Editorial: The Crowood Press
Embark on a remarkable journey with The Ultimate Adventure Guide, the go-to companion for exploring the exhilarating world of adventure sports and activities. Packed with breathtaking photography, this guide delves into the origins of each sport and traces its evolution into unique disciplines.
From the author of the bestselling Torres and Messi, a revealing new biography of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. When a young Portuguese player with sublime abilities arrived at Manchester United in 2003, Alex Ferguson put the no. 7 shirt – once worn by Best, Cantona and Beckham – on his back without hesitation. The expectation was clear, and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't disappoint. Ronaldo won the FIFA World Footballer of the Year in 2008, the first Premier League player ever to do so. Since his record-breaking £80m move to Real Madrid, his goal-scoring flair has continued and made his on-going rivalry with Barcelona's Lionel Messi even more intense. Luca Caioli tells the inside story of this global superstar both on and off the pitch, unveiling the life of one of modern football's great players as never before.Ver libro
Great Horse Racing Mysteries digs beneath the surface of some of the sport's most intriguing cases, including the death by poisoning of the great Australian champion Phar Lap; the shooting of William Woodward by his wife Ann, owners of the great horse Nashua; the disqualification of 1960 Derby winner Dancer's Image (was he drugged?); the theft and disappearance in 1983 of Shergar, Europe's best-known racehorse and stallion; and the scandalous financial collapse of Calumet Farm after the death by euthanasia of Alydar, one of the world's most successful sires. John McEvoy researched several unsolved mysteries of the racing world—murder . . . suicide . . . arson . . . fraud—and recounts some of horse racing's strangest, most fascinating tales. In this updated edition, veteran turf writer Lenny Shulman adds to the intrigue by exploring the mysterious death of the troubled jockey Chris Antley, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness aboard Charismatic, and Big Brown's stunning collapse in the Belmont after cruising to win in the first two legs of the Triple Crown.Ver libro
Packrafts are rugged, portable rafts, small enough to attach under a rucksack, but stable on the water to reassure first time paddlers. Weighing from 1-3 kilos, they open up a whole new world of amphibious adventuring, from navigating easily accessible waterways to discovering more challenging rivers and lochs only reachable on foot or bicycle. Packrafting: A Beginners' Guide is a perfect introduction to the game-changing recreational opportunities opened up by packrafting. It takes you through the different types and features of packrafts to ensure that you buy a boat that is right for you and have the right gear to use with it. It clearly explains the basic paddling skills and how to safely evaluate risks on the water. It also introduces the different types of adventures you can undertake with your packraft, from paddling a local canal or river to lashing a bicycle over the bow or using a packable sail to traverse open water. The book is comprehensively illustrated with over 120 colour photographs making it easy to understand and clear to follow.Ver libro
Once an angler masters a graphite rod, his interests often move on to the original fly rod, pliant bamboo. Until the mid-twentieth century, nearly all fly rods were bamboo. By the 1970s, fiberglass and graphite changed the world of fly-fishing. But more and more anglers are seeing bamboo rods in retail outlets, and want to give them a try. With this book, John Gierach, one of the nation's top fly-fishing writers, provides a philosophical guide to the angler who seeks this new "old" method. Gierach discusses how bamboo rods are built, how they differ from graphite rods, and how using one will change a fly fisher's approach to the sport. Fishing bamboo might be the pinnacle of fly-casting skill, and this book will help take you there.Ver libro
How was rugby born in 1823? Why didn’t the first Rugby World Cup take place until 1987? Why are there so few «new nations» emerging in the world of rugby? How did the sport establish itself in New Zealand, South Africa, France, Ireland, Fiji, Georgia and Hong Kong? Are women’s rugby and the Olympic discipline of 7-a-side rugby opening up new frontiers? Why are the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia interested in the sport? Through 50 geopolitical and international questions, Kévin Veyssière invites rugby fans, the curious and budding geographers alike, to discover the genesis and evolution of this sport, so attached to its traditions and long kept out of the spotlight. The book’s concise, entertaining approach helps readers to better understand how rugby has become part of the global sports industry over time and across continents, and how it has become a formidable tool for understanding the political, economic and social changes taking place in the world today.Ver libro
THE NIGHTCLUB BOSS WHO TURNED TO FINDING FOOTBALL’S FUTURE STARS Football attracts people from all walks of life - but very few can match the story of Paul Montgomery, the flamboyant Geordie who went from running a floating nightclub to spotting some of the greatest British footballing talent of the last 40 years. Montgomery started out rubbing shoulders with 1970’s and 1980’s A-list celebrities such as Wham, Level 42, Bryan Ferry and Wet Wet Wet at the famous (some would say infamous) Tuxedo Junction nightclub and the Boat, Newcastle’s floating nightclub, before opening his own club and at the same time becoming a trusted lieutenant of footballing icon Sir Bobby Robson. Indeed, it was Sir Bobby himself - one of the game’s most beloved legends - who labelled Montgomery ‘my rough diamond’, because the Newcastle manager, alongside other footballing masterminds such as Jim Smith, Alex McLeish, Glenn Roeder, Sam Allardyce and Sir Alex Ferguson could trust Montgomery to deliver in a way no other scout could. Predicting - and picking - the best young talent available is very often an ephemeral and some would say impossible job but Montgomery simply had a knack for knowing who would make it - and who would flounder. In his remarkable, hilarious and deeply impassioned autobiography, he lifts the lid on his incredible career change, the highs and lows of his footballing journey to the top of the sport and how he still loves the game that has given him so much. Montgomery has run the rule over thousands of players in a career that has taken him from Hartlepool to Newcastle United, to Portsmouth, Derby County, West Ham United, Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Rangers and he’s still in the game today, advising Premier League clubs on who will make it big next. Put simply, there is no one else in football quite like Paul Montgomery - and his audiobook describes that world in all its fascinating detail, both good and bad, thrilling and tragic.Ver libro
