Anna Meares Now: Sometimes the End of the Race Is Only the Beginning by Anna Meares

$34.95 AUD

Category: Sport

From 2004 to 2016, Anna Meares was one of Australia's greatest and most popular Olympians, a winner of two gold medals and medals at four Olympics. She overcame a broken neck to win silver at the 2008 Beijing Games. She is an inspiration not just because of her sporting achievements, but for way she ans wered the potentially debilitating question faced by all retiring athletes: What happens now? Anna confronted personal crises, including the death of her coach from Motor Neurone Disease and a marriage breakup, and learned plenty as she first stumbled but now strides down a bright path. She has a new career, is a new mother and is happy in her personal life. Her sporting life is only part of this story. Her recent wins have added a new dimension to what has been a remarkable life. ...Show more

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: A Biography of a Sporting Icon (HB) by Rob Mundle

$49.99 AUD

Category: Sport

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the story of one of the world's greatest sporting challenges. In its 75th year, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has become an icon of Australia's summer sport, ranking in public interest with such national events as the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open tennis an d the Boxing Day cricket test. No regular annual yachting event in the world attracts such huge media coverage as does the start on Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: A biography of a sporting icon is the story of one of the world's greatest sporting challenges, an event where men and women from all walks of life are inspired and challenged by the beauty and power of nature. The 628-nautical mile course is often described as the most gruelling long ocean race in the world, a challenge to everyone who takes part. A team effort as much as a personal challenge where one mistake can lead to defeat, while success can deliver national and international acclaim. Bestselling author Rob Mundle has competed in the race on three occasions and reported on it for both newspapers and television for more than fifty years. The pinnacle of his many writing achievements is the international bestselling book Fatal Storm, the powerful story of the tragic 1998 Sydney Hobart race. ...Show more

Stoked!: Winners and Grinners from Our Sporting Life by H. G. Nelson

$19.99 AUD

Category: Sport

There’s nothing Australians love better than a sporting hero, except perhaps giving that hero a gentle ribbing for having the temerity to outstrip the rest of us. From the Jumping Doc and his ‘Peltzer flinch’ to late nineteenth century fashion on the field (knitted jumper, anyone?), th e great H.G. ‘battered sav’ Nelson heads trackside once more to scrutinise the efforts of some of Australia’s finest athletes. In this broad-reaching commentary, readers will join him to speculate about the complex rules of roller derby, reminisce fondly about the good old days on the Hill at the SCG and delight in a rare snap of that most famous of underground sports, shotgun tennis. Alongside H.G.’s incisive commentary are images of some of Australia’s finest sporting achievements from the National Library’s vast Pictures Collection and obscure truths about Australia’s national pastimes. Did you know that completing a 2,000 metre rowing race is the physiological equivalent of playing two basketball games back-to-back? That many ballet positions are derived from those of fencing? That, in 1952, one cheeky wrestler slid down the gilt banister of the main staircase in Buckingham Palace while visiting the Queen? A mix of facts and humourous observations, this book will educate readers a little and amuse them a lot. ...Show more

Tea and Scotch with Bradman (HB) by Roland Perry

$39.99 AUD

Category: Sport

Discovering the man behind the legend In 1995, journalist and author Roland Perry wrote to Sir Donald Bradman requesting an interview for a biography he was planning of the great cricketer. Surprisingly, the Don agreed. It was the start of a conversation that continued for years, during which the real B radman shone, not only as a great sportsman but musician, brilliant thinker and humourist with a fondness for tea and a Scotch or two. In Tea and Scotch with Bradman, Perry paints an intimate and revealing portrait of the man many regard as the greatest Australian cricketer of all time. ...Show more

Icons of Footy by Kevin Sheedy

$39.99 AUD

Category: Sport

Footy legend Kevin Sheedy crosses team alliances to profile the 21 most iconic Aussie Rules players and coaches of his lifetime.  He also sits down for interviews with nine icons he has long admired and who don't normally (for various reasons) have their stories told. Packed full of wisdom and wit , insight and memories, ICONS OF FOOTY is a treasure-trove for football fans of all tribes and ages, from one of the most unique and colourful characters in Australian sport. This beautifully-packaged hardback includes: Gary Ablett Senior, Allen Aylett, Ron Barassi, Kevin Bartlett, Malcolm Blight, Barry Cable, Wayne Carey, Alastair Clarkson, Jason Dunstall, Graham Farmer, Lance Franklin, Adam Goodes, Royce Hart, Francis Hughes, James Hird, Alex Jesaulenko, Leigh Matthews, Kevin Murray, John Nicholls, Barrie Robran and Michael Tuck. ...Show more

Please, Gamble Irresponsibly: The Rise, Fall and Rise of Sport Gambling in Australia by Titus O'Reily

