An Athletics Compendium

7 - 1 8 Greek & RomanAthletics I Olympia: its history & remains / E. NorGmarndiner. Oxford: Clarendon, 1925. xviii, 316p; illus BL:7701.g.29 The story of the recovery of Olympia and of its history. Again, a seminal work. 8 Greek physical education/ Clarence Allen Forbes. London: Century Educadon, 1929. vii, 300p BL: 12213.f.6(l) Considerable sections are devoted to athletics in classical times. 9 Athletics of the ancient wor/ld E. Norman Gardiner. Oxford: Clarendon, 1930. x, 246p; illus BL: 07906129 A shorter and simpler version of OreeV. Athletic Sports and Festivale (1910), omittitnhge details and history of the various athletic festivals of Greece, but adding chapters on 'The meaning of athletics', 'The sports otfhe AncientEast,' 'Athleticsand religion,' 'Athletics anadrt' and 'Athletics and educatioAnl'.as, despite a quarter of a century of technical development in athletics. Gardiner adds little of substance thois technical analysis otfwenty years before. This is nevertheless the definitive work on Greek athletics and, read together with Harris's later Greek Athletes and Athletics (1964), provides as much as any historian is ever likely to deliver on Greek athletics. 10 Greek athletes and athletic/s H. A. Harris; introduction by the Marquess oEf xeter. London: Hutchinson, 1964. 244p; illus, maps; indexes BL:X.410/106 The best description of Greek athletics since E. N. Gardiner. Harris finds many points of comparison between the ancient and modern Olympics. He discusses thvearious events,outstanding athletes, the management oGf raeek athletic meeting, training and women in Greek athletics. mAarvellous piece of scholarship. II History of ancient Olympic Gam/es Lynn and Gray Poole. London: Vision, 1965. 143p; illus; index Originally published:New York: Obolensky,1963 BL:X.410/346 12 The ancient Olympic Games / Heinz Schoebel; translated by Joan Becker. London: Studio Vista, 1966. 163p; illus, maps Translation of:Olympia und seine Spiele BL: X.415/123 13 Olympia: gods, artists and athletes / Ludwig Drees; English translationby Gerald Onn. London: Pall Mall, 1968. 193p; illus; index SBN: 269-67015-7 BL:X.410/941 Originally published the year before in Germany, Drees's work is particularly strong on the religious and political culture of the Games but, like many academic historians, less strong on the technical nature of Greek athletics. diIsncussing the Greek long jump, he makes no reference to thuese of jumping-weights by English professional jumpers and music hall performers itnhe nineteenth and twenticeethnturies. Similarly, he fails to ask why the Greek skamma (jumping pit) was over fifty feet long, when that distance may point to multiple jumps within the pit itself. Particularly notable is his failure to even mention the hysp/ex (stanrgti gate)described in detail by Harris fouryearslater. Drees's book is nevertheless an outstanding work and contains a marvellous selection ofillustrations. 14 Sport in Greece anRd ome / HA. . Harris. London: Thames and Hudson, 1972. 288p; illus; index (Aspects of Greek and Roman life) Bibliography:p275-276 ISBN: 0-500-40022-9 BL:X.629/4786 Covers muchthe same ground as the author's earlier Greek Athletes and Athletics, though some fresh material is included; both are works of outstanding merit. 15 Greek athletics / DavBiduchanan. London: Longman, 1976. 48p; illus, maps; pbk (Aspects of Greek life) ISBN: 0-582-20059-8 BL:X.619/17388 16 Greek athletics and the Jews / H. A. Harris; edited by I. M. Barton and A.J. Brothers. Cardiff: University of Wales Press for St David's University College Lampeter, 1976. vi, 124p; illus, maps; index (Trivium' special publications; 3) Originally published in a Hebrewtranslation: Tel Aviv:1972 ISBN: 0-7083-0635-7 BL:X.620/16262 Published posthumously, this bocokvers the impact of Hellenic culture, especiallythe cult oafthletics, on the Jews. Adefinitivweork. 17 Olympic Games in ancient Gree/ce Shirley Glubok and Alfred Tamarin. London: Harper and Row, 1976. 116p; illus, 1map; index ISBN: 0-06-022048-1 (cased)• 0-06-022047-3 (pbk) BL; X.620/17513 This guide opens witha preliminary discussionof the Games before devoting a separate sectiotno each day of the Games. The eonf dthe ancient Games and the modern Olympics fortmhe concluding sections. 18 The Olympic Games: the fitrhsot usand years/ M. I. Finley, H. W. Pleket. London: Chatto Wanidndus, 1976. xvii, 138p; illus, maps; index ISBN: 0-7011-2087-8 BL:X.622/5202 The authors succeed brilliantly not onlyin describing the history ofthe Games,which were held without a [ 2 ]