AbeBooks' Reading Copy

I’m not one for adventure, myself. I have come to accept that I am just much more content with my feet on the ground than strapped into a harness, defying gravity in some way. Rollercoasters, skydiving, hang-gliding – these are just not for me. But I admit, I’ve often been drawn to the idea of [...]

Apparently, commercial entities are not allowed to mention the O******* during their promotional work due to copyright issues. So there is a really big sporting event that originated in Greece about to start in London and, to be topical, my colleague Richard has written a feature called A Literary Tour of London where he has [...]

It’s always useful to know about the next holy day, full moon or high tide. Cures for common ailments and crop planting charts are also handy. Almanacs have been printed since 1457 and make for a fascinating book collection. This selection of rare almanacs stretches from Benjamin Franklin to a sporting reference book still being [...]

There are truly some fantastic vintage book gems out there, in some unexpected places. What about self-defence (or self-defense, depending which side of the pond you call home)? People have, sadly, always attacked one another like big creeps, and there have been books written for ages on how to protect yourself from those creeps. But [...]

Enjoy my colleague Richard’s review of The Blind Side and Moneyball, both by Michael Lewis – the writing is interesting enough to keep even a non-sports fan interested.

I’m probably going to have to read some of Ed Smith’s books sooner rather than later. The Guardian reviews his latest book, Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters – a key element for anyone who has made a living in professional sport. One of Smith’s aims is to challenge the view popularised by [...]

Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch is 20 years old but the author is disillusioned with the game of football (that’s soccer to my North American cousins). He argues the clubs are pricing themselves into oblivion with such high ticket costs, reports The Guardian. In Fever Pitched: Twenty Years On, to be broadcast on Radio 4 tomorrow [...]

Angelo Dundee has passed away at 90. His illustrious and unforgettable career included training Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, and of course Muhammad Ali.