On 6th May 1954, in what is regarded as one of the key moments in the history of modern sport, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. Fifty years on, Bannister's status, not just as a champion athlete but also as a true British hero, a gentleman and an amateur from a golden era in sport, retains its unblemished appeal.

Until now there has been little critical and even less close historical study of Bannister and his achievement. This book redresses the balance, and in doing so provides fresh insights into the making of this British champion.

Roger Bannister and the Four-Minute Mile does more than detail the history of a sports star. It is a testimonial to the legend of Roger Bannister but it also invites the reader to reconsider the very words often used to describe him - notably hero and gentleman amateur. Informed by contemporary sports science, the text also questions the significance of the four-minute mile per se.

Thoroughly researched, this book gives fascinating insights into the history of track racing as well as early athletic training methods and the beginnings of sports science.

The first rigorous historical study of Bannister's sporting life and the man behind the legend reveals an ambivalent athlete - highly achievement-orientated and scientific in his approach but also in love with the freedom of running sensuously in nature, in contrast to the constraints of modern sport.