Synopsis
There is a continuing fascination
in the life of Eric Liddell (1902-1945). He remains one of the best-known and
best-loved of all British sportsmen. As the subject of an award-winning movie, Chariots of Fire (1981), his success in
the 400m at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris was powerfully portrayed. He was known as the 'man who would not run on
a Sunday' and captured the imagination of a generation by his Christian
character and by sacrificing fame and fortune to become a missionary in China,
before his passing in a Japanese Internment Camp in 1945.
This book is not a full biography
of Eric Liddell. It is largely a sporting
biography which weaves in to it Liddell's background, Christian position and
subsequent missionary work. The author, who is the leading authority on
Scottish track and field history and is presently a Presbyterian minister in
Scotland, had a keen interest in Liddell from before Chariots of Fire. He was
acquainted with Liddell's first biographer, D P Thomson, to whom he gave some
assistance in the production of the earliest full biography of Liddell (1970).
He was subsequently involved with the writer of the screen play in developing
the representation of Liddell for the award-winning movie Chariots of Fire (1981).
Whilst the book is in the nature
of a 'personal tribute,' it is from one who can speak with some authority on
both the sporting side and Christian aspects of Eric Liddell's life, as a
Scotsman, a former athlete and rugby player, an athletics historian and an
evangelical Christian. The biography produced by John Keddie is a readable,
attractive, informative and accurate piece of work which will appeal to a wide
readership.
About the Author
John Keddie was
born in Edinburgh in 1946. An athlete in his youth, he was a Scottish Junior triple
jump champion in 1965 and represented Scotland once, besides playing first
class rugby for Boroughmuir Former Pupils RFC (1966-1970). He also competed for
Mitcham A.C. (1973-1975).
John has long
had a close interest in the history of Scottish athletics. In 1982 his work on Scottish Athletics (the official Centenary History of the Scottish Amarteur Athletic Association) was published,
covering 100 years of amateur athletics north of the border. One member of the Association of Track and Field Statisticians wrote of this book: "I can already tell you that it one of the best historical works on sports that I have ever seen. A milestone, a landmark...no exaggeration, indeed."
An Accountant by
profession (for a time he was Commercial Manager of Dunlop Sports Company in
London), he later entered the ministry of the Presbyterian Free Church of
Scotland and served in Burghead (Morayshire) 1987-1996, and Bracadale on the
Island of Skye (1997-2012). He retired from that work
in April, 2012.
Among his other
contributions to athletics literature is a popular fully illustrated biography
of the athlete-missionary Eric Liddell entitled Running the Race (first published by EPBooks in 2007, with a 2nd revised and enlarged edition, 2012). His young person's biography of Eric, entitled Finish the Race, was published by Christian
Focus Publications (Tain, Ross-shire) in 2011.
John is also the author of a biography of a 19th Century Scottish Theologian, George Smeaton (EPBooks, 2007) and has contributed articles to the Free Church Witness, Evangelical Times, Athletics Weekly and Track Stats (Journal of the National Union of Track Statisticians).
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
