Synopses & Reviews
Spanning the wide world of sports, this volume is packed with everything you could possibly want to know about hundreds of sports. Along with detailed information on how sports are played around the world, the
Encyclopedia of World Sport explores emotions and issues surrounding the sporting life and looks at sport as an essential part of the human experience. Readers will find fascinating entries on baseball and badminton, tennis and takraw, as well as on an incredible range of activities played around the globe from ancient times up to the present. Lucid and authoritative, this work--called "the newest sporting bible" by
The Times of London--covers every Olympic sport, obscure activities such as buzkashi and jousting, and indigenous games in dozens of nations.
In addition to its coverage of individual sports, the Encyclopedia examines the history and evolution of sport as a societal institution as well as the events and influences shaping the contemporary sporting world. Entries provide unique coverage of aggression, ethics, sports psychology, media, law and medicine, the development of women's sports, and the business and politics of modern sport. The Encyclopedia of World Sport is the definitive reference on the history, practice, and culture of sports throughout the world.
Review
"A truly phenomenal work...virtually a complete sporting library."--All Sport and Leisure
"Accessible and enjoyable."--GQ
"What makes this a truly memorable reference work are the countless inserts, personal letters, and historical anecdotes about the sporting life."--Library Journal
"An impressive and heavyweight work, compiled with the help of a vast team of sports scholars and experts from all over the world. It gives fascinatingly detailed coverage of almost 300 sports, which include all the mainstream and traditional activities and some that you will probably never have heard of....All the rules are here, along with a description of how the games evolved and are played."--The Times (London)
About the Author
About the Editors:
David Levinson is an anthropologist, editor in chief of the Encyclopedia of World Cultures, and a specialist in multicultural research. Karen Christensen is a journalist, professional reference book editor, and author of several environmental books. They both live in Massachusetts.
Editorial Board: John Bale, Keele University, UK; Alyce Cheska, University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana; Garry Chick, University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana; Allen Guttmann, Amherst College; Richard Holt, Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium; Donald G. Kyle, University of Texas, Arlington; John W. Loy, University of Otago, New Zealand; Roberta J. Park, University of California, Berkeley. Contributors include leading sports historians, sociologists, anthropologists, geographers, and other scholars from around the world.