$34.99 AUD

Category: Sport

The rise, fall and rise of sport gambling in Australia Australians lose more money gambling than any other country. But how did we get here? In his inimitable, hilarious style, sports historian Titus O’Reily charts the rise, fall and rise of sport gambling in Australia. We’ll gamble on anyth ing, from two flies crawling up a wall to less important things like federal elections. And thanks to the internet, phones and gambling-tax loving governments, these days Australians can indulge their love of a punt no matter what they’re doing. Aussies could be at the birth of a child or performing open-heart surgery and still put a bet on. It wasn’t always this easy. Once, you could only gamble on sport illegally. Which, it turns out, was actually also pretty easy. But over the last thirty years gambling on sport has been legalised, first slowly and then very quickly. Now almost every ad on TV is about sport betting, and even some of the players are getting in on the wagering. Please, Gamble Irresponsibly traces the history of gambling in Australia from horseracing in the colonial era, through the rise of SP bookies and organised crime, to the commercialisation of the industry and its impact on communities and the integrity of sport. With billions of dollars involved, what are the odds of putting the genie back in the bottle? ...Show more

The 100 Greatest Sportspeople of all time

$49.95 AUD

Category: Sport

The Wind at My Back - A Cycling Life by Paul Maunder

$22.99 AUD

Category: Sport

A beautifully written exploration of the links between cycling, creativity and the landscape. In this deeply personal and lyrical exploration of what it means to ride a bicycle, Paul Maunder explores how our memories have a dialogue with landscape and how cycling and creativity are connected. Taking a journey through the places that have shaped him, we ride across wild moorland, through suburbia and city streets, into quintessentially English pastoral scenes. We see too some of the darker parts of the British countryside, sites of great secrecy that intrigue the imagination. This is abook about how landscape can sustain us, and how even an hour's escape can inspire our creative sides. The bicycle allows us to explore and dream, and return in time for dinner. ...Show more

Sons of Guns by Matt Watson

$34.99 AUD

Category: Sport

When the AFL's father-son rule was introduced in the 1940s, it gave emerging players the chance to live out the ultimate lifelong dream- to play for the same beloved club as their fathers. This is about as sentimental as football gets. Today some of the AFL's finest players are the sons of guns - legend s like Mitchell, Ablett, Watson, Shaw, Fletcher, Kennedy, Hawkins, to name just a few - and many of them have given frank and candid interviews for this book. Sons of Guns takes us inside a number of these famous footballing families - the successes, failures and incidents that have never before been made public. The fathers confide doubts about whether their sons would ever make it, and the incredible pride when they did, while the sons describe overcoming the burden of their surname to forge their own identity. This is an insightful and hugely inspiring book about generations of men in the same family who shared the dedication, courage, toughness and desire it takes to succeed at the ultimate level. ...Show more

Cricketers at War by Greg Growden

$32.99 AUD

Category: Sport

Aussie cricketing heroes who also fought for Australia during wartime 'That's nothing. Pressure is having a Messerschmitt up your arse.'  Keith Miller, when asked if he felt under pressure while captaining the NSW cricket team.  Numerous heroes of Australian cricket have also proved themsel ves on the battlefield, from Gallipoli to Vietnam and beyond. Among them are some of Australia's most illustrious cricketing names: Donald Bradman, Keith Miller, Keith Carmody, Jack Fingleton and, in more recent years, Doug Walters. In this sport/history page-turner, veteran sports journalist Greg Growden tells their extraordinary stories of bravery, hardship, courage and human endeavour. ...Show more

Manikato 'The Man' by Adam Crettenden

$34.99 AUD

Category: Sport

A champion racehorse, Manikato won races at the elite level over six seasons through the late 1970s and early 1980s and became the first Australian sprinter to earn $1 million in prize money. But once getting to the top echelon of racing as a two-year-old, his life endured twists and turns that continua lly threatened to derail his career, and his life. From the sudden death of his original trainer Bon Hoysted shortly after the 1978 Golden Slipper Stakes, to the prolonged illnesses and niggling injuries that kept Manikato's name in the headlines, the fact he could compete let alone win was almost miraculous. Year after year, Manikato was guided patiently by astute trainer, Bob Hoysted - Bon's brother. The powerhouse chestnut with a quirky personality forged historic moments including victory in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley five years in a row; a record unlikely to ever be matched. In his later years, his grittiness and courage were more evident than his speed in continuing to win races, further endearing him to race crowds. Just as his life was full of drama, so was his mysterious and tragic death at the age of eight, despite the resilient efforts of those closest to 'The Man'. ...Show more

99 Nicknamed Classic Cars by Michael Kockritz

$110.00 AUD

Category: Sport

Nicknames have to be earned. They are tokens of appreciation given only when people have built a special relationship to something (or someone). From the Chevrolet 2100 Pickup "Bubble Maker" and the Citroen DS "Goddess," all the way back to Ford's "Tin Lizzy," this book presents ninety-nine classic cars and race cars, illustrated with great talent and affection by Helge Jepsen, with informative texts cleverly penned by Michael Kockritz. Just like the vehicles portrayed, this book will drive its way right into the heart of any car lover." ...Show more