuBox, having the highest plus-minus ratio in recorded boxing history. As of his most recent fight in 2015, Mayweather has a record of 26 wins without a loss or draw in world title fights (10 by KO); 23 wins (9 KOs) in lineal title fights; 24 wins (7 KOs) against former or current world titlists; 12 wins (3 KOs) against former or current lineal champions; and 2 wins (1 KO) against International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. In addition to his accomplishments in the ring, Mayweather is well known for being one of the most lucrative pay-per-view (PPV) attractions of all time, in any sport. He topped the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013 respectively, and the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015, listing him as the highest paid athlete in the world. In 2007 he founded his own boxing promotional firm, Mayweather Promotions, after defecting from Bob Arum's Top Rank. Mayweather has generated approximately 19.5 million in PPV buys and $1.3 billion in revenue throughout his career, surpassing the likes of former top PPV attractions including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya, and Manny Pacquiao.

战术的使用是网球比赛中的一个重要部分。知道如何应用这些战术能够帮助你对抗比你强劲的对手时赢得更多赛局。这些战术能够帮助你做到以下三点事情： 为一个特定类型的选手做好准备。 你会知道在一场比赛中运用什么战术会最为有效。 根据你的打法去执行这些战术。 这本网球战术书是一本口袋书。它应该放在你的网球包里或者任何最容易阅读它的地方，使你随时能够运用那些在比赛中最为有用的战术。

For more than fifty years, 7-time USA Olympic Coach Eddie Reese has mentored college men in life and swimming, resulting in 14 NCAA team titles at the University of Texas and 39 Olympic gold medals.

战术的使用是网球比赛中的一个重要部分。知道如何应用这些战术能够帮助你对抗比你强劲的对手时赢得更多赛局。这些战术能够帮助你做到以下三点事情： 为一个特定类型的选手做好准备。 你会知道在一场比赛中运用什么战术会最为有效。 根据你的打法去执行这些战术。 这本网球战术书是一本口袋书。它应该放在你的网球包里或者任何最容易阅读它的地方，使你随时能够运用那些在比赛中最为有用的战术。

"Not in my wildest boyhood dreams did I ever envision that a World Series would come along and I'd be the seventh game pitcher." Despite all odds, and a grueling nine-year stint in the minors that would dash most any other ballplayer's hope of reaching the major leagues, Jack Sanford found himself starring in the dramatic 1962 World Series, which pitted the San Francisco Giants against the mighty New York Yankees. This is the story of Jack's turbulent journey from a working-class childhood in Wellesley, Massachusetts, to baseball's ultimate stage; it is the story of perseverance in the face of continual discouragement; and it is the story of one boy's greatest dream turning, in an instant, into the unshakable nightmare that would haunt him the rest of his life.

William Grenfell, Lord Desborough, was, for many, the epitome of the perfect English gentleman: an exceptional sportsman, a dedicated public servant and a devoted husband and father. Grenfell‿s astounding sporting achievements, from climbing mountains to swimming the basin of the Niagara Falls twice, from rowing the English Channel and winning the Amateur Punting Championship for three years consecutively, to representing Great Britain in fencing, produced his deep-rooted belief in the importance of sport. It wasn‿t surprising therefore that he became the driving force behind the 1908 London Olympic Games, an enormous success despite being staged with only two years‿ notice. A surprisingly modern public figure, Grenfell was elected as an MP before going on to hold a prodigious array of local, national and international roles: mayor of Maidenhead, leading the London Chamber of Commerce, promoting aviation, establishing modern policing, and serving as chairman of the Thames Conservancy. Although Grenfell‿s public life was successful, his family was struck by tragedy, aged six he lost his father and he and his wife Ettie suffered the loss of two sons in the First World War and their third in a motor accident. Despite this, their home, Taplow Court, was a place for entertaining and had been a focal point for the Souls, including notable politicians such as A. J. Balfour and the young Winston Churchill, as well as writers like H. G. Wells and Henry James. In Titan of the Thames, Nairne and Williams disentangle the myths surrounding this fascinating man who spans the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and have pieced together a compelling biography of a figure whose story should have been told many years ago.